ChrisW

Sure thing. I will get that tomorrow when the sun is out again here.

Beautiful blade with a beautiful habaki!

Last batch:

Even more:

Additional photos:

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Time to break out your best kantei skills as I have a blade here that has profoundly stumped myself and another token kai member. It is 26 7/8" or 68.26cm on the nagasa with a sori of 0.875" or 2.2cm. Forgive my tape measure for not behaving in the photos! My gut feeling is that it is an early Shinto blade while my friend thinks perhaps as old as even Late Koto. Regardless, this one has us both stumped as to school because of the myriad of traits it possesses. I will let the photos speak for themselves. It is funny how some of the photos show the clouds reflected in the blade's polish! Please chime in and let me know your opinion! ~Chris Edit: As a sidenote, the tsuba possesses a mon engraved on one side and a mei on the other, but I cannot parse the mei out. It is very worn.

Listening to reasonable offers people. Don't be shy!

Could be the site of a crushed signature, whereby they then re-applied yasurime and artificial patina to match?

The one and only price reduction: $2200 + shipping After Friday, I cannot guarantee that this piece will be available. Do not let it slip through your fingers! Pieces like this do not come on the market often.

Accepting reasonable offers now! Will throw in one of my handmade sword pillows to allow for easier studying in a color of your choice.

Lastly the papers:

Some additional photos of the blade:

Hello again ladies and gentlemen, on offer is a wonderful and exceedingly rare Den Oshu Hoju katana, of the nearly mythical Mokusa school. Type (Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, Naginata, Other) : katana Ubu, Suriage or O-Suriage : Ubu Mei : (Mumei, Signature) : Mumei Papered or not and by whom? : Yes, papered to Den Oshu Hoju, NTHK-NPO papers with kanteisho Era/Age : Muromachi, circa Bunmei (1469-1487) Shirasaya, Koshirae or Bare Blade? : Shirasaya Nagasa/Blade Length : 66.6cm or 26.25" Sori : 1.9cm or 0.75" Hamon Type : A well-controlled suguha with occasional undulations. Ko-maru boshi. Jihada : Long flowing itame with some masame. Very characteristic of the course boulder iron that the Mokusa school used. If you love itame/masame, then this is the blade for you! Other Hataraki Visible : Kinsuji, inazuma. I believe there is also utsuri. This blade has A LOT of activity and is an eyeful! Flaws : Ware as expected of a blade composed primarily of long itame hada, one small fukure on one side, a few trace kirikomi, a few pits. Sword Location : Indiana, USA Will ship to : USA primarily, international contingent on laws of destination country. Payment Methods Accepted : Paypal, Cashapp. Shipping options discussed at time of purchase. Price and Currency : $2400 USD Other Info and Full Description : Comes in shirasaya with integral wooden habaki. This is a beautiful and extremely rare Den Oshu Hoju blade of the Mokusa school, which has an almost mythical status of being one of the primary influences upon the Soshu den. There are almost no extant signed works by this school and very few papered blades. This blade has NTHK-NPO papers with a kanteisho sheet and score of a very respectable 71 points, even in its current condition. The polish is old but with so much to see! It features a lot of activity as well as the presence of utsuri. One important thing to note is that this blade is ubu which is a very big bonus for a blade of its age. Given that this blade has papers and is in shirasaya in decent condition, the price at $2400 is very fair and priced to sell quickly. If you are interested, please drop a message in this thread, then DM me here on the message board or email me at ChrisW7290@gmail.com First come, first served of course. ~Chris

Sending an email now.

