Tozando's position is straightforward: we believe collectors should buy newly forged blades and commissions whenever they can. Modern swordsmiths carry a tradition that is over a thousand years old. Supporting a living smith — placing a commission, buying their current work — is the most direct way to ensure that tradition continues into the next generation. A pre-owned modern blade does not put resources into a smith's hands. A new blade does. That matters to us, and we say so plainly. That said, the pre-owned modern sword market is real, and there are situations where an experienced collector has good reasons to look there. This guide explains the genuine differences between a newly forged sword (生ぶ, ubu) and a pre-owned modern blade — what you gain with each, and when the secondary market makes sense for the right collector.
What "Ubu" Means for a Modern Sword
The term ubu (生ぶ) — original, unaltered — is most commonly used in discussions of antique swords to describe a blade whose nakago has never been shortened. For a modern newly forged sword, ubu carries a different but equally specific meaning: the blade is in the exact condition in which the smith and togishi (polisher) left it. The polish is at its most complete. The jihada character is at its clearest. The hamon shows exactly what the smith achieved at that moment — every element of nie, nioi, and activity as the togishi brought it out.
This condition is something only the first owner can experience. Every subsequent owner inherits the blade after some period of time has passed, during which it has been handled, stored, and maintained by someone else. Even with perfect care, a blade that has been owned for a decade is not the same object it was when it left the togishi's hands. The first owner alone receives it at that moment.
Kubo Yoshihiro, President of the All Japan Swordsmith Association, has expressed this directly to Tozando: the swordsmith's wish is for the first owner to experience and preserve the blade in its ubu state. That wish is not sentimental — it reflects what the blade actually is at the moment of completion.
What Changes in a Pre-Owned Modern Blade — and What Doesn't
A pre-owned modern blade is not a damaged blade. In most cases it has been well maintained, stored correctly, and handled by a collector who understood what they owned. The jihada is still the jihada. The hamon is still the hamon. The smith's achievement in the steel does not disappear because one owner has passed the blade to another.
What changes is more subtle: the surface polish may show slight wear from maintenance over the years; the original ubu condition is in the past rather than the present. For collectors for whom the first-ownership experience is the primary value, this matters significantly. For collectors whose focus is the steel itself — the smith's work, the jihada quality, the hamon character — a pre-owned blade in excellent condition may be essentially equivalent to a new one, at a lower price.
- The blade in its exact original condition — polish at its most complete
- First-owner experience — the ubu state only the first owner can have
- You are the beginning of the blade's provenance record
- Direct connection to the living smith — knowing exactly who made it and when
- Full choice of specifications if commissioned — length, tradition, style
- NBSK Shinsakuto Shomeisho authentication issued at creation
- Immediate availability — no waiting period of one to three years
- Lower price than an equivalent new blade — often significantly so
- Access to blades by smiths who no longer take commissions or have passed away
- Access to earlier work by smiths who later rose to senior rank
- The blade can be examined before purchase
- Existing NBTHK certification provides independent authentication
The Mukansa Opportunity — Why Pre-Owned Can Be a Strategic Choice
Here is where the pre-owned modern sword market offers something the newly forged market cannot: access to earlier work by smiths who have since risen to the tradition's highest levels.
Mukansa smiths — those designated "beyond competitive judgment," the highest rank in the modern swordsmithing tradition — did not begin at that level. They progressed through the competition system over fifteen or more years, winning Special Prizes at the Gendai Token Shokuten (現代刀職展), accumulating the recognition that eventually brought Mukansa designation. During those earlier years, their blades were priced to reflect their then-current rank: significant, but not yet commanding the premium that Mukansa status brings.
Blades made by a smith in their earlier career — before they reached senior rank — can often be acquired at relatively modest prices. If that smith later achieves Mukansa designation or other significant recognition, the value of those earlier pieces tends to rise accordingly.
Many Mukansa-level smiths are still active today and can be commissioned directly for their current work — but at current Mukansa prices, which begin at approximately ¥5,000,000 (around USD $33,000) and rise significantly for the most senior names. Their earlier pieces, made when they were producing serious competition-level work but not yet Mukansa-designated, may appear in the pre-owned market at a fraction of that price.
The quality of an accomplished smith's work at, say, forty-five is not the quality of a beginner. It is the quality of a smith who has been forging seriously for twenty years, who has already won Special Prizes at national competitions, and whose technique is fully formed — but whose official rank has not yet caught up with their actual achievement. Identifying these smiths and acquiring their earlier pieces before the market reflects their full standing is the closest equivalent the nihonto world has to acquiring an artist's early work before their reputation is fully established.
This requires knowledge — of the competition record, of the trajectory of specific smiths' careers, of who is likely to reach senior rank in the coming years. It is not a strategy for the casual collector. But for the serious collector with access to good specialist advice, it represents a genuine opportunity that the newly forged market cannot offer.
The Mukansa Smith — New Commission vs Pre-Owned
For smiths already at Mukansa level, both new and pre-owned routes are viable — and the choice between them comes down to what the collector prioritises.
A new Mukansa commission means a blade made at the smith's current peak, with the full first-ownership experience, at current Mukansa prices and with the waiting time that a senior smith's queue involves. A pre-owned Mukansa blade means a piece from an earlier period of the smith's career — potentially from their strongest competitive years — available immediately, at a price that may be lower than current commission prices, with independent NBTHK certification already in place.
Neither is universally better. The question is what matters most to the specific collector: the first-ownership experience and current-peak quality that only a new commission delivers, or the immediate availability, established authentication, and potentially lower price that a well-chosen pre-owned piece offers.
Which Approach Suits Which Collector
pre-owned gives you access to work
the market has not yet fully reflected.
The experienced collector
knows when each is the right choice."
What Tozando Carries — and How We Can Help
Tozando's modern fine art collection includes both newly forged blades — commissioned directly through our relationship with the All Japan Swordsmith Association, at the same price the smith would charge directly — and pre-owned modern blades that have been carefully assessed for condition and authenticity. Our specialists can advise on both routes, including specific guidance on which smiths' earlier work currently represents opportunity in the pre-owned market.
The most valuable thing a specialist dealer offers in the pre-owned modern market is not just access to pieces — it is knowledge of which pieces to look for. Understanding which currently active smiths are on a trajectory toward Mukansa designation, whose earlier work is underpriced relative to their current standing, and when a piece represents genuine value rather than simply a lower price — this is knowledge built over decades in the market, not something derivable from any catalogue or certification alone.
newly forged and pre-owned
Tozando's specialists have spent thirty years in the modern fine art sword market — assessing condition, tracking smith careers, and advising collectors on both newly forged commissions and pre-owned acquisitions. Contact us to discuss which approach suits your priorities and budget.
In Closing — Two Routes to the Same Tradition
The modern fine art sword market offers collectors two genuinely different routes to the same tradition. A newly forged blade brings the first-ownership experience, the ubu condition, and the direct connection to a living smith. A pre-owned modern blade brings immediate availability, established authentication, and — in the right cases — access to work that the market has not yet fully reflected in its price.
If you are approaching the modern sword market for the first time, or if you have the means to commission new work, our recommendation is clear: buy new, commission directly, support a living smith. The ubu condition is irreplaceable. The first-ownership experience is irreplaceable. And every blade purchased new from a licensed smith is a small act of support for a tradition that depends on living practitioners to survive.
The pre-owned route exists, and for the right collector in the right circumstances it makes sense. But it is the exception, not the rule. The nihonto tradition is alive because of the smiths forging blades today. The best thing a collector can do for that tradition — beyond simply appreciating it — is to put resources directly into their hands.
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