Katanas

Katanas are renowned Japanese swords, revered for their elegance, precision and masterful craftsmanship. Made through centuries-old techniques of forging and folding steel, their curved, razor-sharp blades were designed for speed and efficiency in battle. Worn by samurai during the Edo period, the Katana symbolised honour, discipline and status. Today, antique Katanas remain highly prized by collectors, representing the pinnacle of Japanese martial tradition and skill.

A NAGASONE KATANA

EARLY EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED NAGASONE OKISATO NYUDO KOTETSU

A BIZEN TACHI IN KATANA MOUNTING

KAMAKURA PERIOD (13TH CENTURY), UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO KATAYAMA ICHIMONJI NOBUFUSA

A Bitchu Katana

NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), ATTRIBUTED TO THE AOE SCHOOL

A SOSHU ICHIMONJI NAGINATA-NAOSHI KATANA

KAMAKURA PERIOD (CIRCA 1250), WITH INLAID GOLD SIGNATURE, ICHIMONJI (ATTRIBUTED TO KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI SUKEZANE)

A Hizen Katana in Mounts

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED HIZEN JU HARIMA (NO) KAMI FUJIWARA TADAKUNI (TADAKUNI I) AND WITH CHRYSANTHEMUM CREST AND PEONY CREST

A MOUNTED HORIKAWA DAISHO

EDO PERIOD (EARLY 17TH CENTURY), KATANA SIGNED RAKUYO HORIKAWA [ NO ] JU FUJIWARA KUNIMORI , WAKIZASHI SIGNED FUJIWARA KUNIMORI

A HIZEN KATANA

SIGNED HIZEN KUNI KAWACHI DAIJO FUJIWARA MASAHIRO, O-KESA OTOSHI, KAKAMU GENZAEMON (NO) JO TADAYASU KORE (WO) SHOJI SURU , EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

A Bizen Katana

NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), WITH GOLD-INLAID SIGNATURE BIZEN KANEMITSU AND HON'AMI (KOSON) AND WITH KAO

An Edo Ishido Katana

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED DEWA NYUDO TAISHIN HOKKYO MINAMOTO MITSUHIRA AND WITH CHRYSANTHEMUM CREST

A Tachi Daisho

EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), KATANA SIGNED KOZUKE [ NO ] KUNI HASEBE YOSHISHIGE AND DATED ANSEI YONNEN HACHIGATSU KICHIJUTSU (AN AUSPICIOUS DAY IN THE EIGHTH MONTH OF 1857), WAKIZASHI SIGNED SAYOSHI TAKAMURA MASAAKI AND DATED KA'EI ROKUNEN NIGATSU (A DAY IN THE SECOND MONTH OF 1852)

A Horikawa school katana

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED IZUMO DAIJO FUJIWARA YOSHITAKE , AND THE GOLD-INLAID INSCRIBED CUTTING TEST SUIMOKEN (SWORD WHICH WOULD CUT A BLOWN HAIR) KARIGANE SAIDAN (CUT ACROSS THE UPPER CHEST WITH BOTH ARMS ELEVATED), KARITAKE [O] KIZAMU KIRIOTOSHI (CUT DOWN STANDING UPRIGHT), MITSUDO SAIDAN (CUT THROUGH THREE BODIES), TENNA NI MIZUNOE-INU SHIGATSU NIJUGO NICHI (24TH DAY OF THE FOURTH MONTH OF THE 2ND YEAR OF THE TENNA ERA 1682) MOGI SHIN'EMON YOSHISHIGE AND KAO (CURSIVE MONOGRAM) [NAME OF SWORD TESTER]

A Shin-Shinto Katana in Mounts

LATE EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), SIGNED KURIHARA KENJI NOBUHIDE AND DATED BUNKYU NINEN JUNIGATSU HI (1862.12)

An Enju Katana

NANBOKUCHO PEIOD (14TH CENTURY), ATTRIBUTED TO ENJU KUNISUKE

A Mino Shizu Katana

Nanbokucho Period (CIRCA 1340), With inlaid signature Kaneuji

A Shinshinto Katana

LATE EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), SIGNED OITE TOBU TOYONAGA YUKIHIDE TSUKURU KORE AND DATED TENPO JUSAN'NEN HACHIGATSU HI (1842.8)

A HIZEN KATANA

SIGNED HIZEN KUNI (NO) JU MUSASHI DAIJO FUJIWARA TADAHIRO , EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

AN O-SURIAGE BIZEN KATANA

KAMAKURA PERIOD (13TH-14TH CENTURY), UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO YOSHIOKA ICHIMONJI

A Yamashiro Katana

SIGNED NOBU (SECOND CHARACTER OF NOBUKUNI CUT AWAY), DATED EIKYO JUHACHI NEN (1446), WITH KIRITSUKE - MEI (ADDED INSCRIPTION) HACHIMAN DAI BOSATSU [THE GREAT BODHISATTVA HACHIMAN]

An Echizen Katana in Black-Lacquer Mounts

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED OITE BUSHU EDO ECHIZEN YASUTSUGU (2ND GENERATION)

A Ko -Uda School Katana in Mounts

LATE KAMAKURA PERIOD (EARLY 14TH CENTURY)

A Gassan Katana

SIGNED NANIWA (NI) OITE GASSAN UNRYUSHI SADAKAZU SAKU AND MEIJI GO NEN HACHI GATSU KICHI JITSU [AN AUSPICIOUS DAY IN THE EIGHTH MONTH 1872], MEIJI PERIOD, (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

