Swords · The Registry
日本刀

The Nihonto Sales Registry

A living, editorially curated record of notable public Japanese sword sales worldwide. Every figure in this registry carries a named source and a year, with a numbered reference in the table itself. A sale we cannot source does not enter the registry, no matter how often it is repeated. Updated quarterly, after the spring and autumn sale seasons.

29
Entries at Launch
$418,000
Record Blade, Christie's 1992
1986 to 2026
Four Decades Covered
0
Unsourced Figures

On this page

  1. What this registry is, and is not
  2. How to read a nihonto price
  3. The registry
  4. Patterns worth knowing
  5. Methodology and inclusion criteria
  6. Frequently asked questions
  7. References
01 · Scope

What this registry is, and is not

This is a record of notable public sales of Japanese swords: results published by named auction houses, plus a very small number of dealer-published records that are labeled as exactly that. Each row carries a numbered citation that resolves, in the references at the bottom of this page, to a named source and year. Where a house publishes results with the buyer's premium included, we say so. Where a press report from 1992 does not state whether a figure includes premium, we say that too, rather than guessing.

Here is what this registry is not, and the point matters enough to put at the top. The top of the Japanese sword market does not trade at public auction. The finest blades change hands privately, through established dealers in Japan, at prices that are never published and never will be. That layer of the market is invisible to any public record, including this one. A registry that claims to show you the highest prices ever paid for nihonto is not describing a market, it is inventing one, and it should not be trusted. What a public registry can honestly do is document the visible layer: the auction results that were actually published, by name, with a figure and a date. That is what this page does, and nothing more.

We also exclude, deliberately: private sale rumors, forum hearsay, asking prices retold as sale prices, military souvenir blades and replicas, and sword fittings (tsuba and koshirae sold without blades). Famous numbers that failed verification are listed openly in the methodology section, because knowing what did not qualify is half the value of a registry like this.

For the narrative behind the biggest numbers here, including the story of the Compton sales and why the famous "$2.1 million knife" is not what the listicles say it is, read the companion page, The Most Expensive Knives and Swords Ever Sold.

02 · Reading the numbers

How to read a nihonto price

Hammer versus premium. The hammer price is the winning bid. The published result at most major houses adds the buyer's premium, a commission of roughly 20 to 26 percent. Christie's and Bonhams publish "price realised" and "sold for" figures that include premium, and our table marks those rows "with premium." Hermann Historica publishes hammer prices. Wire reports from the 1980s and 1990s usually did not say which figure they carried, so those rows read "premium status not stated." Comparing a 1992 wire figure to a 2022 premium-inclusive figure is already an approximation, and the table is honest about that instead of smoothing it over.

Papers. The single biggest price variable after the blade itself is certification by the NBTHK, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, whose ranks ascend from Hozon and Tokubetsu Hozon to Juyo Token and Tokubetsu Juyo Token. A paper is a portable, internationally recognized judgment of authenticity, attribution, and quality, and because few buyers can independently authenticate a 700 year old blade, the paper carries much of the price. You will see paper ranks quoted in the blade column wherever the house reported them. Our guide to collecting Japanese swords walks through the certification system in full.

Attribution. Most old blades are unsigned, so "attributed to" is doing real work in these listings. An attribution is an expert judgment, usually anchored by the papers, not a signature. Attribution disputes are price disputes. The skill of reading a blade directly, from its shape, grain, and temper line, is the subject of our guide to reading a Japanese sword.

Condition and polish. A Japanese blade is only legible in proper polish, and polish is expensive, specialist work. Houses rarely publish condition grades, so condition is priced silently into every figure below. Two blades with identical attributions can differ by multiples on condition alone, which is one reason estimate misses in both directions are so common in this table.

Currency. Results are given in the currency of sale, with an approximate dollar figure in parentheses for non dollar sales, converted at rates from the month of sale and rounded. Those conversions are approximations for orientation, not reported figures.

03 · The record

The registry

Chronological, newest first. Shaded red rows are sale-event totals, not single blades. Shaded blue rows are dealer-published records, not auction results; prices there are asking prices published by the dealer and are not comparable to realized auction prices. Bracketed numbers resolve in the references.

