Swords from Echizen Province hold a rather special place in my heart. It is the home to where my first Japanese sword was crafted circa 1624.

Now this katana, however, predates my humble wakizashi by a good 200 years plus!

The swordsmith is Morihiro. The first generation Morihiro was the son (or adopted son) of Rai Kuniyasu in Yamashiro no kuni (Kyoto). Morihiro was a representative swordsmith from Chiyozuru school, who took their swordmaking skills to Echizen province.

These groups of swordsmiths were known as “Echizen Rai” as they took the Rai School tradition from Kyoto to Echizen province. True pioneers. This particular blade is from an early generation of Morihiro, almost certainly the second generation around the 1394 time frame.

The Morihiro name lasted for about 4 generations until the early Muromachi period.

Swordmaking began in Echizen by Chiyozuru Kuniyasu in approximately 1337. This is where the school got the name Chiyozuru. He was in search of the right spring water to forge his swords. He settled in Takefu in Echizen.

A premier steel crafting industry was born that never looked back

In fact, at one point Takefu was the biggest producer of agricultural tools in Japan. And to this day, some of Japan’s finest kitchen knives are produced in Takefu.

This Morihiro katana was surely carried on horseback as a tachi early in its life. An amazing 78.7cm cutting edge with a stunning ko-gunome hamon (small semi-circular temper line) along its 2.4cm curvature.

Most impressively, the sword managed to escape being shortened after all this time. It is still in its original length made over 600 years ago.

It is a perfect representation of swords from the late Nambokucho/early Muromachi period. It is in marvellous condition.

The sword was one of the very first to ever be given a certificate by the NBTHK, way back to 1955 (Showa 30). These vintage certificates carry great prestige.

In fact, NBTHK Juyo Token was not even issued during this year (it began in 1958).

In December 2014, the NTHK-NPO awarded the sword their prestigious Yushusaku (or Yushuto) ranking. The highest level of certification of the organization, reserved only for the finest swords.

The sword’s shirasaya was signed by Dr. Kanzan Sato, former co-chairman of the NBTHK. This gives the sword prized authentication by one of the great scholars of Japanese swords.

As the sword did not have a koshirae, a beautiful custom koshirae was built for the client with a Matsu (pine) theme.

Pablo Kuntz
Founder, Unique Japan

If owning an authentic Japanese Samurai sword is of interest to you and your family, we would be honoured to serve you.

If you have the pleasure of living in Japan or visiting the country, we recommend that you come to one of our upcoming sword shows or schedule a private VIP meeting with us.

VIP meetings are normally held near JR Ebisu station in Tokyo at a hired gallery space. We can also arrange visits to a company office, hotel, near the airport or at a private residence.

To those exploring our collection online, be sure to download our catalogue of available swords here.

We completely respect the fact it takes a HUGE leap of personal FAITH in us to commit to a particular sword given the reliance on photos and descriptions for such a highly valued item.

It is our PROMISE to address all your questions to the best of our ability. It’s important to us that you feel completely confident that the sword you choose (and that chooses you) is destined for you and your family.

You can also take reassurance that ALL swords from Unique Japan are GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC and come with a 3-DAY WORRY FREE inspection period upon arrival to your home.

Yes, it is completely legal to own a genuine antique Japanese sword (even those that are several hundreds of years old). Unique Japan specialises in all proper legal compliances so that swords can be exported from Japan.
All required paperwork is provided free of charge for clients.

Unique Japan has safely sent well over 300 swords FROM Japan to immensely proud owners in the United States, Canada, Europe and around the world.

We look forward to making your dream of owning an authentic Japanese sword a reality for you.

→ 7 Points to Consider when Choosing your Japanese Sword
→ 5 Steps to Owning an Authentic Japanese Samurai Sword
→ Download catalogue of currently available Japanese swords
→ Building your own custom koshirae and daisho, recommended!
→ PARTS of a Japanese Sword and Mountings (High-quality images)
→ 7 reasons WHY I love Japanese swords
→ Resource Information on Japanese Swords
→ NBTHK Certification Paper Ranking for Japanese Swords
→ NTHK-NPO Certification Paper Ranking for Japanese Swords