13th C Japanese Samurai Hosho Katana for Warrior Monks with Koshu Tokubetsu Kicho NBTHK Papers. Blade length: 68.0cm or 26.77in. Sori: 2.0cm or 0.78in. Mekugi: 2 Width at ha-machi: 2.82cm or 1.1lin. Width at kissaki: 1.90cm or 0.74in. Kasane: 0.63cm or 0.24in. Ji-tetsu: Masame had well-grained with chikei. Hamon: Nie-deki suguha with thick nioi-kuchi and gnome midare together. shape: The blade is suriage with deep sori giving it a wonderful shape. Ashi is abundant. Hosho is the name of a group of swordsmiths in the Koto period working in Yamato Province. The founder was Kunimitsu who lived circa Koan (1278) of the late Kamakura period. Masame-hada kite was their strong point. Regularly patterned masame-hada includes nie which appears on the whole of the blade. The difference between Koto Hosho-mono and shin-to is hada-ware. The blade was polished by a high ranking polisher which brought out the hataraki on the jigane and hamon. There are no kizu or flaws. The oldest school of swords in Japan is that of Yamato in the Nara region, capital of Japan during the eponymous period. From the 11th century, they forged swords for the warrior monks of Buddhist sanctuaries. Fearsome fighters, because they do not fear death, through their Buddhist training, these monks will play a decisive role in the history of Japan, particularly during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Five major schools of this period, each attached to a specific temple in the Nara region, will mark the history of the sword. The majority of Yamato blades will be destroyed by Hideyoshi, in his unification of medieval Japan, in the 16th century. In addition, the Yamato tradition will give birth to the Mino school, the largest in the history of the Japanese sword and it will continue until the 19th century. The overall characteristics of Yamato swords are: shinogi high on the blade and masame in steel grain. The blades from Hosho are the rarest of the Yamato schools. This 800 years old sword is in excellent conditions. A piece of history from the one of the most prestigious sword schools of the golden age of samurais, the Kamakura period (1185-1133) It has the certification paper of NBTHK of very high level, for a rare and precious authentication. This certificate, Koshu Tokubetsu Kicho, can be translated to mean "superior of the especially precious". This type of NBTHK origami is commonly called a "blue paper". It was the highest rank below Juyo throughout its use.

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