Date Blade Venue Price Source
May 2026 Tanto catalogued as Sengo Muramasa, Ise, the famous Muramasa line Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai (online), lot 47 USD 35,840 with premium Bonhams published results, 2026 [1]
May 2026 Katana catalogued as Magoroku Kanemoto, Mino, NBTHK Juyo ranked Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai (online), lot 48 USD 21,760 with premium Bonhams published results, 2026 [1]
Apr 2025 Katana by Nagasone Okisato Nyudo Kotetsu, circa 1665, gold inlaid cutting test inscription dated 1665, 45th NBTHK Juyo Token Aoi-Art, Tokyo. Dealer-published listing, not an auction JPY 60,000,000 dealer asking price (approx. USD 420,000) Aoi-Art published listing, 2025 (dealer record) [2]
Apr 2025 Tachi signed Norinari, Ko-Ichimonji school, mid Kamakura period, 69th NBTHK Juyo Token Aoi-Art, Tokyo. Dealer-published listing, not an auction JPY 13,500,000 dealer asking price (approx. USD 94,000) Aoi-Art published listing, 2025 (dealer record) [3]
Oct 5, 2023 Katana by Tsuda Echizen no kami Sukehiro, dated 1667, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon iGavel Auctions / Lark Mason Associates, Quigley collection sale USD 12,500 hammer, USD 15,625 with premium iGavel published results, 2023 [4]
Oct 26, 2022 Katana with mounts by Kashu Sanekage, Nanbokucho period, NBTHK Juyo Token no. 11638, provenance Nakagawa Hidenari Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 158 USD 113,775 with premium Bonhams published results, 2022 [5]
Oct 26, 2022 Ko-Bizen tachi by Masazane, Heian period, NBTHK Juyo Token no. 4117 (1973), ex Hartley collection, exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 2014. Same blade as the Oct 2013 entry Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 132 USD 44,475 with premium Bonhams published results, 2022 [6]
Oct 27, 2021 Katana by Suishinshi Masahide, founder of the shinshinto revival, dated 1813, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 128 USD 31,562.50 with premium Bonhams published results, 2021 [7]
Sep 24, 2020 Tachi attributed to the Ayanokoji school, Yamashiro, Kamakura period, NBTHK Hozon (1988), Izuka Kunio collection Bonhams New York, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, lot 980 USD 20,075 with premium Bonhams published results, 2020 [8]
Jul 22, 2020 Katana attributed to Bizen Kanemitsu, circa 1330 to 1340, with attestation by Hon'ami Kojo Bonhams New York, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, lot 1113 USD 40,075 with premium Bonhams published results, 2020 [9]
Nov 2016 Daisho, blades circa 1530 by smiths of the Kanemoto family, Mino, Rudolf Ott collection Hermann Historica, Munich, 73rd auction, The World of the Samurai EUR 20,000 hammer (approx. USD 21,000) Hermann Historica results as reported by Military Trader, 2016 [10]
Oct 27, 2014 Katana attributed to Osafune Norimitsu, catalogued late Kamakura period, NBTHK Juyo Token no. 2684 (2003) Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 1111 USD 35,000 with premium Bonhams published results, 2014 [11]
Oct 27, 2014 Katana with mounts, Dotanuki school, Momoyama period Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 1120 USD 27,500 with premium Bonhams published results, 2014 [12]
Oct 8, 2013 Daisho by Inoue Shinkai, signed Inoue Izumi no kami Kunisada, dated 1669, both blades NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 1142 USD 87,500 with premium Bonhams published results and press release, 2013 [13]
Oct 8, 2013 Ko-Bizen tachi by Masazane, Heian period, ubu tang, ex Col. Dean S. Hartley Jr. collection Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 1125 USD 47,500 with premium Bonhams published results and press release, 2013 [14]
Oct 16, 2012 Katana by Naotsuna, Sekishu, Nanbokucho period, 45th NBTHK Juyo Token no. 10595 (1999) Bonhams New York, Arts of the Samurai, lot 1138, top lot of the sale USD 134,500 with premium Bonhams published results and press release, 2012 [15]
Nov 10, 2011 Presentation tachi attributed to Korekazu, late 19th century, with gold lacquer stand, presented by Emperor Meiji to the Dutch ambassador Bonhams London, Fine Japanese Art, lot 3 GBP 30,000 with premium (approx. USD 48,000) Bonhams published results, 2011 [16]
Oct 23, 2009 Tachi attributed to Go Yoshihiro, Etchu, late Kamakura to early Nanbokucho period, NBTHK Tokubetsu Juyo Token no. 676, ex Hashimoto Dokuzan Christie's New York, Arts of the Samurai, sale 2378, lot 32 USD 194,500 with premium Christie's published results, 2009 [17]
Oct 23, 2009 Tachi attributed to Katayama Ichimonji Nobufusa, Bizen, Kamakura period, in katana mounting Christie's New York, Arts of the Samurai, sale 2378, lot 28 USD 146,500 with premium Christie's published results, 2009 [18]
Mar 18, 2008 Tachi attributed to Norishige, Etchu, late Kamakura period, NBTHK Tokubetsu Juyo Token no. 591 Christie's New York, Japanese and Korean Art, lot 334 USD 181,000 with premium Christie's published results, 2008 [19]
May 16, 2007 Tachi signed Sadazane, Bizen, Kamakura period, NBTHK Tokubetsu Juyo Token no. 263 Christie's London, Japanese Art and Design, lot 430 GBP 120,000 with premium (approx. USD 238,000) Christie's published results, 2007 [20]
Jun 21, 2001 Katana attributed to Sadamune, Soshu, late Kamakura period, NBTHK Tokubetsu Juyo Token, Manno Art Museum collection Christie's London, the Manno Art Museum sale, lot 7 GBP 124,750 with premium (approx. USD 175,000) Christie's published results, 2001 [21]
Mar 31, 1992 Sale event: the Walter A. Compton collection, Part I, 399 lots of Japanese swords and fittings. A world record total for an auction of Japanese works of art at the time Christie's New York, two session sale USD 8,000,000 total for the sale (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992 [22]
Mar 31, 1992 13th century Kamakura period blade, sold to an unidentified European collector. World auction record for a Japanese sword, still unbeaten in public salerooms Christie's New York, Compton collection Part I USD 418,000 (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992 [22]
Mar 31, 1992 13th century Kamakura period long sword, bought by dealer Tomihiko Inami of the Japanese Sword Company, Tokyo Christie's New York, Compton collection Part I USD 340,000 (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992 [22]
Mar 31, 1992 14th century dagger (tanto), bought by Tomihiko Inami Christie's New York, Compton collection Part I USD 154,000 (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992 [22]
Mar 31, 1992 15th century long sword, bought by Tomihiko Inami Christie's New York, Compton collection Part I USD 132,000 (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992 [22]
Mar 31, 1992 17th century wakizashi bearing an image of Mt. Fuji, bought by Tomihiko Inami. Reported as a world record for a short sword at the time Christie's New York, Compton collection Part I USD 104,500 (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992 [22]
1986 13th century sword, provenance the Duke of Windsor. World auction record for a Japanese sword until 1992 Christie's (sale details as given in the 1992 retrospective) USD 132,000 (premium status not stated) UPI, 1992, reporting retrospectively on the 1986 sale [22]

