{"product_id":"authentic-japanese-sword-tanto-yoshimitsu-nbsk-shinsakuto-certificate-tozando","title":"Authentic Japanese Sword - Tanto - Yoshimitsu - NBSK Shinsakuto Certificate | Tozando","description":"\u003ch2\u003eModern Japanese Tantō in Shirasaya, signed \"Echigo-no-kuni ni oite Yoshimitsu saku\" (於越後国義光作) — by the Mukansa master Ōno Yoshimitsu, with a Bishamonten carving by Irie Banri\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAn exhibition-invited masterpiece: a magnificent high-relief Bishamonten carving by the award-winning Irie Banri on a flawless mirror-skinned blade — brand-new in plain honoki shirasaya\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a superb modern tantō by \u003cstrong\u003eŌno Yoshimitsu (大野義光)\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the most celebrated \u003cem\u003emukansa\u003c\/em\u003e (exhibition-exempt) master smiths of the contemporary sword world, forged in his home province of Echigo (present-day Niigata). It is a distinguished piece that was \u003cstrong\u003edisplayed as an invited work (shōtai-sakuhin) at the Omamori-gatana (Guardian Sword) Exhibition hosted by the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association (Zen Nihon Tōshō-kai)\u003c\/strong\u003e. Both faces of the blade carry a breathtaking high-relief carving of \u003cstrong\u003eBishamonten\u003c\/strong\u003e, the armored guardian deity and god of warriors, executed by the award-winning carver \u003cstrong\u003eIrie Banri (入江万里)\u003c\/strong\u003e with a sculptural depth and finesse that lift the piece into the realm of fine art. Preserved in a plain honoki-wood \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e (resting scabbard), it is offered brand-new and in perfect as-made condition — a work to be appreciated equally as a blade and as a sculpture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOn the smith — Ōno Yoshimitsu (大野義光)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eŌno Yoshimitsu, whose real name is \u003cstrong\u003eYoshikawa Mitsuo (吉川三男)\u003c\/strong\u003e, was born in 1948 in Niigata (the old province of Echigo) and is one of the leading swordsmiths of the modern era, honored with the rank of \u003cem\u003emukansa\u003c\/em\u003e — the highest standing a living smith can hold, granting exemption from further jurying at the national exhibitions. He is renowned above all for his brilliant, exuberant \u003cem\u003ejūka-chōji\u003c\/em\u003e (double-clove) temper line, so distinctive that it is known in the sword world as \u003cstrong\u003e\"Ōno-chōji,\"\u003c\/strong\u003e and for his faithful re-creations (\u003cem\u003eutsushi\u003c\/em\u003e) of the great Kamakura-period masterpiece \"Yamatorige\" (San-chōmō). His career is a near-unbroken record of top honors at the New Masterpiece Sword Exhibition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSelected career highlights (smith):\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e1948 — Born in Niigata (Echigo Province); real name Yoshikawa Mitsuo (吉川三男)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e1975 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten (New Masterpiece Sword Exhibition): Encouragement Prize (Shōrei-shō)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eThrough 1980 — Consecutive Effort Prizes (Doryoku-shō) at the Shinsaku Meitō-ten\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e1981 — Encouragement Prize (Shōrei-shō)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e1982 — Takamatsu-no-miya Memorial Prize (Takamatsu-no-miya-shō), one of the exhibition's highest honors\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e1984 onward — Awarded the Takamatsu-no-miya Prize for four consecutive years\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e1987 — Recognized as a \u003cem\u003eMukansa\u003c\/em\u003e (exhibition-exempt) master smith\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe carving (horimono), by Irie Banri (入江万里)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe crowning glory of this blade is the pair of superb carvings by \u003cstrong\u003eIrie Banri (入江万里)\u003c\/strong\u003e — an accomplished \u003cem\u003ehorishi\u003c\/em\u003e (blade-carving artist) recognized at the highest national level, having won the Effort Prize (Doryoku-shō) in the sword-carving division of the 2019 Modern Sword Craft Exhibition (Gendai Tōshoku-ten). The front face (\u003cem\u003eomote\u003c\/em\u003e) bears a magnificent high-relief image of \u003cstrong\u003eBishamonten\u003c\/strong\u003e (Sanskrit: Vaiśravaṇa) — one of the Four Heavenly Kings and the guardian god of warriors, long revered by the samurai as a bringer of victory and protection — rendered in bold \u003cem\u003eukibori\u003c\/em\u003e relief, standing in full armor with a radiant halo of light behind his head. The back face (\u003cem\u003eura\u003c\/em\u003e) is carved with the five-character Buddhist invocation \u003cstrong\u003e\"Fukuju-kai muryō\" (福寿海無量)\u003c\/strong\u003e — \"a boundless sea of blessings and long life,\" a phrase drawn from the Kannon Sutra expressing wishes for immeasurable fortune and longevity. The modeling of the armor, the flowing robes, and the flames of the halo is remarkably three-dimensional and precise, the work of a true master carver. Set against the mirror-bright surface of the blade, the deity seems almost to step forward from the steel — a devotional and protective image of extraordinary presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003ejigane\u003c\/em\u003e is forged so flawlessly and so tightly that no grain whatsoever can be discerned — a \u003cem\u003emuji-hada\u003c\/em\u003e (grainless surface), also known as \u003cem\u003ekagami-hada\u003c\/em\u003e (\"mirror skin\"), with the