The history of the world's most expensive katana
The most expensive katana in the world was forged in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), between the well-known Sengoku Jidai and the Edo period that began shortly afterwards.
It was built by Nagao Akinaga, the lord of the castle of Odawara Castle commissioned. A member of the influential Hojo clan. The sword, which would later become the most expensive katana in the world, was commissioned as an imitation of a sword by the famous blacksmith Chogi. Chogi was one of the 10 legendary "disciples of Masamune". Although he did not study with Masamune, Chogi had some elements in his blades that are actually typical of the Soshu school of Masamune. Masamune is considered by many to be the best swordsmith in Japanese history.
In 1590, the second unifier of the Japanese Empire, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, took action against the Hojo clan because it had become too powerful for him and Hideyoshi saw the rivals as a threat. Odawara Castle was attacked and fell. The sword had to be hidden and passed into the possession of Ishihara Jinzaemon, who also belonged to the Hojo clan.
He gave his name to the most expensive katana in the world. According to legend, Ishihara Jinzaemon used the sword to protect himself and his wife from a mountain witch and struck her down with this sword. Mountain witch means "Yamanba" in Japanese, cut means "Giri" and the name of the sword is made up of this legend and the name of the blacksmith. The most expensive katana in the world is called "Yamanbagiri Kunihiro".
Who forged the most expensive katana in the world?
Horikawa Kunihiro is the creator of the most expensive katana in the world "Yamanbagiri Kunihiro".
Horikawa Kunihiro was a creative blacksmith from 1576 to 1613 and was a gifted and highly respected swordsmith. He is considered by many to be the best blacksmith of the entire Shinto sword era. He forged for many famous landowners and warlords.
Kunihiro was a student of the equally well-known blacksmith Umetada Myoju, who is regarded as one of the founders of the Shinto sword era.
Kunihiro also trained some well-known blacksmiths himself. To name just 3 examples: Osumi no Jo Masahiro, Izumi no Kami Kunisada and Dewa Daijo Kunimichi.
In addition to the most expensive katana in the world, many very high-quality blades are made by makers from this forge line.
This is the price for the legendary Yamanbagiri Kunihiro
In 2017, the Yamanbagiri Kunihiro was exhibited with great success at the Ashikaga City Museum. The city of Ashikaga and local cultural authorities subsequently considered buying the sword, which was not previously considered the most expensive katana in the world.
The hefty price tag: 300,000,000 yen, which equates to around 1.8 million euros!
As the price was extremely high, an expert committee of 5 renowned sword experts was appointed to review the appropriateness of the price. The expert committee agreed that the Yamanbagiri Kunihiro is on the level of a national treasure and has an economic potential that makes the price seem appropriate.
It's amazing! But that wasn't actually the most expensive samurai sword in the world! That title is held by another type of sword, a tachi. You can find out how much it cost and more information about this extraordinary sword in our article on the most expensive samurai sword in the world.
High-quality katana from Japan are a piece of history
Examples such as the most expensive katana in the world, the Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, are absolute rarities and exceptional pieces. As a rule, they have the status of a national treasure of Japan and may no longer be taken out of the country.
Unfortunately, blades of this quality are therefore not usually found outside Japan.
However, the rich blacksmithing tradition in Japan has produced numerous swords over the centuries, in various qualities, some of which still exist today.
Each of these swords has its own story and embodies the history and honourable way of life of the samurai. Take a look at our Online shop for antique katana and see if you can find the right sword for you.