Notes. Approximate dollar figures for non dollar sales use exchange rates from the month of sale, rounded; they are approximations, not reported figures. The Oct 2023 iGavel entry sits below our usual value threshold; it is included because the house published both the hammer and the premium inclusive figure, a transparency worth showing side by side. The Nov 2016 Hermann Historica figure comes from a named trade press recap of the house's published results rather than a surviving house results page, and is labeled accordingly. The 1986 entry rests on a single retrospective mention in UPI's 1992 report; we could not locate the original 1986 coverage, and we say so rather than inventing a citation.

04 · Patterns

Patterns worth knowing

These observations are limited to what the table above actually shows. No trade gossip, no extrapolation.

  • The 1992 record still stands. No publicly documented auction result for a Japanese sword has surpassed the $418,000 Compton blade of March 1992 [22]. The closest results since are GBP 120,000 (approx. USD 238,000) for the Sadazane tachi in 2007 [20] and USD 194,500 for the Go Yoshihiro tachi in 2009 [17]. Thirty four years is a long time for an auction record to survive, and the reason is structural, as the scope statement explains: the best blades stopped coming to public sale, they did not stop selling.
  • Old steel commands the top. Of the registry's six figure dollar results, all but two are blades made before 1400, in the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods. The two exceptions, a 15th century long sword and a 17th century wakizashi, were both lots in the exceptional Compton dispersal of 1992 [22].
  • Papers travel with price. Of the seven post 2000 auction results above USD 100,000 in the table, six carry NBTHK Juyo Token or Tokubetsu Juyo Token papers, and every Tokubetsu Juyo blade in the registry landed in six figures. The table cannot prove causation, but it shows the correlation plainly.
  • Estimates are opinions. The Sadazane tachi was estimated at GBP 50,000 to 70,000 and made GBP 120,000 [20]. The Manno Sadamune was estimated at GBP 40,000 to 60,000 and made GBP 124,750 [21]. The Sukehiro katana was estimated at USD 25,000 to 35,000 and hammered at USD 12,500 [4]. In a thin, connoisseur driven market, estimate misses in both directions are normal.
  • The same blade, nine years apart. The Masazane Ko-Bizen tachi appears twice: USD 47,500 in 2013 [14] and USD 44,475 in 2022 [6], after an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in between. One pair of data points is not a market index, but it is a useful antidote to the assumption that old blades appreciate automatically.
  • The dealer channel sits above the salerooms. The highest figure attached to any single blade in this registry since 1992 is not an auction result at all. It is a Tokyo dealer's published asking price of JPY 60,000,000 for a Juyo Kotetsu [2], clearly labeled as such in the table. Read that as evidence of where the strong market lives, not as a realized price.
05 · Methodology

