{"product_id":"antique-japanese-katana-sword-kinmichi-shinto-era-nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-52-6-cm","title":"Antique Japanese Wakizashi Sword - Kinmichi, Shintō Era - NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon (52.6 cm)","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAntique Japanese Wakizashi, Signed \"(Kikumon) Iga-no-kami Fujiwara Kinmichi\" and \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" (伊賀守藤原金道・日本鍛冶惣匠), 2nd Generation — NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken, with Sayagaki by Satō Kanzan\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA true signature (shinmenmoku) of the Mishina house — Sōshō of all Japanese swordsmiths — with an imperial chrysanthemum crest and a flawless ubu tang, a gunome-midare hamon with tama, and a classic Mishina-bōshi\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mishina house, the \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" (Supreme Master of the Swordsmiths of Japan), enjoyed the immense trust of both the Imperial Court and the Tokugawa shogunate and reigned at the very summit of Japanese swordsmithing. This is a supreme blade whose ubu tang bears the imperial chrysanthemum crest and the signature of the head of the house, and it has been endorsed by Satō Kanzan, the foremost appraisal authority of the Shōwa era. A dignified true signature (shinmenmoku) by the 2nd-generation Kinmichi, who supported the golden age of this illustrious house, it is certified by the NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai) as Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken. We promise a deeply rewarding experience of appreciation: to hold in your own hands the authority of a great house that walked at the forefront of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe jigane is an itame-hada (wood-grain pattern) with a standing-grain feel, mixed with mokume (burl grain), and shows a flavorful surface on which fine ji-nie is laid evenly and thickly. It possesses the clear moisture and brilliance appropriate to a Shintō work of the highest grade, and one can dynamically appreciate the strength of the fine, sturdy steel distinctive of the Kyoto Mishina school.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hamon is based on a showy gunome-midare (irregular clove-shaped pattern) of pronounced highs and lows, mixed with koshi-no-hiraita (flared-base) and togari-gokoro (pointed) elements, with bright, luminous ko-nie deeply laid along the temper edge so that it shines white. Within the hamon, soft ashi and yō (leg- and leaf-shaped activity) enter quietly and in abundance, and the work of \"tama\" — small, round, isolated spots that appear charmingly within the hamon — is splendidly displayed, while sunagashi and kinsuji run quietly, presenting a landscape of ji and ha rich in points of interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bōshi (tip temper) is beautifully tempered in the \"Sanpin-bōshi\" (Mishina-bōshi), the greatest signature of the Mishina school, in which the tip, around the fukura, does not take on roundness and instead becomes somewhat concave inward. The hamon rises broad and deep, and its relaxed turnback is full of spirit, testifying to the 2nd-generation Kinmichi's outstanding hardening technique.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is nearly flawless and sound in polish, with the ji and ha in extremely good condition. This sparkling ji and ha, with its splendid \"tama,\" and its excellent soundness, may be called the great highlight for which the NBTHK recognized its high artistic value and designated it a Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eForm\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade stands firm in both mihaba (width) and kasane (thickness), with a moderate sori (curve) and a gentle taper with little difference between base and tip, showing the powerful and dignified wakizashi form distinctive of the Kan'ei era (nagasa slightly over 1 shaku 7 sun 3 bu).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorthy of special note is the undamaged ubu nakago (tang), which perfectly retains its original form. On the omote (front) is vividly carved the noble 16-petal chrysanthemum crest, an honor granted by the Imperial Court, and beneath it, cut with a vigorous chisel, \"Iga-no-kami Fujiwara Kinmichi\" (伊賀守藤原金道). On the ura (back), the six-character signature \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" (日本鍛冶惣匠), the mark of the head of the swordsmithing world, is cut with dignity, giving off an air of refinement and historical and documentary value that takes the breath away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOn the smith — 2nd-Generation Iga-no-kami Fujiwara Kinmichi (二代 伊賀守藤原金道)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2nd-generation Iga-no-kami Kinmichi, whose real name was Mishina Kanbei, was a great master representing the Shintō period, who achieved remarkable success in Yamashiro Province (Kyoto), chiefly during the Kan'ei era of the early Edo period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was the eldest son of the 1st-generation Kinmichi, who, in Keichō 19 (1614) on the eve of the Winter Campaign of Ōsaka, was ordered by Tokugawa Ieyasu to produce \"one thousand swords in three months,\" and who, through Ieyasu's recommendation to the throne, received from the Imperial Court the official title of \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō.\" The \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" was the highest and most privileged authority in the swordsmithing world, arranging and overseeing, for swordsmiths throughout the country, the court-conferred titles (such as \"—no-kami\" and \"—no-suke\"). The 2nd-generation Kinmichi inherited this grave responsibility and its supreme tradition without interruption, and began to cut the six-character signature \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" firmly into his own tangs. He further belonged to the most illustrious of houses, having been granted imperial permission to engrave the chrysanthemum crest (the 16-petal chrysanthemum), and his excellent forging technique and dignified style earned the extreme trust of the samurai class of the time. The 2nd-generation Iga-no-kami Kinmichi is a smith with strong ties to the Tokugawa family, having fulfilled the great task of forging a daishō (pair of long and short swords) as official swordsmith to the 4th shōgun, Tokugawa Ietsuna.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe mounting (shirasaya) and the sayagaki by Satō Kanzan\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard) of this blade bears a brilliantly shining, hand-written sayagaki (scabbard inscription) by the late Satō Kanzan, who from the turbulent Shōwa era to the present day has continued to be revered as the \"supreme authority in the appraisal of Japanese swords.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSatō Kanzan (real name Satō Kan'ichi) served as head of the sword section of the Tokyo National Museum, and as an executive of the NBTHK, and through the writing of numerous works including Nihon no Tōken, Tōken Kantei Techō, and Yasutsugu Taikan, he was a historic figure who built the foundations and order of modern sword appreciation. His strict and outstanding eye for appraisal won absolute trust. This sayagaki — written in his own hand in late autumn of 1977, recording the cut signature \"2nd-generation Kinmichi\" and \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" and the exacting measurement of a little over 1 shaku 7 sun 3 bu — is itself a certain testimony guaranteeing a historical value and legitimacy equal to, or even exceeding, that of a work of art. That this true signature of the 2nd-generation Kinmichi, backed by the highest authority, has maintained supreme condition without the slightest deviation even after decades is a source of the greatest delight and unshakable reassurance for the collector.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn asset-grade masterpiece worth handing down for generations, in which the authority of the Edo-period shogunal house and the highest appraisal eye intersect. A flawless ubu tang proudly bearing the chrysanthemum crest granted by the Imperial Court and the cut signature \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\"; a splendid clarity of ji and ha in which a gunome-midare hamon is set off by a Mishina-bōshi; and an authentic sayagaki left by Satō Kanzan — every element satisfies the \"perfect conditions\" the market seeks. Opportunities for a work of this class to appear on the market are extremely rare; please enjoy the dignity of a master smith whose name has been passed down across the ages, and the beauty of clear, luminous steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Wakizashi (脇指), shinogi-zukuri; ubu, zaimei (signed); Early Edo period (Kan'ei era, Shintō)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmith: 2nd-generation Iga-no-kami Fujiwara Kinmichi (二代 伊賀守藤原金道), real name Mishina Kanbei; Yamashiro Province (Kyoto); Nihon Kaji Sōshō\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSignature (mei): Front: 16-petal chrysanthemum crest and \"Iga-no-kami Fujiwara Kinmichi\" (伊賀守藤原金道); Back: \"Nihon Kaji Sōshō\" (日本鍛冶惣匠)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJigane: Itame mixed with mokume, standing-grain feel, thick and even ji-nie\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHamon: Gunome-midare with koshi-no-hiraita and togari-gokoro, bright ko-nie, ashi and yō, tama, sunagashi and kinsuji\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBōshi: Sanpin-bōshi (Mishina-bōshi)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLength of edge (nagasa): 52.6 cm (approx. 20.71 in \/ approx. 1 shaku 7 sun 3 bu, slightly over)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCurvature (sori): 1.2 cm (approx. 0.47 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWidth at base (motohaba): 30.8 mm (approx. 1.21 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThickness at base (motokasane): 6.2 mm (approx. 0.24 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWidth at tip (sakihaba): 20.7 mm (approx. 0.81 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThickness at tip (sakikasane): 5.5 mm (approx. 0.22 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeg holes (mekugi-ana): 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight (blade only): 470 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Nearly flawless and sound; ji and ha in extremely good condition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMounting: Shirasaya, with sayagaki by Satō Kanzan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCertification: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRegistration No.: Tokyo No. 203782 (東京 第203782号)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Tozando Katana Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54134823420267,"sku":null,"price":1400000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/12.jpg?v=1792457099","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/antique-japanese-katana-sword-kinmichi-shinto-era-nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-52-6-cm","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}