Impressive Yasukuni Shrine sword Yasunobu NBTHK Hozon

 Rare Yasukuni Shrine Gendaito

By Yasunobu (Murakami Yasunobu) – One of the Last Swords Forged at Yasukuni Shrine

Date: February 1945 (Made on a lucky day)
Signed: Yasunobu
Certification: NBTHK Hozon Token
Mounting: Type 98 Guntō with Officer’s Tassel
Shirasaya: Included
Habaki: Copper
Condition: Excellent polish – wartime gendaito

Overview:

This is an exceptional and rare Yasukuni Shrine sword forged by Yasunobu (real name: Murakami Yasunobu, given name Ensaku)—a highly skilled member of the Nihontō Tanren Kai Foundation (NTKF) and one of the last smiths to forge blades under the prestigious Yasukuni project during WWII.

Yasunobu was granted his smith name by War Minister Itagaki Seishirō in November 1939, signifying formal induction into the Yasukuni Shrine forge, an elite program dedicated to crafting ceremonial and battlefield swords of the highest spiritual and artistic quality.

Specifications:

• Nagasa (Blade Length): 66.8 cm

• Sori (Curvature): 2.0 cm

• Weight: 690 grams

• Mekugi-ana: 1

• Date of Forging: February 1945 (auspicious day)

• Mountings: Original Type 98 military guntō fittings with officer’s tassel

• Shirasaya: Included (well-crafted and preserved)

• Habaki: Copper

Highlights:

• Elite Yasukuni Swordsmith: Appointed to the Yasukuni forge in 1939

• Donor to Yasukuni Shrine: Contributed ceremonial blades in 1939, including one for the 700th anniversary of Retired Emperor Gotoba

• Award-Winning Craftsman: Received the Chairman’s Award at the 2nd Guntō Tenrankai (Dec 21, 1944)

• Lineage: Trained under Ikeda Yasumitsu (Ikko or Kazumitsu)

• Historical Significance: One of the final swords made at Yasukuni Shrine, forged during the last months of the Pacific War

Blade Characteristics:

• Hamon: Brilliantly controlled suguha (straight temper line), typical of Yasukuni artistry

• Hada: Exceptionally tight ko-itame mixed with ko-mokume, showing refined steel folding

• Boshi: Executed in maru, clean and well-balanced

• Polish: Outstanding, professionally maintained to showcase the smith’s craftsmanship

Collector’s Note:

Yasukuni blades represent a unique intersection of martial utility, spiritual reverence, and historical artistry. This particular piece stands out not only for its high quality and polish, but also for its timing—forged in February 1945, it is among the last documented swords created at Yasukuni Shrine before the war’s end.

The original Type 98 guntō koshirae with officer’s tassel enhances its appeal to collectors focused on WWII Japanese militaria, gendaitō, or Yasukuni project artifacts.

This is an opportunity to own a rare, signed, and certified sword from a true Yasukuni smith with verifiable historical and artistic merit.

Included:

• Katana blade by Yasunobu

• Original Type 98 military koshirae with officer’s tassel

• NBTHK Hozon Certificate

• Custom Shirasaya

• Copper Habaki