1) Kanteisho / Appraisal Certificate – 日本刀剣保存会
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Translation:
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“Appraisal certificate (sword).”
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“Osaka – Takahashi Nobuhide (信秀).”
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“Length: 2 shaku 2 sun 3 bu (equivalent to 67.6 cm).”
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“17 February, Heisei 14 (2002).”
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“Nihon Tōken Hozonkai (Japanese Sword Preservation Association).”
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Forging/texture: “hada-kitae (肌鍛え).”
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Hamon: “suguha (直刃).”
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Bōshi: “sugu-chō midare-komi (直調乱れ込み).”
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Carving/groove: “ganto-hi (雁刀樋).”
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Mekugi-ana: “one.”
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Yasurime: “suridashi sujikai (磨り出し筋違い).”
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Inscription:
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Wear-side omote: “Ōsaka-jū Takahashi Nobuhide (信秀), made at age 75.”
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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.”
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2) 銃砲刀剣類登録証 (Torokusho / Registration)
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Translation:
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“Firearms and Swords Registration Certificate.”
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“Category: tachi (たち).”
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“Length: 67.6 cm.”
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“Curvature: 1.7 cm.”
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“Mekugi-ana: one.”
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“Inscription (omote/ura):” repeats the same imperial presentation text and Taishō 8 date verbatim.
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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 cm
Sori: 1.7 cm
Mekugi-ana: 1
Hamon: Suguha (直刃)
Bōshi: Sugu-chō midare-komi (直調乱れ込み)
Horimono/Hi: Ganto-hi (雁刀樋)
