Nihonto Tachi “Nobuhide” Forged to the Emperor Kanteisho certificate

Description ITEM DESCRIPTION: Comes with kimono or cotton bag. Comes with certificate of supein Nihonto. Comes with copy of Tokosusho. Comes with 日本刀剣保存会 Kanteisho. Documentation 1)  Kanteisho / Appraisal Certificate – 日本刀剣保存会 Translation: “Appraisal certificate (sword).” “Osaka – Takahashi Nobuhide (信秀).” “Length: 2 shaku 2 sun 3 bu (equivalent to 67.6 cm).” “17 February, Heisei 14 (2002).” “Nihon Tōken Hozonkai (Japanese Sword Preservation Association).” Forging/texture: “hada-kitae (肌鍛え).” Hamon: “suguha (直刃).” Bōshi: “sugu-chō midare-komi (直調乱れ込み).” Carving/groove: “ganto-hi (雁刀樋).” Mekugi-ana: “one.” Yasurime: “suridashi sujikai (磨り出し筋違い).” Inscription: Wear-side omote: “Ōsaka-jū Takahashi Nobuhide (信秀), made at age 75.” Wear-side ura: “On the occasion of a presentation to His Majesty the Emperor, forged using ‘yotetsu’, dated: an auspicious day in December, Taishō 8.” 2) 銃砲刀剣類登録証 (Torokusho / Registration) Translation: “Firearms and Swords Registration Certificate.” “Registration No.: 28507.” “Category: tachi (たち).” “Length: 67.6 cm.” “Curvature: 1.7 cm.” “Mekugi-ana: one.” “Inscription (omote/ura):” repeats the same imperial presentation text and Taishō 8 date verbatim. “Issued in Shōwa 48 (1973)” “Hokkaidō Board of Education.” Smith, period, and significance The blade is signed 大阪住 高橋信秀 (Ōsaka-jū Takahashi Nobuhide; sometimes rendered “Nobushide”) and dated 大正八年十二月吉日 (December 1919, Taishō 8). The nakago inscription adds an exceptionally uncommon, document-backed statement: “天皇陛下献上之際々…”, i.e., an explicit reference to an occasion of献上 (presentation/offering) to His Majesty the Emperor, together with the use of 余鉄 (yotetsu) in the forging. This is not modern marketing language: it appears both in the kanteisho and the official torokusho. Takahashi Nobuhide is referenced as an active smith across the Meiji–Taishō–Shōwa transition, with high-level technical lineage (including association with the Gassan line) and works appearing in institutional/museum contexts in Japan. From a collector’s perspective, this is the cluster of verifiable attributes that elevates a “good gendaitō” into a historically anchored piece: signed, age-stated, precisely dated, registered as tachi, and carrying an explicit imperial-presentation inscription supported by paperwork. Technical description of the blade The sword is registered as a tachi (たち) and shows a long, elegant silhouette: nagasa 67.6 cm with sori 1.7 cm, a notably balanced proportion for an early-20th-century tachi-format blade. The hamon corresponds to 直刃 (suguha), clean and classical in reading, with a bōshi recorded in the appraisal as 直調乱れ込み (sugu-chō midare-komi), introducing controlled variation in the turn-back while preserving an overall restrained aesthetic. The jihada is a strong visual highlight in the photographs: the jigane displays a lively, flowing and well-contrasted grain, reading as itame/mokume with areas tending toward nagare, particularly appealing in gendai work when the steel surface presents this level of “organic” depth. Regarding the nakago, it shows one mekugi-ana, a dark, stable patina, and yasurime recorded as 磨り出し筋違い (suridashi sujikai). The signature and extended inscription give the piece the character of a documented “presentation” work rather than routine output. The blade includes 雁刀樋 (ganto-hi), a specific type of groove/hi noted in the appraisal, adding visual rhythm to the ji without tipping into showmanship. Mounting The blade is housed in shirasaya, the technically correct storage mount for preservation: it protects the steel, stabilizes fit, reduces unnecessary wear, and keeps the blade’s aesthetic “read” as a study object. For a signed, dated modern blade with this documentary weight, shirasaya is exactly what it should accompany. Specification sheet Type: Tachi (per torokusho)Smith: Ōsaka-jū Takahashi Nobuhide (信秀)Nakago date: Taishō 8 (1919), December, “auspicious day”Nagasa: 67.6 cmSori: 1.7 cmMekugi-ana: 1Hamon: Suguha (直刃)Bōshi: Sugu-chō midare-komi (直調乱れ込み)Horimono/Hi: Ganto-hi (雁刀樋)Documents: Torokusho No. 28507; Kanteisho No. 587 (日本刀剣保存会) Relacionado