Methodology and inclusion criteria

What qualifies

A sale enters the registry only if all of the following hold. The figure is on the public record: the auction house's own published result, established press (wire services, major newspapers, named trade press), or, for the rare dealer rows, the dealer's own published listing. The source can be named with a year and listed in the numbered references. The result is roughly USD 20,000 or more, or of historic significance (records, landmark collection sales). Blades only: fittings sold without blades are excluded. Unsold, bought in, and withdrawn lots are excluded. Private sale rumors and forum hearsay are excluded regardless of how plausible they sound. Dealer-published records are capped at a handful, labeled in blue, and never mixed into auction comparisons.

Rejected at the door

Candidates we researched and declined, because a registry is defined as much by what it keeps out. The totals of Compton Parts II and III (Christie's New York, October and December 1992): the catalogues exist, but we could not locate a press published total for either sale, so neither total appears above. The Sotheby's New York sale of the Paul L. Davidson collection of swords and armour (March 2025): a real and important sale, but Sotheby's gates its results pages behind a login and we found no press publication of realized prices, so nothing from it can be cited yet. Several Bonhams six figure estimates that circulate as if they were results (a Nagamitsu daisho, a Sanemori tachi, a Yukimitsu katana): the lots were bought in or withdrawn, and an estimate is not a sale. Heritage Auctions Japanese sword lots: realized prices sit behind a login and could not be publicly verified this cycle. A widely shared story of a 13th century tachi privately valued at USD 100 million: a valuation tale with no transaction, no house, and no source. And the Napoleon sabre results sometimes shoehorned into Japanese sword lists: magnificent, French, and not nihonto.

Update cadence and changelog

Last updated: August 2026. The registry is reviewed quarterly and updated after the spring and autumn sale seasons, when the major Japanese art sales in New York and London publish their results. Corrections are welcome through our contact page; a correction needs the same thing an entry does, a named public source.

Changelog. August 2026: registry launched with 29 entries (27 auction rows, including one sale-event total, and 2 dealer-published records).

Okami Blades is a kitchen knife maker. We do not sell, appraise, or broker Japanese swords, we hold no consignment interest in any sale listed here, and nothing on this page is valuation advice. That distance is exactly why we can keep this record honestly.

06 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the most expensive Japanese sword ever sold at auction?

Among publicly documented results, the record is USD 418,000, paid for a 13th century Kamakura period blade at Christie's New York on March 31, 1992, during the first sale of the Walter A. Compton collection, per UPI reporting at the time [22]. The same sale totaled USD 8 million, then a world record for an auction of Japanese works of art. No published auction result since has surpassed the blade record.

Why has no auction beaten the 1992 record in over three decades?

Because the top of the market moved out of public view, to the extent it was ever in it. Blades designated Important Cultural Property or National Treasure cannot leave Japan, and below that tier the deepest expertise, the NBTHK papering process, and the most committed buyers are concentrated in Japan, where great blades trade privately through dealers at unpublished prices. The strongest Western results since 1992 in this registry are GBP 120,000 in 2007 [20] and USD 194,500 in 2009 [17], roughly half the record.

What do the NBTHK paper ranks in the table mean?

The NBTHK, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, certifies blades at ascending ranks: Hozon (worthy of preservation), Tokubetsu Hozon (especially worthy), Juyo Token (important sword), and Tokubetsu Juyo Token (especially important sword). The top two ranks are competitive designations awarded at dedicated sessions. In this registry, six of the seven post 2000 auction results above USD 100,000 carry Juyo or Tokubetsu Juyo papers.

Are the dealer prices in the registry comparable to the auction results?

No, and they are shaded and labeled so they cannot be confused. The two Aoi-Art rows are asking prices published by a Tokyo dealer, not realized sales, and an asking price is an opening position, not a transaction. We include a small number of them because Japan's dealer channel is where the strongest blades actually trade, and a registry that pretended otherwise would mislead by omission. They are evidence of the market's shape, not data points in the auction record.

How often is the registry updated, and can I submit a sale?

Quarterly, after the spring and autumn sale seasons. Submissions and corrections are welcome through our contact page, with one requirement: a named public source, meaning the auction house's published result or established press coverage with a year. Private sale figures, however credible, cannot be included, because no reader can check them.

