Neuheiten — Aktuelle Neuzugänge finden Sie in unserem Katalog. Ansehen →
Einblicke in das Wissen über japanische Schwerter und die Kultur
The earliest tsuba emerged alongside the Japanese sword in the late Heian and Kamakura periods. This article traces the evolution from purely functional iron discs to increasingly refined forms, exploring the relationship between tsuba design and the sword-fighting techniques of the age.
The kozuka and kogai — small utility tools fitted into the pockets of a sword's koshirae — were everyday implements for samurai that also became vehicles for the highest Japanese metalwork art. This guide covers their history, construction, master craftsmen, aesthetics, and collecting value.
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is Japan's most legendary mythological sword, one of the Three Imperial Treasures. This article explores its mythological origins, its appearance in historical chronicles, its connection to the imperial regalia tradition, and its place at Atsuta Shrine today.
The late Edo period saw tsuba decoration reach its artistic peak with individual masters like Yokoya Somin and the Nara kinko school. The 1876 sword prohibition law then transformed the entire craft, completing the transition from weapon accessory to pure art object.
Masamune's ten great disciples — the Masamune Jutetsu — spread the soshu-den tradition across Japan. This article profiles Go Yoshihiro, Sa Samonji, Go Yoshihiro of Etchu, Kaneuji, Kaneshige, and their fellow disciples: their origins, distinctive styles, and surviving masterworks.
Tracing the seventy postwar years of Japanese sword revival: the preservation movement after the sword abolition edict, the GHQ-era regulation and registration system, the modern swordsmith training system, and the redefinition of the Japanese sword as cultural property.
After the 1876 Sword Ban removed nihonto from daily samurai life, swords rapidly repositioned from weapons to works of art. The Meiji and Taisho periods (1868–1926) saw passionate collectors, preservation societies, and international expositions redefine nihonto as modern cultural property.
A comprehensive guide for collectors interested in Showa-era military swords: from acquisition and storage to authentication and legal registration. Covers 2026 firearms and sword regulations, how to use NBTHK appraisal services, and current market pricing from an expert perspective.
Heat treatment — quenching and tempering — determines the performance and beauty of Japanese swords. Traditional clay-coat quenching and the industrial uniform quenching used for Showa-to differ fundamentally in both technique and outcome. This article explains these differences from a materials science perspective.
The wartime military sword industry relied not only on blade production but on an entire ecosystem of fittings craftsmen making scabbards, handles, guards, and other mounts. This article examines the realities of craftsmen who mass-produced regulation mounts, their efforts to maintain traditional techniques, and their postwar legacy.
Sword polishing is a demanding art that draws out the full beauty of hamon and jihada. Showa-era polishers faced unique challenges working with both traditionally forged and industrial blades. This article examines military sword polishing realities and modern restoration polishing of Showa-period swords.
Japanese sword scabbards were traditionally finished with lacquer, but military Showa swords standardized leather-wrapped scabbards. This article examines the technical and practical reasons for this shift and how traditional lacquer techniques were preserved and transmitted to the modern era despite wartime displacement.
