Antique Nihonto Katana Signed by Kunihira NBTHK HOZON TOKEN Certificate

The Toyoshu Takada school was a group of swordsmiths that thrived in the Takada area of Bungo Province (present-day Tsurusaki near Oita City). Many works from the Koto period bear the Taira surname and are thus called Taira Takada. From the Shinto period onwards, they used the Fujiwara surname and are referred to as Fujiwara Takada. This school has long been highly regarded for its practical swords, which were favored by numerous warriors.

Kunihira was a swordsmith active mainly around the Kanbun period in the early Edo period. His initial signature was Toyohira, and he also signed as Yoshiyuki.

This sword has a slightly widened difference in width between the base and the tip, giving an impression of an elongated kissaki. It has an elegant curvature, with the kitae featuring well-forged itame mixed with mokume, slightly prominent. The suguha hamon with ko-nie is bright and exhibits a soft, gentle pattern, occasionally showing small waves. The boshi is straight and turns back in a rounded manner.

During the period when swords with shallow curvature in the Kanbun Shinto style were popular, this sword has a slightly stronger curvature. Given that it was registered as a daimyo sword in Showa 26 (1951), it is presumed to have been specially ordered and forged. Currently, there are some minor nicks and small rust spots, so we hope that the buyer will have it appropriately polished. 

Bare weight: 767 grams. Weight in koshirae with saya: 991 grams.