NihontoWatchThe real name of the swordsmith Nobuhide was Horii Masamitsu. He was born in Taisho 9 as the son of the swordsmith Horii Toshihide (also known as Hideaki) and became a student of his father, the swordsmith Toshihide. In Showa 51, after retiring from Japan Steel Works, he established a forge in Takehara-cho, Date City, at the foot of Mount Usu, and dedicated himself to sword making. He received awards such as the Muroran City Cultural Federation Art Prize in Showa 50, the Hokkaido Cultural Property Protection Association 30th Anniversary Special Commendation in Heisei 4, the Hokkaido Cultural Property Protection Merit Award, and the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette. He passed away on March 23, Heisei 13, at the age of 81. The swordsmith Horii Toshihide, who was his father and the master from whom he learned the craft of sword forging, is famous as the maker of the "Mikasa-to," forged by adding residual steel from the gun barrels of the battleship Mikasa, and is a master smith representing the modern era (Taisho and Showa). *Horii Family First Generation: Horii Taneyoshi (student of Gassan Sadakazu and Taikei Naotane) ↓ Second Generation: Horii Taneaki ↓ Third Generation (First Zuisen): Horii Toshihide (also known as Hideaki) *Famous as the maker of the "Mikasa-to," he is one of the swordsmiths representing Taisho and Showa. ↓ Fourth Generation: Horii Nobuhide ↓ (Branch Family): Horii Tanetsugu ↓ Current: Horii Tanemasa
NihontoWatchNobuhide信秀
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As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Hokkaido · around 1926-1989
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.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
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 siteCooling-off (returns or exchanges) is accepted within 3 days of the item's arrival. Return shipping and refund transfer fees are the customer's responsibility. Fees other than the item price (transfer fees, credit card fees, etc.) cannot be refunded. Returns and refunds are not available for overseas destinations.