Nihonto Antique

Over a thousand years of Japanese blacksmithing tradition

The first existing examples of ancient samurai swords date back to the end of the first millennium. Swords have existed in Japan since ancient times. However, it was only with the rise of the samurai that the art of swordsmithing really took off. Today, some old Japanese swords are still well preserved.

Despite the long development and continuous improvement, most of the traditional manufacturing processes have been retained and passed down from generation to generation. This is what makes Japanese master swords so exquisite.

Nihonto swords

A distinction is made between different types of swords. The best known are (of course, the list does not include all variations of Japanese swords and the respective description should be seen as a rough guide):

Tachi

Manufactured from the 10th century onwards and usually have relatively long and massive blades.

Katana

Came into fashion in the 14th and 15th centuries and usually have shorter blades than tachi.

Wakizashi

They are even shorter than katana and were usually worn together with the katana on the belt.

Sword epochs at Nihonto

The production eras are divided into

• Koto: late 10th to late 16th century
• Shinto: late 16th to late 18th century
• Shin-Shinto: late 18th to mid 19th century.
• Gendaito: from the mid to late 19th century. These Nihonto are found in the Nihonto Modern
• Shinsakuto: This is not a separate sword era in the sense of the previously mentioned. It is the designation for newly manufactured swords from Japan. If you are interested in a current production, please contact us for further information.

Papers such as certificates are often available for historical swords from Japan. You can find a more detailed explanation of the usual certificates in our Article about certificates.

Nihonto have always been respected

The real Japanese sword has its own name: Nihonto. This is made up of the Japanese words for Japan and sword. There are numerous historical sources from other countries in which the quality and perfectionism of Japanese swordsmiths are praised.
These valuations originate from all kinds of times and countries and can often be found in historical literature from Germany, for example.
Japanese swords have always been highly respected and held in high esteem.

Are there still many antique Japanese swords around today?

Due to the high status of the Japanese sword in Japanese society, many examples have made it to the present day and there are still well-preserved Japanese swords in existence.

Here in the West, ancient katana take centre stage. In reality, however, the sword known today as the tachi has been around for many centuries. Many antique Japanese swords are therefore antique tachi and not antique katana.

So there are still some well-preserved examples of these handsome swords. Over time, however, there are unfortunately fewer and fewer of them.

Buy Nihonto at Samuraischwert.kaufen

We would like to offer you a selection of historical swords so that you can experience the extraordinary fascination for the Japanese sword for yourself.