{"product_id":"authentic-shinto-era-wakizashi-kunishige-nbthk-hozon-token-certificate-tozando","title":"Authentic Shinto Era Wakizashi - Kunishige, NBTHK Hozon Token Certificate | Tozando","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAntique Japanese Wakizashi, signed Yamashiro Daijō Minamoto Kunishige — NBTHK Hozon Tōken\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBitchū Mizuta school · Early Edo period, c. Kan'ei–Shōhō era (1624–1648)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAccompanied by an NBTHK Hozon Tōken (\"Sword Worthy of Preservation\") certificate.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA superb wakizashi, its quality and historical importance confirmed by the \u003cstrong\u003eNBTHK Hozon Tōken\u003c\/strong\u003e certificate of the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords. The tang is crisply signed \u003cem\u003eYamashiro Daijō Minamoto Kunishige\u003c\/em\u003e (山城大掾源国重) on the omote and \u003cem\u003eBitchū Mizuta-jū\u003c\/em\u003e (備中水田住) on the reverse — the mark of the celebrated \u003cstrong\u003eMizuta school of Bitchū\u003c\/strong\u003e, whose blades earned a formidable reputation in the early Edo period as practical swords beloved of the samurai.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is in polished condition and, remarkably, very nearly flawless. The workmanship of both ground and edge is outstanding, and — most notably for a blade of its age — it has suffered exceptionally little loss to past polishing: the \u003cem\u003ehiraniku\u003c\/em\u003e (the flesh of the blade) remains full and thick, giving it a substantial, weighty presence that is striking the moment it is taken in hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver a powerful \u003cem\u003ejigane\u003c\/em\u003e of beautifully forged \u003cem\u003eitame\u003c\/em\u003e (wood-grain) steel, the smith has tempered a broad, gently rolling \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e hamon that moves along the edge like a slow ocean swell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe smith: Yamashiro Daijō Minamoto Kunishige\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Kunishige name stands at the head of the Mizuta school, which flourished in the Mizuta district of Bitchū province (present-day Okayama). The maker of this blade, \u003cstrong\u003eYamashiro Daijō Minamoto Kunishige\u003c\/strong\u003e, worked in Bitchū through the Kan'ei to Shōhō eras of the early Edo period (c. 1624–1648), and is counted among the smiths who built the school's golden age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMizuta Kunishige blades were trusted by daimyō houses and senior samurai as superbly sharp swords made for real use. The name \"Kunishige\" carried, for warriors who prized strength and victory, the weight of both a status symbol and a talisman — a reputation underscored by the fact that the famed swordsman Saitō Hajime, third-unit captain of the Shinsengumi, is traditionally said to have carried a blade by Settsu-no-kami Minamoto Kunishige of the same broader lineage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is housed in a plain wood \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e, the traditional resting mount that protects the steel between viewings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn NBTHK-papered wakizashi by Yamashiro Daijō Minamoto Kunishige of the Bitchū Mizuta school — full-bodied, near-flawless, and thick with untouched hiraniku — carrying both the fearsome cutting reputation of the Mizuta smiths and the storied prestige of the Kunishige name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wakizashi (short sword)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e omote — Yamashiro Daijō Minamoto Kunishige (山城大掾源国重); ura — Bitchū Mizuta-jū (備中水田住)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSchool:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mizuta school, Bitchū province (present-day Okayama)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Early Edo, c. Kan'ei–Shōhō era (1624–1648)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJigane:\u003c\/strong\u003e itame-hada, strongly forged\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e broad, gentle notare\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade length (nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 54.5 cm \/ 21.46 in (1 shaku 8 sun)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e polished; near-flawless, with full hiraniku and minimal loss to past polishing\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConstruction:\u003c\/strong\u003e shinogi-zukuri\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e shirasaya\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification:\u003c\/strong\u003e NBTHK Hozon Tōken\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTorokushō (Japanese registration) No.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Okayama 70749\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n","brand":"TOZANDO KATANA SHOP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53452594839915,"sku":"611-ATQSWD-Okayama70749","price":550000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/kanteisho1.jpg?v=1783056560","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/authentic-shinto-era-wakizashi-kunishige-nbthk-hozon-token-certificate-tozando","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}