References

References

Citation policy: references link out only to auction houses' own domains and major press. Dealer listings and smaller trade outlets are cited by name and year without a link. Approximate dollar conversions in the table are ours and are labeled approximate.

  1. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York online sale, May 11 to 22, 2026. Published results, lots 47 and 48. bonhams.com
  2. Aoi-Art, Tokyo. Published listing: "Katana: Nagasone Okisato Nyudo Kotetsu, with saidan-mei, 45th NBTHK Juyo Token," listed April 19, 2025 at JPY 60,000,000. Dealer listing, cited without link per our citation policy.
  3. Aoi-Art, Tokyo. Published listing: "Tachi: Norinari (Ko-Ichimonji), 69th NBTHK Juyo Token," listed April 12, 2025 at JPY 13,500,000. Dealer listing, cited without link per our citation policy.
  4. iGavel Auctions / Lark Mason Associates, "Japanese Swords and Asian Works of Art from the Collection of Michael J. Quigley," closed October 5, 2023. Published result, item 6615596 (hammer and premium figures both published). igavelauctions.com
  5. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 26, 2022, lot 158, Kashu Sanekage. Published result. bonhams.com
  6. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 26, 2022, lot 132, Bizen Masazane Ko-Bizen tachi. Published result. bonhams.com
  7. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 27, 2021, lot 128, Suishinshi Masahide katana dated 1813. Published result. bonhams.com
  8. Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, New York, September 24, 2020, lot 980, Ayanokoji school tachi. Published result. bonhams.com
  9. Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, New York, July 22, 2020, lot 1113, katana attributed to Bizen Kanemitsu. Published result. bonhams.com
  10. Hermann Historica, Munich, 73rd auction, November 2016, "The Rudolf Ott Collection: The World of the Samurai" (catalogue: hermann-historica.de). Price as reported in Military Trader's recap of the house's autumn results, 2016, which states the daisho "fetched its limit of 20,000 euros." Military Trader cited without link per our citation policy.
  11. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 27, 2014, lot 1111, katana attributed to Osafune Norimitsu. Published result. bonhams.com
  12. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 27, 2014, lot 1120, Dotanuki katana with mounts. Published results catalogue. bonhams.com
  13. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 8, 2013, lot 1142, Inoue Shinkai daisho. Published result and sale press release. bonhams.com (lot), bonhams.com (press release)
  14. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 8, 2013, lot 1125, Ko-Bizen Masazane tachi. Published result and sale press release. bonhams.com (lot), bonhams.com (press release)
  15. Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 16, 2012, lot 1138, Sekishu Naotsuna Juyo katana. Published result and sale press release. bonhams.com (lot), bonhams.com (press release)
  16. Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, London New Bond Street, November 10, 2011, lot 3, presentation tachi attributed to Korekazu. Published result. bonhams.com
  17. Christie's, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 23, 2009, sale 2378, lot 32, mounted Etchu tachi attributed to Yoshihiro (Go Yoshihiro). Price realised USD 194,500. christies.com
  18. Christie's, Arts of the Samurai, New York, October 23, 2009, sale 2378, lot 28, tachi attributed to Katayama Ichimonji Nobufusa. Price realised USD 146,500. christies.com
  19. Christie's, Japanese and Korean Art, New York, March 18, 2008, lot 334, Etchu tachi attributed to Norishige. Price realised USD 181,000. christies.com
  20. Christie's, Japanese Art and Design, London, May 16, 2007, lot 430, Bizen tachi signed Sadazane. Price realised GBP 120,000. christies.com
  21. Christie's, Important Japanese and Chinese Art from the Manno Art Museum, London, June 21, 2001, lot 7, Soshu katana attributed to Sadamune. Price realised GBP 124,750. christies.com
  22. UPI, "Japanese sword sale brings record $8 million," April 1, 1992. On the Compton Part I record blade: "the highest price in the sale and a new world record for a Japanese sword"; the same report gives the $340,000, $154,000, $132,000, and $104,500 lots and the 1986 Duke of Windsor record of $132,000. upi.com

Okami Blades sells kitchen knives only; we do not sell, appraise, or broker antique blades, and nothing here is valuation advice. Figures we could not verify are named and excluded in the methodology section rather than silently dropped.

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We keep this registry because the record deserves keeping, not because we sell swords. We do not sell, appraise, or broker nihonto. What we make is kitchen knives in the same steel tradition: an AUS-10 core clad in 67 layers of Damascus, hardened to 60 to 61 HRC, ground thin and finished by hand. No paddle, no premium, no paperwork.

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