Antique Japanese Sword Wakizashi Signed by Hankei with NBTHK Tokubestsu Hozon Certificate
【Description】
This blade was signed by Hankei (繫慶), one of the most renowned swordsmiths active during the early Edo period (Early 17th century). He is often called Noda Hankei because he also called himself Noda Zenshiro Kiyotaka (野田善四郎清堯). His real sirname is Ono. He served Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun, and Tokugawa Hidetada, the second head of the Edo government. Hankei also dedicated his creations to prestigious shrines in his career.
Hankei was born and raised in Mikawa province (today’s Aichi prefecture). His family ran a business of making matchlock guns for many generations. He learned how to make guns in his childhood and eventually moved to Edo City (today’s Tokyo) to become an apprentice of Akagari Sohachiro, a skilled gun maker. After mastering superb gun-making skills, Hankei became an independent gunsmith and moved to Hachioji city in Musashi province (today’s Tokyo prefecture).
According to available records, Hankei became a swordsmith after 1607, when Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Edo government, left his Shogun position for his son and moved to Suruga province (today’s Shizuoka prefecture). Hankei was introduced to Tokugawa Ieyasu by his teacher, Sohachiro. And Hankei started to serve Tokugawa Ieyasu as a gunsmith first while forging blades. He used Kiyotaka as his gunsmith and swordsmith’s name. He stayed in Suruga province during 1610-1614. While he was assigned there, the second head Shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, ordered Hankei to forge a matchlock gun to dedicate to Ichinomiya shrine, one of the most prestigious shrines in Japan back then. He was also assigned to make guns to dedicate to other renowned shrines.
After Tokugawa Ieyasu deceased in 1616, Hankei was relocated to Edo City by Tokugawa Hidetada. It is said that this was when he started using Hankei as his maker’s name. He was especially good at forging blades with Soshu Den tradition, one of the five most Japanese sword-forging traditions. Considering the fact that Hankei served the first and second Tokugawa shogun, his craftsmanship was highly appreciated by the Tokugawa government.
One of the most noticeable characteristics of Haneki’s work is Hijiki Hada. Hada is a grain surface made of folding steel. Hijiki is a Japanese seaweed. The Hada one finds in Hankei’s blades is much darker than regular Japanese swords. Because of its appearance, it is called Hijiki Hada. Also, he often engraved Bohi (straight groove line) on the blades.
During his early-mid career, he used Kiyotaka as his maker’s name or Ono Hankei. However, he started to use Hankei (繫慶), a two-letter signature. He was especially active during 1607-1624.
This blade is appraised as a Tokubetsu Hozon Token(特別保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK(Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai:日本美術刀剣保存協会). This authentication paper was only given to authentic Japanese swords, especially well preserved and high quality with artistic value.
【Blade】
Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa)： 55.2 cm (21.7 inches)
Curvature(Sori)：1.0 cm (0.39 inches)
Hamon：
The crystalline structure which forms along the cutting edge of a blade as a result of the hardening process
Jimon(Jihada)：
visible steel surface pattern created by folding and hammering during forging process
Nakago：Nakago is the tang of the Japanese sword.
Japanese swordsmiths left the black rust on the tang because it prevents red rust while the tang is in its handle. And the discoloration of the tang was created over time, and it is a great indicator for a Japanese sword specialist to estimate when the sword was forged.
Koshirae: Koshirae is the mounting of the Japanese sword. There are several parts that consist of Koshirae such as Saya(Scabbard), Tsuka( Handle), Tsuba(Handguard).
Fuchi-Kashira：A pair of matching sword fittings that cover the upper and bottom parts of its sword hilt.
The Koumori (蝙蝠, bat) pattern is designed on this Fuchi Kashira. According to a theory, the continent largely influenced the introduction of bats as a pattern. This animal is a symbol of happiness and longevity. In the continent, it was popular as an auspicious pattern that brings good luck because its Japanese name letter “蝠” and another word “福 (happiness)” have the same sound. The design depicting five bats is called the Gofuku (五福) and symbolizes longevity, wealth, health, descendants, and prosperity.
Tsuka and Menuki：Tsuka is the handle of the Japanese sword and Menuki is its decoration.
A dragon design is engraved on the oblong rectangular base. A dragon is painted with gold and red lacquer. Initially, the dragon was an imaginary creature found in ancient foreign traditions or myths. Furthermore, it is regarded as a symbol of auspicious signs. Its body is likened to nine animals: antlers are deer, the head is a camel, eyes are demons, the neck is a snake, the belly is the Mizuchi (蛟, a mythical animal in Japan that looks like a snake and has a horn and four legs), scales are fish, claws are falcons, palms are tigers and ears are cows. It was thought that the dragon would reign at the top of all animals because of its odd-looking appearance. There are many sword mountings with dragon designs. It shows lots of Samurai favored this dignified beast motif.
Tsuba and Habaki：Tsuba is the handguard for the Japanese Sword and Habaki is the equipment to make the blade not touch its scabbard inside. It prevents the blade from getting rusty and chipped.
This antique Tsuba seems to be made of iron. A type of Shippou (七宝) pattern is designed on this Tsuba. The Shippou pattern came from the Wachigai Mon (輪違い文). Since a ring spreads in all four directions, the name changed to the Shihou (四方, four directions) and switched to the Shippou. In Buddhism, the seven jewels that adorn the pagoda refer to the blessings of the gods and Buddha. Therefore, the Shippou pattern has been regarded as an auspicious design.
Saya： Saya is the scabbard for the Japanese sword.