smooth, luminous beauty of a polished mirror. This immaculate ground is the perfect canvas for the carving that rises from it. The temper line is a \u003cem\u003egunome\u003c\/em\u003e (undulating pattern) with well-developed \u003cem\u003eashi\u003c\/em\u003e (streaks of hardening reaching toward the edge), which around the \u003cem\u003emonouchi\u003c\/em\u003e (the striking area near the tip) turns to a \u003cem\u003ekataochi-gunome\u003c\/em\u003e — a slanted, saw-tooth gunome in which each head \"falls\" to one side, the very pattern for which the great Nanbokuchō master Kanemitsu is celebrated. The \u003cem\u003enioiguchi\u003c\/em\u003e is bright and clear. The blade is brand-new, as-made, with no flaws or rust of any kind, and is fitted with a gold-foil \u003cem\u003ehabaki\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eForm\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tantō is of \u003cem\u003ehira-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e form with an \u003cem\u003eiori-mune\u003c\/em\u003e ridged back, of ample proportions — a healthy \u003cem\u003emotokasane\u003c\/em\u003e of 7.1 mm and a broad \u003cem\u003emotohaba\u003c\/em\u003e of 33.4 mm give it a substantial, dignified presence in the hand — with the shallow curvature typical of a fine \u003cem\u003esunnobi\u003c\/em\u003e-style tantō. At 29.7 cm (just under one \u003cem\u003eshaku\u003c\/em\u003e), it is a full, elegant tantō generous enough to carry its magnificent carving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe mounting (shirasaya)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tantō rests in a \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e — a plain scabbard and hilt of untreated honoki (Japanese magnolia) wood. Free of lacquer and fittings, the shirasaya is the traditional way of storing and protecting a fine blade, allowing the steel to breathe and keeping it in ideal condition while the carving and temper line can be appreciated without distraction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn short, this is a flawless, freshly made tantō — an exhibition-invited masterpiece uniting the hand of one of the great \u003cem\u003emukansa\u003c\/em\u003e masters of our time with a virtuoso Bishamonten carving by the award-winning Irie Banri. It is a superb acquisition for the discerning collector — a piece that rewards close appreciation as both a weapon and a work of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tantō (短刀), hira-zukuri\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmith:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ōno Yoshimitsu (大野義光), Mukansa\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCarver (horishi):\u003c\/strong\u003e Irie Banri (入江万里) — 2019 Gendai Tōshoku-ten, sword-carving division, Effort Prize\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExhibition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Displayed as an invited work (shōtai-sakuhin) at the Omamori-gatana (Guardian Sword) Exhibition, hosted by the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association (Zen Nihon Tōshō-kai)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e Omote — \"Echigo-no-kuni ni oite Yoshimitsu saku\" (於越後国義光作); Ura — \"Reiwa gannen haru kichijitsu\" (令和元年春吉日 \/ an auspicious day, Spring 2019), \"Banri kore o horu\" (万里彫之 \/ carved by Banri)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCarving (horimono):\u003c\/strong\u003e Omote — Bishamonten (guardian god of warriors) in high relief; Ura — the five-character invocation \"Fukuju-kai muryō\" (福寿海無量, \"a boundless sea of blessings and long life\")\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJigane:\u003c\/strong\u003e Flawless muji-hada (grainless \"mirror skin,\" kagami-hada), so tightly forged no grain is visible, with a mirror-like brilliance\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gunome with well-developed ashi, becoming kataochi-gunome (slanted saw-tooth gunome) around the monouchi; bright, clear nioiguchi\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLength of edge (nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 29.7 cm (approx. 11.69 in \/ approx. 9 sun 8 bu)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.2 cm (approx. 0.08 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at base (motohaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 33.4 mm (approx. 1.31 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at base (motokasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.1 mm (approx. 0.28 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeg holes (mekugi-ana):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (blade only):\u003c\/strong\u003e 360 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFittings:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gold-foil habaki\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Brand-new, as-made; no flaws or rust\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shirasaya (plain honoki wood)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification:\u003c\/strong\u003e None (Japanese Firearms and Swords Registration only)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegistration No.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tokyo No. 320627 (東京 第320627号)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Tozando Katana Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53779225444715,"sku":"588-TKT320627C","price":5400000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/tokyo320627_yhoshimitsu_1.jpg?v=1787885927","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/authentic-japanese-sword-tanto-yoshimitsu-nbsk-shinsakuto-certificate-tozando","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}