Given that I need to pay my polisher and a few other obligations, here is one more reduction as well as some additional pieces listed for sale. 1. 28" katana in shirasaya. $2100 -> $1900 2. 19" wakizashi in substitute saya. $1500 -> $1400 3. 27" katana in partially restored gunto mounts. $1800 -> $1700 4. 23.25" o-suriage early to mid Kamakura tachi in assembled mounts. Off the market. I have decided to get this one put in shirasaya and papered. 5. 24.5" katana in remnants of WWII leather-cased mounts. $1800 -> $1700 6. 26" katana of WWII origin. No further reduction on this one. $900 7. 17" wakizashi in American-made saya. No reduction on this one! SOLD! 8. 11.25" tanto in restored mounts. $1200 -> $1100 9. 26" katana of WWII origin. $1050 -> $1000 I have also decided to list these pieces for sale, if you are interested then please request pictures. A boy's tachi, 18" nagasa, signed to Omi no Kami Minamoto Hisamichi, with kikumon. 1st generation, 1650-1673, needs restoration but is worth having done so. In shirasaya. Silver-plate habaki. I believe this one is shoshin. $2200 A Bizen no Kuni ju Osafune Norimitsu wakizashi, dated to February 1506, 20" nagasa, in the remnants of Satsuma Rebellion mounts with classic washer menuki. Needs a polish and habaki, but the rest of the mounts are present. I suspect the habaki was shorn off by a bullet strike to the tsuba as there is a clear bullet strike on the tsuba that has bent the tsuba itself. No reason to disbelieve a signed/dated piece from this smith is anything but shoshin. $1700 A Koto katana, possibly Kamakura... at latest Muromachi based on sugata and workmanship according to polisher, 28" nagasa. Was shortened to fit Kyu-gunto mounts and is therefore o-suriage. Bohi were added on during this time. Ill-fitting silver plate habaki with kyu-gunto tsuka. No saya, I had to make a paper saya for this one. $2200 A lady's kaiken, bare blade, narrow suguha. 6.125" nagasa. Ca. 1680. A cheap little project knife. $400 A Soshu Naginata, circa 1380-1410. 18.5" nagasa. 36.25" OAL, so this one is ubu. Very much worn down but enough to bring back even still. Itame hada at the ha that turns into masame at the boshi. Could even be possibly earlier. Had a very long signature on the nakago that is completely rotted out and illegible now. $2250. A Yokoyama Sukesada wakizashi, circa Kanbun. Signed Yokoyama Kozuke no Kami Fujiwara Sukesada, probably a lesser generation? Needs more investigation. Has beautiful Yokoyama Choji/Gunome mixed hamon. Masame in ji. In original black lacquer saya with habaki and tsuba. No tsuka. $1800 A rather rare SIGNED Owari-den wakizashi, signed to Noshu-ju Ujimasa. Circa Kanbun. Damaged silver-plated habaki, bare blade. Needs a polish. Not sure how to price this one, so just tossing out the price at $1000 since I've never seen a signed Owari blade. 17.75" nagasa, ubu. Two rather rough-condition tanto in full mounts for $1,000, being sold as a pair. One is earlier, probably 1600-1650 and the other is probably 1800's. These are good for display, but would not make sense to pay for restoration. Perfect for an amateur to dabble with though I suppose. The mounts are clearly made for export. Shipping is $100 CONUS, and will include the original valuation insurance. Outside CONUS, shipping will be discussed and as reasonable as possible. You can ask any of my previous customers. I made sure things are transparent and arrive quickly. If you would like pictures of one, feel free to DM me. ~Chris

You're only a state over from me, I'll DM you some information regarding getting your blade looked at in person. ~Chris

Open to fair offers!

2cm is quite impressive! Best of luck in your sale!

Hello Jose! I noticed you're in Kentucky. Its a bit of a drive, but if you ever want to attend an Indiana Token Kai (sword club) meeting, we meet in a very central part of the state which is right off of I-69. Message me and I'll get you more details if you like. We meed the third Saturday of each month. As for your blade, the black lacquer paint, while not common, is something you see from time to time. Originally, this blade would have likely had a leather combat cover to protect the wooden saya better and to help keep the hanger in place. ~Chris

Quick question! What does the blade and the habaki look like?

Amazing document Sam! Very comprehensive and informative. Next type for you? Showato at large.

I've seen this piece in person, its certainly a very interesting example of an ancient form of blade rarely seen otherwise!

I met Brian at the 2025 Chicago Show. He had an inquisitive interest, a keen eye, and took a good amount of time to talk to me and examine my blades. He was going to buy a blade from me but was distracted by his wife needing him for something. He felt guilty about it and reached out to me after the show to arrange the purchase. We were about to finish the transaction when he found out about some things that changed his priorities. Its sad that I just found out now why those priorities changed. He and I shared an interest in Bungo Den and I think my collection of ken intrigued him. Gone from this world too soon. Rest in peace, friend.

James, There is a sword club located in your state. Search for "Texas Token Kai" here on this website and reach out to them. I am sure they could help you better than anyone could. In person is always better than squinting at photos. ~Chris

Final price reductions (if applicable), blade #7 has sold and the board has received a $50 donation. 1. 28" katana in shirasaya. $2200 -> $2100 2. 19" wakizashi in substitute saya. $1600 -> $1500 3. 27" katana in partially restored gunto mounts. $2000 -> $1800 4. 23.25" o-suriage early to mid Kamakura tachi in assembled mounts. No reduction on this one! 5. 24.5" katana in remnants of WWII leather-cased mounts. $1900 -> $1800 6. 26" katana of WWII origin. $950 -> $900 7. 17" wakizashi in American-made saya. No reduction on this one! SOLD! 8. 11.25" tanto in restored mounts. $1300 -> $1200 9. 26" katana of WWII origin. $1100 -> $1050 Trade values can be discussed still, just ask. Shipping is still $100 CONUS, and will include the original valuation insurance. Outside CONUS, shipping will be discussed and as reasonable as possible! My goal is to make sure these blades get to people who will appreciate them and to make the transfer process simple and quick. If you would like pictures of one, feel free to DM me. ~Chris