Authentication Paper：NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate for the blade (No. 144338)
NBTHK, also known as Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai (the Society for the Preservation of the Japan Art Sword), is one of the oldest Japanese sword appraising organizations in modern-day Japan. They authenticated the blade on June 11th in the 11th year of Heisei (1999). They appraised it as Tokubetsu Hozon Touken, the blade especially worth preserving for Japanese society. The purchaser will receive this original certificate as well. We can also translate what is written into English and make a PDF file for your record if you request.
Registration Number : Shizuoka 36758
The Board of Education in Shizuoka prefecture issued a registration paper for this sword. It is called Jyu Token Rui Torokusho(銃刀剣類登録証). Bunkacho(The Agency for Cultural Affairs) acknowledges a Japanese sword with this paper as a work of art.
The sword needs to be traditionally hand-forged and made of Tamahagane carbon steel to be registered in the system. With this paper, its owner in Japan can legally own an authentic Japanese sword. Based on this registration number, we will apply for its export permit.
This paper will need to be returned to the board of education when the sword is being shipped abroad, but you can receive a copy of it. An English translation of this registration paper is available on request.
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【About us】
Samurai Museum is located in Tokyo, Japan, exhibiting antique artifacts related to the Samurai history. Samurai Museum Shop is the place for those who are interested in Japanese culture and craftsmanship. We deal with antique Samurai swords/armor, traditional crafts made in Japan and so on.
【Japanese Sword& Export Process】
The Japanese swords we deal with are hand-forged edged swords made in Japan. It was made from the traditional carbon steel called TAMAHAGANE(玉鋼). Samurai Museum is familiar with the proper legal procedure for an antique/ authentic Japanese sword to be exported from Japan. We have sent more than 700 Japanese swords for the past few years (～2024) to amazing owners who appreciate its historical value.
Each Japanese sword is registered under the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Board of Education in Japan. They issue a registration paper for each Japanese sword for its owner in Japan to legally possess it. The Japanese sword with its registration paper means it was traditionally hand-forged in Japan.
To legally export the sword from Japan to other countries, we will have to apply for its permit to the Agency for Cultural Affairs(Bunkacho) and return the original registration paper to the Board of Education. It normally takes around 2-4 weeks to receive this permit after submitting required documents. And we would like you to expect at least 1-1.5 months for your order to arrive at your given address after you ordered. For more detailed info, please click here.
It is allowed for residents in Japan to own authentic Japanese swords without a special license as long as they come with registration papers. Please feel free to contact us if you are a resident of Japan, whether temporarily or permanently. We will also assist you when you leave Japan and need to obtain the export permit.
【Payment Method】
We accept payment through Stripe (Credit card), PayPal, Apple Pay or ChromePay, all of which are secure payment methods. Also, you don’t need to make an account on Stripe for the checkout. If you prefer other payment method, please contact us. After confirming your payment, we will apply for an export permit. You may either pay in JPY, USD, AUD, CAD,EUR CHF or GBP. The price is set in Japanese Yen. Prices in other currencies are automatically calculated based on the latest exchange rate.
* If the amount is above 1 million JPY, Stripe or wire transfer will be the only options for payment.
【Shipping】
We have shipped authentic Japanese swords to the USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Hong Kong and Australia. If you don’t live in these countries and like to order, please contact us first before making a purchase. We offer Free International Shipping as long as we can send antique Japanese swords by EMS.
We normally ship by EMS(Express Mail Service) provided by Japan Post. We will send you a tracking number for your order as soon as we hand it to the post office. We will put 100 % insurance on the shipping document without any extra charge. Based on the total amount, there might be a duty tax or other fee for you to pay, depending on the countries. We use package cushioning to protect the item and put it in a PVC pipe, which is one of the most secure packages because of its durability.
It will normally takes 5-14 days for the item to arrive at your given address after we dispatch it. Time of delivery is estimated as accurately as possible by the carrier but does not take into account any delays beyond our control such as by inclement weather, post office holiday seasons.
* If you live in Australia and like to purchase an authentic Japanese sword, please click here to know the detail.
【Review】
Here is one of the reviews we received from a customer who purchased an authentic Japanese sword from us. For more reviews, please click here.
“My experience overall with the whole process was wonderful. I had many questions about the history and process to purchase these treasures. All my questions were answered very timely and complete. The staff is very knowledgeable and very well versed if any questions do arise.”
【How to make sure the condition】
Please keep in mind that what you are going to purchase is an antique item. We uploaded high resolution photos for you to check its condition thoroughly. If you like to see more photos with different angles, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to send them to you so that you can make informed decision. It is essential for us to know that you are happy with your choice of a sword. and we are prepared to use the best of our ability to serve you.
【How To Contact Us】
Please contact us through email, Facebook Messenger or Live Chat if you have any questions. You can find each icon on the right side of the website. Please click one of them to reach us. We will reply to you within 1-2 business days.
【The Art of Nihonto (Japanese Sword)】
Samurai’s history is a profound, eloquent legacy of ancient Japanese warriors in which millions of people worldwide are being fascinated. If you like to find out the art of Nihonto, please click here.
【A Guide to Japanese Sword Maintenance】
After acquiring an genuine Japanese sword, it is also important to know how to take good care of it. Here is the special video for you. Mr. Paul Martin, Japanese sword expert, shows you how to give proper maintenance to your sword. By mastering how to clean the Japanese sword, its aesthetic beauty will last forever.
When you purchase a Japanese sword from us, you can get a Free Japanese sword maintenance kit. It comes with four tools(Choji Oil, Uchiko Whetstone Powder, Peg remover, Oil Applicator). By watching the video instruction above , you can enjoy learning how to maintain your Japanese sword while appreciating it. If you have any difficulty assembling the sword or cleaning the blade, you can feel free to contact us.
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Thank you for reading all the information on the page. If you have any difficulty choosing the right Japanese sword for you, we will be more than happy to help you find the one that speaks to you the most. Please feel free to contact us.
