NihontoWatchThis is a work by the second generation Kado Motooki, who is famous as a retained smith of the Aizu clan during the Bakumatsu period. He is a master smith of the Bakumatsu period also commonly known as Shoken Motooki. Furthermore, he received the title of Yamato no Kami in Keio 2, July, and at the same time changed his name to Hidekuni, the same as his father; this change of mei is thought to stem from his loyalty to the Aizu clan. The first generation Motooki studied under Oku Yamato no Kami Motohira, who was renowned as a master smith of Satsuma during the Kansei era of the mid-Edo period, and he was granted the title of head sword smith by the Aizu clan daimyo. Furthermore, Oku Motohira, under whom the first generation studied, was a master smith who reproduced the works of high-ranking Soshu masters (Masamune, Sadamune, etc.) and was praised by later generations as the "Great Master of Sasshu"; although his techniques were kept concealed as secret traditions, it is said that the transmission was realized because the Aizu daimyo made a request to the Satsuma daimyo. Additionally, in his early period, the first generation signed his mei as Hidekuni, but Motohira reportedly took a great liking to the first generation who had entered his apprenticeship, and he bestowed the character "Moto" from Motohira, allowing him to call himself Motooki. However, in the era of the second generation during the Bakumatsu, they walked a tragic history where the clans fought against each other. Furthermore, the second generation Motooki also brilliantly inherited the techniques of the first generation and possessed particularly excellent skill among the Aizu swordsmiths, and he is also known as a favorite swordsmith of the Bakumatsu Aizu daimyo, Matsudaira Katamori. In the evaluations of that time, it is said that his reputation was higher than that of the eleventh generation Kanesada.
NihontoWatchOffered by Hyozaemon
This piece has sold
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
The Shinshintō revival
Around 1800 Suishinshi Masahide argued in his writings that the craft must return to the old masters’ methods: the fukkotō revival. His greatest successor Naotane worked convincingly in Bizen and Sōshū manners that had been dead for centuries.
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 siteWithin one week of the item's arrival (cooling-off is available within Japan only). If the returned item's condition differs from the time of sale, or the item has been used, no refund can be given. For defects that differ from the purchase conditions, we accept the return and refund the payment. (A defect means something that impairs the item's proper use, such as a hagire (crack in the edge), a re-tempered blade (saiba) or a forgery; items described as having a hagire, a saiba or as a forgery are excluded.) For overseas customers, please consult us separately.