Katana - Japan - Edo Period (1600-1868)

Japanese Katana Bishū-jū Fujiwara Katsushige Muramasa Lineage Sengo School NBTHK Hozon

A powerful Edo-period katana forged within the legendary Muramasa tradition, preserved in original Imperial Japanese Army officer mountings and accompanied by NBTHK Hozon certification.

Description

This impressive katana was forged by Bishū-jū Fujiwara Katsushige (備州住藤原勝重), a swordsmith working within the famed Sengo school lineage descending from the legendary Muramasa tradition of Ise Province.

Katsushige was active during the Kanbun era of the Edo period and is associated with Kuwana and Nagoya, regions historically linked to Muramasa-school swordsmiths. The Sengo tradition became renowned throughout Japan for blades of exceptional sharpness, vivid steel activity and a powerful martial character admired by samurai for centuries.

The blade displays an elegant and commanding sugata with strong width, refined curvature and excellent balance. The jihada is lively and healthy, while the hamon shows energetic hardening activity characteristic of the Muramasa lineage tradition.

The sword remains in excellent polish, allowing the forging details and crystalline activity within the steel to be clearly appreciated.

Particularly remarkable is the complete Type 98 Imperial Japanese Army officer mounting. Such wartime koshirae often housed older samurai family blades carried into military service during the Shōwa period.

This example retains its traditional military fittings, officer tassel, ray skin grip and original wartime bindings.

Especially notable are the two family crests (mon) mounted into the tsuka.

One crest is the prestigious Kiri mon, historically associated with imperial authority, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and important samurai families. The second crest features the kanji 久, symbolizing endurance and longevity and likely identifying a specific samurai lineage.

The combination strongly suggests that this sword belonged to an officer from a distinguished family preserving its heritage while serving in the Imperial Japanese Army.

The blade is accompanied by NBTHK Hozon Tōken papers, confirming its authenticity and recognizing it as a preserved Japanese sword of historical importance.

Technical Specifications

Nagasa: 71.8 cm
Sori: 1.3 cm
Motohaba: 3.3 cm
Kasane: 7 mm
Sakihaba: 2.35 cm
Saki-kasane: 4.8 mm
Mekugi-ana: 1
Period: Edo period, Kanbun era (1661–1673)

Mounting

Original Type 98 Imperial Japanese Army officer guntō koshirae

Certification

NBTHK Hozon Tōken

Historical Importance

This katana presents a highly desirable combination of Edo-period craftsmanship, Muramasa lineage heritage and documented wartime history.

Blades from the Sengo tradition remain among the most sought-after schools in Japanese sword collecting due to their historical reputation and powerful forging style. Examples preserved in original officer mountings add an additional layer of historical significance, connecting the samurai past with the military history of Imperial Japan.

Collectors Note

An impressive and historically layered Japanese sword ideal for advanced collectors of samurai arms, Muramasa-school works and historically important guntō-mounted blades.

European specialists in authentic Japanese swords, NBTHK masterpieces and rare historical gendaitō.