Nihonto Katana “Kunishige” with NBTHK Hozon

Documentation

The sword retains its Okayama Prefectural torokusho, issued under registration number 岡山県第127675号, dated 10 December, Reiwa 1. It records the piece as follows:

銃砲刀剣類登録証
Firearms and Sword Registration Certificate

種別：刀
Type: katana

長さ：70.0 cm
Blade length: 70.0 cm

反り：0.8 cm
Curvature: 0.8 cm

目くぎ穴：二個
Mekugi-ana: 2

銘文（表）：備中国水田住国重
Signature (omote): Bitchū no Kuni Mizuta-jū Kunishige

The sword is also accompanied by an NBTHK Hozon Token authentication paper, number 3037154, dated 28 May, Reiwa 7. The main text reads:

鑑定書
Authentication certificate

刀 銘 備中国水田住国重
Katana, signed: Bitchū no Kuni Mizuta-jū Kunishige

長 二尺三寸一分弱
Length: slightly under 2 shaku 3 sun 1 bu

右は当協会に於て審査の結果保存刀剣と鑑定しこれを証する
Following examination by this association, the piece has been judged Hozon Tōken and is hereby certified as such.

The consistency between signature, registration, and authentication paper gives the sword a strong and reassuring documentary coherence.

Smith, school, and context

The signature 備中国水田住国重 reads Bitchū no Kuni Mizuta-jū Kunishige, meaning “Kunishige, resident of Mizuta in Bitchū Province.” The name belongs to the tradition of the Mizuta smiths, a school associated with Bitchū Province and well regarded within the sword production of the early Edo period, inheriting regional elements linked to the later Sue-Bizen tradition and the western Japanese shintō milieu.

This sword stands as a signed work within that respected Mizuta tradition, and its Hozon Token status confirms that the NBTHK recognizes it as a genuine Japanese sword worthy of preservation.

Blade

This is a katana of elegant and well-balanced proportions. The blade is formed in shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, showing moderate curvature and a properly proportioned chū-kissaki. The overall sugata is restrained, classical, and functional, conveying the quiet authority of a traditionally shaped Japanese sword rather than relying on flamboyance.

The hamon appears to be a rather restrained, suguha-based temper line, perhaps with very slight undulation, visible yet somewhat veiled by the current surface condition. The jihada is sover and elegant.

The nakago preserves an appropriate old patina, with two mekugi-ana visible. The signature is cut on the omote side and matches the reading given in both the torokusho and the NBTHK paper. The overall condition is honest and respectable, showing normal signs of age and use together with some surface marks and clouding consistent with an old blade. Very discreetly, there is also a small trace of old oxidation along the mune, minor and stable in character, and in no way detrimental to the sword’s overall presence.

Koshirae

The sword is mounted in a full koshirae of understated but highly attractive appearance. The saya, finished in glossy black lacquer, gives the mounting a clean and elegant visual profile, further enhanced by a blue sageo that adds a particularly refined chromatic contrast.

The tsuka is wrapped in an amber-brown tsuka-ito over a darkened samegawa, producing a warm and sophisticated palette. The menuki, partially visible beneath the wrap, appear to be ornamental or zoomorphic in character, adding visual depth without excess.

The iron tsuba, severe and functional in tone, suits the mounting very well: solid, disciplined, and appropriately restrained for a signed and papered blade. The habaki, in a gold-toned finish, performs its visual and structural role effectively. The ensemble is completed by dark fuchi-kashira with discreet decorative accents, enough to elevate the mounting while keeping the focus where it belongs—on the sword itself.

In sum, this is a coherent, balanced, and commercially compelling koshirae: distinguished enough for a serious collector, yet never ostentatious.

Technical sheet

Katana
Signature: 備中国水田住国重
Reading: Bitchū no Kuni Mizuta-jū Kunishige
Paper: NBTHK Hozon Token, no. 3037154
Torokusho: Okayama no. 127675
Blade length: 70.0 cm
Curvature: 0.8 cm
Mekugi-ana: 2
Sugata: shinogi-zukuri
Mune: iori-mune
Kissaki: chū-kissaki
Mounting: full koshirae with black lacquer saya, blue sageo, and amber-brown tsuka wrap

This katana signed Bitchū no Kuni Mizuta-jū Kunishige brings together exactly the elements many collectors seek and do not often find combined: a clear signature, Hozon Token papers, generous length, and an attractive complete mounting. It is not a loud sword, nor does it need to be. Its strength lies precisely in that combination of authenticity, balance, and high-grade Japanese restraint. A well-documented, honest blade with classical appeal, equally convincing in a serious collection or on display.