Antique Japanese Sword Katana Unsigned Ujifusa with NTHK Certificate(Blade,Tsuba& Koshirae)
Wakasanokami Ujifusa(若狭守氏房) was born in 1534 as the third son of Seki Kanefusa, a swordsmith in Mino province(today’s Gifu prefecture). Ujifusa first inscribed his signature as Kanefusa. In 1570, he was invited by a famous feudal lord, Imagawa Ujizane, and started to forge swords for the Imagawa clan. He got his maker’s name Uuji from Ujizane, receiving the title of Wakasanokami at the same time. After Oda Nobunaga destroyed the Imagawa clan, he worked for Oda Nobunaga. He moved to a few places forging swords, and he also worked for Nobutaka(a Nobunaga’s son) in Owari Kiyosu(today’s Aichi prefecture). He lived through Sengoku Jidai(warring state period in Samurai history)and died at the age of 57.
Oda Nobunaga is one of the most famous Samurai in Japan. He is known as one of the three unifiers of Japan during the warring state period.He is famous for his violent temper or nickname “Owari no Utsuke,” meaning, bonehead of Owari (Aichi Pref.) He was born in Owari in 1534 and succeeded as head of the family at the age of 18 because of his father’s sudden death. He was always at the forefront of the battle, although he was the general and extended his power.
Nobunaga enjoyed interacting with ordinary citizens without distinction of ranks. That was one of the reasons why people made a fool of him as a blockhead. One day, Nobunaga encountered a street homeless and asked people in that village to help this homeless to get food, clothing, and shelter. He was very kind and considerate of the socially disadvantaged while Nobunaga was also known as being strict to his vassals.
Nobunaga promoted reforms of military affairs actively. He hired soldiers who were engaged in battles and tried to make professional corps. Off course it costs a lot, but carried it out by receiving more and more revenue from tax. As he maintained highways, the distribution in his area became active. Also, he worked on Nanban trade (Japan’s trade with European countries) and received good income. We can say that he was a clear-headed person. However, he was defeated by one of his vassals, Mitsuhide Akechi and passed away at the age of 49. He couldn’t fulfill his goal.
This blade was forged by Oda Nobunaga’s swordsmith. It would be amazing to own a piece that is closely related to one of the most famous feudal lord.
Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa)： 70.5 cm(27.8 inches)
Curvature(Sori)： 2.1 cm(0.8 inches)
Hamon：The blade pattern created by the tempering proces. Notare Midare pattern
Jimon：Visible surface pattern on the steel. Koitame
Nakago：Nakago is the hilt of the Japanese sword.
This blade was shortened a few times in the past. And the signature part was cut due to this adjustment, which is called Oh-Suriage. There is the inscription of Fudo MyoFudo Myo-o(不動明王）, which is a protective god in Buddhism, particularly Japanese Shingon Buddhism. This god was also known as a god of wars. Samurai believed in the power of this god so they put decorations of this god on either armor or samurai sword.
Fuchi-Kashira：A pair of matching sword fittings that cover the upper and bottom parts of its sword hilt.
It has gold inlay and Lion design on Fuchi. The lion stands at the seashore and looks back, roaring. It might threaten something. Its red tongue shows through its big mouth. It’s believed that the lion pattern will protect us from evil spirits.
Kashira is decorated with a tiger which looks back letting its left leg forward. It might watch its prey.
Tsuka ：Tsuka is the handle of the Japanese sword .
This Tsuka has Hishimaki style, which is a kind of Tsukamaki technique. It’s a generic term for the Tsukamaki that strings coil Tsuka making rhombic pattern.
Menuki:Menuki is its decoration
Tsuchigumo is designed for these Menukis. It rests on its chin on its hands and stays at the cobweb with its legs spread open. It seems like they’re peeping us through Sageo (cord which is coiled around Saya) Tsuchigumo is a Japanese monster, and it’s also called “Yatsukahagi” or “Ogumo.”It has Oni (a kind of Japanese monster) face, tiger’s body, long arms, and legs of a spider. It’s said that it lives in the mountains and eats travelers by capturing them with spider’s thread.
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.
Mokkou Gata Tsuba made from wood. Initially, the shape of eggs in nests was the origin of Mokkou Gata. Gata means shape. After, as the cross-section of cucumber looks similar to this shape, it’s named Mokkou Gata. According to its certificate, this Tsuba was produced by Makie. It is a class of decorative technique used in lacquerware, employing sprinkled dust particles, usually of gold or silver) craftsman and made in Meiji period (1868-1912)
Chrysanthemum pattern is designed at four inside edges of the front. And five paulownia patterns are put between each chrysanthemum pattern. The same flower pattern can be found on the backside, and four old Japanese letters are also written. These letters are not used today. Its certificate said that it means a magic spell.
Saya：Saya is the scabbard for the Japanese sword. There is only one scabbard for this sword.
Beautiful wood-grain tone paint decorates this Saya. Saya bag is accompanied with the leather of snake.
Authentication Paper：NTHK Kanteisho Certificate for the blade, Tsuba and Koshirae
NTHK, also known as NPO Nihon Touken Hozon Kai, is the oldest organization for sword authentication of Japanese swords in modern times. It was established in 1889 during the post-Samurai era. They authenticated the blade, Tsuba and Koshirae on March 15th in the second year of Reiwa (2020).The purchaser will receive these original certificates as well.
Certificate for the blade
The certificate issued by NTHK states that this sword was forged by Wakasanokami Ujifusa in Genki Period.
Certificate for the Tsuba
This tsuba was made in the Meiji period. You can see traditional Makie(lacquer craft)
Certificate for Koshirae
This Koshirae(sword fitting) was made in the middle of the Edo period. There is snake skin on top of the scabbard.
Registration Number : Tottori 5170
The Board of Education in Tottori prefecture issued a registration paper for this sword . In order to obtain this paper, the sword needs to be traditionally hand forged. With this paper, its owner can legally own an authentic Japanese sword in Japan.
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 300 Japanese swords 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.
We accept payment through Stripe(Credit card), PayPal, Apple Pay or ChromePay, all of which are secure payment methods. 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, EUR or GBP. The price is set in Japanese Yen. Prices in other currencies are automatically calculated based on the latest exchange rate.
We have shipped authentic Japanese swords to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, UK, Germany , France and Hong Kong. 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 either EMS or FedEx(USA, Australia, Canada).
We normally ship by EMS(Express Mail Service) provided by Japan Post. When we receive an order from the USA, Australia or Canada we will use FedEx instead as EMS temporarily stops shipping from Japan to those countries due to COVID-19.
We will send you a tracking number for your order as soon as we hand it to the post office/FedEx. 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.
*Please keep in mind that due to the spread of COVID-19, there might be delays in shipping. If you like to know the detail about shipping, please feel free to ask us.
【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.
【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. When you purchase a Japanese sword from us, you can get a Free sword maintenance kit, which appears in this video.