Antique Japanese Sword Wakizashi Signed by Yasumitsu with NBTHK Hozon Certificate
【Description】
This blade was signed by Kii Koku Yasumitsu (紀伊国康光), who belonged to Kishu Ishido school. He was active in sword-forging during the Enpo era (early Edo period: 1673-1681). He was an apprentice of Yasutsuna (康綱). Kii koku, also known as Kishu, is the name of the province located in Wakayama prefecture today. His master is known as one of the most famous swordsmiths from the Kishu Ishido school during the early Edo period. It is said that Yasumitsu often did a Daisaku for Yasutsuna. Daisaku is a regular act where an apprentice or a child of the swordsmith signed his master’s name with his master’s permission or forged a blade on behalf of the master. That means that his master highly acknowledged Yasutsuna’s craftsmanship. For this reason, there are not remaining work created by Yasumitsu.
Ishido school was initially founded by Sukenaga, an offspring of Ichimonji Sukemune, who had created Fukuoka Ichimonji school in Bizen province(Today’s Okayama prefecture).
During 1492-1501(Mid Muromachi period), Sukenaga and his school moved from Bizen province to Omi province after being summoned by Gamou family, a powerful feudal line in that region. Sukenaga started to live in front of Ishido temple, and he changed his surname to Ishido. It was common for a swordsmith to name add where he lived to his maker’s name back then.
As of the early Edo period, many Ishido swordsmiths in Omi province moved to other parts of Japan. There are four major branches: Edo, Osaka, Kishu(Wakayama prefecture), and Chikuzen(Fukuoka prefecture). Omi Ishido school was the origin of whole other Ishido branches that flourished during the Edo period.
Following this trend, Bitchu no Kami Tachibana Yasuhiro, the master of Yasutsuna, moved to Kishu province from Omi province. It is said that Yasuhiro was the founder of Kishu Ishido school. Yasutsuna and his master forged swords near Wakayama castle in Kishu province and Yasumitsu followed them. Kishu province was ruled by Kishu Tokugawa clan,a direct lineage from the Tokugawa clan, who ruled the Edo government. Kishu Tokugawa clan is known as GOSANKE, which is eligible to take over Shogun’s position.
This blade is appraised as a Hozon Token(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, well preserved with artistic value.
【 Blade】
Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa):45.4 cm ( 17.9 inches)
Curvature(Sori):0.8 cm (0.31 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
Kissaki: Kissaki is the tip of the Japanese sword.
Nakago:Nakago is the tang of the Japanese sword.
Japanese swordsmiths left the black rust on the tang on purpose to prevent red rust while the tang is in its handle. And the discoloration of the tang was created over time, which 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 Matsuba (松葉, pine needles) pattern is designed on this Fuchi Kashira. Although the surface is quite worn due to aging, we could find pine needle designs on the Kashira part.
Even if the leaves fall, the roots of the two pine leaves are firmly connected and will not separate; therefore, this plant motif has been treated as a lucky charm. Shoguns and Daimyos set their own patterns in the Edo period and called it Sadame Mon (定め紋). Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1680-1709), the 5th Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, used the Matsuba design for his Sadame Mon.
Tsuka and Menuki:Tsuka is the handle of the Japanese sword and Menuki is its decoration.
We could find a figure of an animal motif through the gaps of the Tsukamaki thread. We estimate these animals expressed dragons. Initially, dragons were imaginary creatures found in ancient foreign traditions and myths. Furthermore, it is regarded as a symbolic beast 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.
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 Yotusu-Mokkou-shaped iron Tsuba has a Kougai hole. About the design, the Kikkou (亀甲) pattern is engraved on this Tsuba. This design describes a turtle’s shell. It is a continuous geometric pattern connecting regular hexagons up and down. According to a theory, this design was brought from the continent in the Asuka (592-710) and Nara period (710-794). A proverb says turtles live long lives. Therefore, turtle and turtle’s shell patterns represent longevity. In addition, as this continuous hexagonal pattern does not get out of its shape, it is said people wished for eternal prosperity by using this design. When this design was brought to Japan, it was monopolized by the aristocracy so that ordinary people even could not see it. It was such a prestigious design at that time. The Kikkou pattern was applied to various items such as Kimonos (着物, traditional Japanese costume), the Obi (帯, belt for Kimono), porcelains, etcetera. Samurai warriors started using the Kikkou pattern in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and it has become widely known among the general public.
Saya: Saya is the scabbard for the Japanese sword.
Authentication Paper:NBTHK Hozon Certificate for the blade (No. 373944)
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 April 3rd in the 18th year of Heisei (2006). They appraised it as Hozon Touken, the blade 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 : Tottori 15640
The Board of Education in Tottori 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, Finland 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】
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【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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