A HIZEN KATANA

SIGNED HIZEN KUNI ( NO ) JU KAZUSA DAIJO FUJIWARA HARUKUNI , AND, SHINGITAE ( WO ) MOTTE KORE ( WO ) TSUKURU , EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

A HIZEN KATANA

SIGNED HIZEN ( NO ) KUNI KAWACHI ( NO ) KAMI MASAHIRO , EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

A Yasutsugu Katana in Mounts and a Yasunaga Katana in Mounts

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), THE FIRST SIGNED YASUTSUGU MOTTE NANBAN TETSU OITE BUSHU EDO SAKU KORE AND WITH CHRYSANTHEMUM CREST, THE SECOND SIGNED KAWACHI NO KAMI MINAMOTO YASUNAGA

An Enju School katana

NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), ATTRIBUTED TO ENJU

A Bizen katana

MUROMACHI PERIOD (15TH CENTURY), WITH SIGNATURE BISHU OSAFUNE MORIKAGE

A Hizen Daisho Pair of Swords with Mounts

EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), THE KATANA SIGNED HIZEN KUNI HASHIMOTO SHINZAEMON FUJIWARA TADAYOSHI AND DATED TENPO JUYONEN HACHIGATSU HI (1843.8), THE WAKIZASHI SIGNED HIZEN KUNI TADAYOSHI (8TH GENERATION)

A Hizen Katana

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED HIZEN KUNI JU MUTSU (NO) KAMI TADAYOSHI (3RD GENERATION)

AN O-SURIAGE YAMASHIRO KATANA

KAMAKURA PERIOD (LATE 13TH-14TH CENTURY), UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO RYOKAI WITH GOLD INLAID INSCRIPTION BANZAI

A GASSAN KATANA

SIGNED SHOWA JUHACHINEN HACHIGATSU KISSHOJITSU [AN AUSPICIOUS DAY IN AUGUST 1943], GASSAN SADAKATSU KINSAKU WITH KAO [RESPECTFULLY MADE BY GASSAN SADAKATSU], AND ON THE URA ZOHEIKYOKU GOSHUGO TACHI [SWORD TO GUARD THE MINT] ZOHEIKYOKUCHO SUGAMURA MICHITARO KAKKA SHOKU (NI) OZURU [MADE TO THE ORDER OF THE HEAD OF THE MINT- HIS EXCELLENCY SUGAMURA MICHITARO], SHOWA PERIOD (20TH CENTURY)

A MINO KATANA

LATE MUROMACHI PERIOD (16TH CENTURY), SIGNED KANEMOTO

A BIZEN KATANA

MUROMACHI PERIOD (DATED 1517), SIGNED BISHU OSAFUNE SUKESADA AND DATED EISHO JUNINEN NIGATSU HI (A DAY IN THE SECOND MONTH 1517)

AN OSAKA KATANA

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED IZUMI NO KAMI FUJIWARA KUNISADA

A Hizen katana

EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY), SIGNED HIZEN JU HARIMA DAIJO FUJIWARA TADAKUNI

A matching pair of swords ( daisho )

THE KATANA MUROMACHI PERIOD (1493), SIGNED BISHU OSAFUNE NORIMITSU , AND DATED MEIO NINEN NIGATSU HI (A DAY IN THE SECOND MONTH, 1493); THE WAKIZASHI MUROMACHI PERIOD (16TH CENTURY)

AN O-SURIAGE YAMATO KATANA

KAMAKURA PERIOD (13TH-14TH CENTURY), UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO TAIMA SCHOOL

AN OSURIAGE KATANA

ATTRIBUTED TO MIIKE SCHOOL, NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY); KOSHIRAE (20TH CENTURY)

A BIZEN KATANA

SIGNED BIZEN KUNI JU OSAFUNE KIYOMITSU SAKU , MUROMACHI PERIOD (MID 16TH CENTURY)

A Shinshinto Katana

EDO-MEIJI PERIOD (19TH CENTURY)

AN EDO KATANA

UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO MASAO, EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY)

AN OSAKA KATANA

SIGNED OSAKA (NO) JU GASSAN SADAKATSU KINSAKU [RESPECTFULLY MADE BY GASSAN SADAKAZU IN OSAKA] AND DATED KOKI NISEN ROPPYAKUNEN (1940) TAME MAEKAWA MAEKAWA TOMIO SHI SHUGO [COMMISSIONED FOR THE PROTECTION OF MR MAEKAWA TOMIO]

An Enju School katana

NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), ATTRIBUTED TO ENJU

A Bizen Katana in Mounts

NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY)

AN EARLY SHINKAI KATANA

SIGNED INOUE IZUMI (NO) KAMI KUNI SADA WITH CHRYSANTHEMUM CREST AND DATED THE EIGHTH MONTH 1661, EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

AN O-SURIAGE CHIKUZEN KATANA

NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO REIZEI (REISEN) SADAMORI

A Gassan katana

EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY), UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO SADAYOSHI

A Mounted Daisho

THE KATANA O-SURIAGE UNSIGNED ATTRIBUTED TO NAOE SHIZU, NANBUKUCHO-EARLY MUROMACHI PERIOD (14TH-15TH CENTURY) THE WAKIZASHI SURIAGE SEKI SCHOOL, MID-MUROMACHI PERIOD (15TH-16TH CENTURY)

A Bizen Katana in Mounts

MUROMACHI PERIOD (15TH CENTURY), SIGNED TSUNEIE

A MINO KATANA

WITH SIGNATURE KANEMOTO , MUROMACHI PERIOD (16TH CENTURY)

A HIZEN KATANA

UNSIGNED, ATTRIBUTED TO THE FIRST GENERATION TADAYOSHI, EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)