The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
This is a Tachi by Kazuhira, a disciple of Living National Treasure Miyairi Akihira. It is a masterpiece in the Soshu tradition, featuring a wide mihaba, deep sori, and a Kamakura-period tachi shape. The blade exhibits a beautiful jigane with small mokumehada, thick jinie, and frequent chikei, complemented by a hamon of notare mixed with gunome, yubashiri, tobiyaki, and frequent nijuba, with abundant ashi and nie, and frequent kinsuji.
NihontoWatchmei · Miyairi Akihira School · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 76.2cm · sori 2.6cm
Sagami · around 1926-1989
4 pieces on the market now
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
This is a Tachi by Kazuhira, a disciple of Living National Treasure Miyairi Akihira. It is a masterpiece in the Soshu tradition, featuring a wide mihaba, deep sori, and a Kamakura-period tachi shape. The blade exhibits a beautiful jigane with small mokumehada, thick jinie, and frequent chikei, complemented by a hamon of notare mixed with gunome, yubashiri, tobiyaki, and frequent nijuba, with abundant ashi and nie, and frequent kinsuji.
NihontoWatchmei · Miyairi Akihira School · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 76.2cm · sori 2.6cm
Sagami · around 1926-1989
4 pieces on the market now
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
