{"product_id":"authentic-japanese-sword-for-sale-koto-era-katana-kanehisa-nbthk-hozon-token-certificate-tozando","title":"Authentic Japanese Sword for Sale - Koto Era Katana - Kanehisa, NBTHK Hozon Token Certificate | Tozando","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAntique Japanese Katana, signed Kanehisa (兼久) of Seki — Mino, late Muromachi period (Sengoku era) — NBTHK Hozon Tōken — a long, robust blade in shirasaya\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSigned Seki Kanehisa katana of over 2 shaku 2 sun · densely packed nie-deki itame with mokume · a composed chū-suguha with kinsen and tobiyaki (approaching hitatsura) · NBTHK Hozon papered · in a fine shirasaya with a silver habaki\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe present a long blade of 2 shaku 2 sun 7½ bu by \u003cem\u003eKanehisa\u003c\/em\u003e, a distinguished smith of the Mino–Seki tradition, awarded \u003cem\u003eHozon Tōken\u003c\/em\u003e certification by the NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai) in December 2024. Here is the very essence of the Mino smiths on whom famous warlords relied through the warring-states turmoil from the Meiō into the Tenbun era. Preserved in superb, freshly polished condition, it has an exceptional heft and solidity that transmit to the palm the moment it is grasped — a mass of steel forged without the slightest compromise, whose presence captivates the viewer in an instant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarefully polished, the blade is remarkably sound, with very few flaws. A little rust near the \u003cem\u003eha-machi\u003c\/em\u003e and some discoloration at the \u003cem\u003emune-machi\u003c\/em\u003e are honorable marks (\u003cem\u003ehomare\u003c\/em\u003e) of a blade that has survived many ages, and they only heighten its historical poetry. The \u003cem\u003ejigane\u003c\/em\u003e is a \u003cem\u003enie-deki\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eitame\u003c\/em\u003e, densely packed and partly mixed with \u003cem\u003emokume\u003c\/em\u003e, asserting the clear steel texture peculiar to Mino work. The \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e is based on a faultless, well-composed \u003cem\u003echū-suguha\u003c\/em\u003e, with \u003cem\u003ekinsen\u003c\/em\u003e (\"golden lines\") within; scattered \u003cem\u003etobiyaki\u003c\/em\u003e (detached islands of temper) lend richly varied points of interest amid its quiet. The temper edge is tightly drawn, with fine \u003cem\u003eko-nie\u003c\/em\u003e that make it bright and clear. \u003cem\u003eTobiyaki\u003c\/em\u003e also appear on the \u003cem\u003emune\u003c\/em\u003e, giving an effect that even suggests \u003cem\u003ehitatsura\u003c\/em\u003e (full temper). The tang (\u003cem\u003enakago\u003c\/em\u003e) is wrapped in the deep black rust that the years have nurtured, from which the strong chisel-strokes of the signature \u003cem\u003eKanehisa\u003c\/em\u003e stand out clearly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eForm\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor its length of 2 shaku 2 sun 7½ bu, the blade shows a gracefully curved \u003cem\u003esori\u003c\/em\u003e and a dignified figure that does not weaken toward the tip. Both \u003cem\u003emihaba\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ekasane\u003c\/em\u003e are well retained, and the overwhelming heft and sturdy, no-nonsense style felt in the hand are the very summit of practical beauty — a form that embodies the aesthetic of the Mino sword, refined nobility housed within boldness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOn the smith — Kanehisa\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKanehisa, who won renown in Mino-province Seki in the late Muromachi period, was a skilled maker representative of the Seki smiths who swept the age of war under the byword \"does not break, does not bend\" (\u003cem\u003eorezu magarazu\u003c\/em\u003e). Prized by warlords across the country for overwhelming reliability in real combat, their blades at the same time boasted a very high level of completeness as works of art. A blade of such fine quality as this speaks to the smith's high technical skill, and is particularly esteemed among enthusiasts as a precious legacy of his hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe mounting\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is kept in a fine \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e that shows at a glance how carefully it has been handed down. The \u003cem\u003ehabaki\u003c\/em\u003e supporting the blade is finished in a solid-silver manner with fine slanted file-work (\u003cem\u003eshigure-yasuri\u003c\/em\u003e), a dense and high-toned design that tightens the whole piece — a specification through which one senses the unstinting passion and respect that generations of sword lovers have poured into it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe historical background\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the age spanning the Meiō to the Tenbun eras, Mino was a center of the warring-states upheaval, where fierce lords such as Saitō Dōsan contended for supremacy. As life-and-death battles became the norm, it was the swords of Mino that were forged as the very lifeline of the warriors. Born of the intersection of a turbulent age and a master smith's spirit, this blade still pulses with the taut atmosphere of the time and the resolve of the samurai.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fine cutting blade forged in the upheavals of the Meiō and Tenbun eras, entrusted with a warrior's very fate. With its substantial, weighty body, its keen and lucid ground and edge, and the unwavering beauty of its straight temper, it is a historic, \u003cem\u003eHozon Tōken\u003c\/em\u003e-designated sword in which the skill and spirit of Kanehisa, a master representative of late-Muromachi Mino–Seki, are distilled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Katana (shinogi-zukuri)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e Kanehisa (兼久); attributed to Seki (関)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification:\u003c\/strong\u003e NBTHK \u003cem\u003eHozon Tōken\u003c\/em\u003e (No. 3035804), issued December 4, 2024 (Reiwa 6)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late Muromachi period (Sengoku era), ca. Meiō–Tenbun (late 15th–mid 16th century)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmith \/ school:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kanehisa — Mino province, Seki\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJigane:\u003c\/strong\u003e nie-deki itame, densely packed, partly mixed with mokume; clear Mino skin\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e composed chū-suguha with kinsen and scattered tobiyaki (tobiyaki also on the mune, approaching hitatsura); tight habuchi with bright ko-nie\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade length (nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 69.1 cm \/ 27.20 in (over 2 shaku 2 sun 7 bu; NBTHK papers: 2 shaku 2 sun 7½ bu)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.9 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at base (motohaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 32 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at base (motokasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.2 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at tip (sakihaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 24.6 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at tip (sakikasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 5.7 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (blade only):\u003c\/strong\u003e 850 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e freshly polished, very sound; a little rust near the ha-machi and some discoloration at the mune-machi (age\/battle marks)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard) with a silver habaki with slanted shigure-yasuri file-work\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTorokushō (Japanese registration) No.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ishikawa 28129\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Tozando Katana Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53695759941995,"sku":"611-ISK028129","price":820000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/ishikawa28129_kaneshisa_1.jpg?v=1786328751","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/authentic-japanese-sword-for-sale-koto-era-katana-kanehisa-nbthk-hozon-token-certificate-tozando","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}