{"product_id":"authentic-japanese-sword-for-sale-koto-era-wakizashi-nobukuni-nbthk-hozon-token-certificate-tozando","title":"Authentic Japanese Sword for Sale - Koto Era Wakizashi - Nobukuni, NBTHK Hozon Token Certificate | Tozando","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAntique Japanese Wakizashi, signed Nobukuni (信国) — attributed to Chikushi Nobukuni, mid-Muromachi period (Chōroku era), Buzen province — NBTHK Hozon Tōken — shōbu-zukuri, in shirasaya\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSigned shōbu-zukuri wakizashi of the Chikushi Nobukuni school · densely forged itame with yubashiri and chikei · a bright, clear hoso-suguha with ko-nie · NBTHK Hozon papered · preserved in a fine shirasaya\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA master smith who cast a singular light on his age: \u003cem\u003eChikushi Nobukuni\u003c\/em\u003e, active in Buzen province amid the unsettled winds of the Chōroku era in the mid-Muromachi period. Inheriting the bloodline of the illustrious Yamashiro school while honing his own aesthetic on Kyushu soil, his blades carry a dignity and crisp refinement that take the viewer's breath away. Signed \u003cem\u003eNobukuni\u003c\/em\u003e and accompanied by an NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai) \u003cem\u003eHozon Tōken\u003c\/em\u003e certificate, it is a supreme piece that satisfies both the eye and the heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFreshly polished throughout, the blade is sound and in very fine state of preservation, without damage or major fault. The construction is \u003cem\u003eshōbu-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e, uniting beauty with sharpness. The \u003cem\u003ejigane\u003c\/em\u003e is a densely forged \u003cem\u003eitame\u003c\/em\u003e, showing the moist, mellow skin characteristic of a \u003cem\u003ekotō\u003c\/em\u003e (old sword), with activity such as \u003cem\u003eyubashiri\u003c\/em\u003e (\"splashes\" of hardened steel) and \u003cem\u003echikei\u003c\/em\u003e. The \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e is a \u003cem\u003ehoso-suguha\u003c\/em\u003e (narrow straight temper) with a bright, clear \u003cem\u003enioiguchi\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem\u003eko-nie\u003c\/em\u003e gather along it and delicate activity spreads within the edge — the high technical skill that is the true hallmark of the Nobukuni school is evident everywhere. The tang (\u003cem\u003enakago\u003c\/em\u003e) is firmly cut with the two-character signature \u003cem\u003eNobukuni\u003c\/em\u003e, speaking of its long history to the present day. It is preserved in a high-quality \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eForm\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSlightly slender and trim in \u003cem\u003emihaba\u003c\/em\u003e, the blade shows to beautiful effect the crisp, keen silhouette that only \u003cem\u003eshōbu-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e can give. The line of the \u003cem\u003emune-kado\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eshinogi\u003c\/em\u003e ridge, sweeping cleanly toward the back like the leaf of an iris (\u003cem\u003eshōbu\u003c\/em\u003e), is the distinctive form of the old-sword period, in which practicality and functional beauty were pursued to the very limit. The beauty of the shape and its tightly composed bearing are in exquisite balance — an enduring appeal that draws in whoever takes it up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOn the smith — Chikushi Nobukuni\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Chikushi Nobukuni\" refers to the group of smiths — and their leading master — who branched from the Yamashiro Nobukuni school of Yamashiro province (Kyoto) and migrated to and settled in Buzen province around the Chōroku era (1457–1460) of the mid-Muromachi period. Clearly distinguished from the main-line Yamashiro Nobukuni, they came to be called \"Chikushi Nobukuni\" and won renown as masters in Kyushu. Their refined old-period construction, combining excellent practicality with beauty, is highly esteemed and popular in the appreciation and collecting of swords to this day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe shirasaya and mounting\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is fitted with a fine gold (gilt) \u003cem\u003ehabaki\u003c\/em\u003e that further sets off its dignity, and is carefully kept, in good order, in a plain wood \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e. It is precisely this spare, unadorned shirasaya presentation that lets one fully savor the beautiful lines of the shōbu-zukuri blade and the workmanship of its well-forged ground and edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA superb skin, a bright and lucid temper, and a refined shape pared of all excess — each time it is taken in hand it conveys the aesthetic sense of the samurai and the breath of history. A piece that unites value and dignity worthy of being handed down far into the future — an essential one for the enthusiast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wakizashi, shōbu-zukuri\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e Nobukuni (信国), two-character signature\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification:\u003c\/strong\u003e NBTHK \u003cem\u003eHozon Tōken\u003c\/em\u003e (No. 3036479), attributed to Nobukuni (Chikushi); issued February 21, 2025 (Reiwa 7)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mid-Muromachi period, ca. Chōroku era (1457–1460)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmith \/ school:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chikushi Nobukuni — Buzen province (a Kyushu branch of the Yamashiro Nobukuni school)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJigane:\u003c\/strong\u003e densely forged itame with a moist kotō skin, with yubashiri and chikei\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e hoso-suguha with a bright, clear nioiguchi and ko-nie, with fine activity within\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade length (nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 42.7 cm \/ 16.81 in (1 shaku 4 sun 1 bu; NBTHK papers: a little over 1 shaku 4 sun 1 bu)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 cm (3 bu)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at base (motohaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 26.4 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at base (motokasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 5.6 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (blade only):\u003c\/strong\u003e 270 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e freshly polished, sound, very well preserved, without damage or major fault\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard) with a gold (gilt) habaki\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTorokushō (Japanese registration) No.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tokyo 48361 (registered August 26, 1952)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Tozando Katana Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53695662195051,"sku":"611-TKW048361","price":500000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/tokyo48361_nobukuni_1.jpg?v=1786326539","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/authentic-japanese-sword-for-sale-koto-era-wakizashi-nobukuni-nbthk-hozon-token-certificate-tozando","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}