{"product_id":"1800s-iyeshige-katana","title":"1800's Iyeshige Katana with Tameshigiri Inscriptions","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"font-family: Georgia, serif; max-width: 700px; color: #FFFFFF; line-height: 1.7;\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e1800s Japanese Samurai Katana by Iyeshige — Original Mounts, Tameshigiri Inscriptions, High-Status Ownership\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Intro --\u003e\n  \u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; margin: 0 0 14px;\"\u003eThis is not a reproduction, a replica, or a decorative piece. This is a genuine 19th-century Japanese katana forged by swordsmith Iyeshige, presented with its original mounts (koshirae), and bearing inscriptions documenting that this blade cut through three bodies in a single stroke. It is a piece of Japanese cultural history of the highest order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Tameshigiri callout box --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"background-color: #fffbf0; border-left: 4px solid #c8940a; padding: 16px 20px; margin: 20px 0; border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #7a5800; margin: 0 0 8px;\"\u003eThe tameshigiri inscriptions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0;\"\u003eThe inscriptions on this blade's nakago (tang) document a tameshigiri, a formal sword-cutting test, in which the sword passed through three bodies in a single stroke. Known as a tameshi-mei or saidan-mei (cutting signature), this kind of inscription was considered one of the highest validations a Japanese sword could receive, and it added enormously to a blade's monetary and cultural value. Tameshigiri was a formalized practice in Edo-period Japan (1603–1868) in which premium swords were tested on corpses, typically those of condemned criminals obtained from execution grounds, by specially appointed expert swordsmen called Otameshiyaku. Only the finest, most precisely forged blades could achieve multi-body cuts; the ability to cut through multiple stacked torsos in a single stroke was considered definitive proof of a blade's extraordinary quality. A sword bearing authentic tameshigiri inscriptions recording a three-body cut is a historically significant artifact and indicates a blade of the hisghest quality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- High status callout box --\u003e\n  \u003cdiv style=\"background-color: #fffbf0; border-left: 4px solid #c8940a; padding: 16px 20px; margin: 20px 0; border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #7a5800; margin: 0 0 8px;\"\u003eWho carried this sword — and what that tells us\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0;\"\u003eSeveral indicators point to this sword having been commissioned by or presented to a samurai of high social standing. The tameshigiri testing of a blade was not a routine matter — it was expensive, formally arranged, and documented by appointed officials. Commissioning such a test was itself a statement of wealth, status, and seriousness. Premium swords with documented cutting records were prized possessions of clan leaders, senior retainers, and high-ranking warriors for whom a sword was both a functional weapon and a symbol of hereditary identity. The fact that this sword survives with its original koshirae intact further suggests careful, high-status preservation across generations as ordinary swords were frequently remounted, repurposed, or lost. \u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; margin: 0 0 14px;\"\u003eThe sword was produced during one of the most pivotal periods in Japanese history — the late Edo through early Meiji era, when Japan was transitioning from a feudal military culture to a modernizing nation state. In 1876 the Meiji government issued the Haitorei Edict banning the wearing of swords in public — the first time in centuries that samurai were forbidden to carry their defining symbol. Swords made in the decades immediately preceding this prohibition are among the last produced within a living warrior culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003cp style=\"font-size: 16px; margin: 0 0 24px;\"\u003eThis sword is offered as a complete set. It is presented with its original koshirae — the full decorative mounts including handle fittings, guard (tsuba), and scabbard. Also included are a shirasaya (plain unadorned wood storage mounts, the traditional Japanese method of safely housing an antique blade), a wooden blade for safe mounting to the saya when the live blade is not installed and a sword stand for display. The sword has been personally inspected by pre-eminent American Japanese arms expert Mike Yamasaki, and the the blade has been honed and sharpened. For this sword to survive two centuries with original koshirae and associated mounts is a remarkable act of custodianship across many generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Specs table --\u003e\n  \u003ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 24px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ctr style=\"background-color: #c8940a;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; width: 40%; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003e1800s — Late Edo to Early Meiji period\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eType\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eKatana (Japanese samurai sword)\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr style=\"background-color: #c8940a;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eSwordsmith\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eIyeshige\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eMounts (koshirae)\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eOriginal — period-correct, intact\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr style=\"background-color: #c8940a;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eTameshigiri inscriptions\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eYes — three-body cut documented on nakago (tang)\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eInscription type\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eTameshi-mei \/ Saidan-mei (certified cutting signature)\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr style=\"background-color: #c8940a;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eEstimated original owner\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eHigh-ranking samurai (indicated by testing commission, mount quality, and preservation)\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eApprox. 28.5\"\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr style=\"background-color: #c8940a;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eFull length\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eApprox. 38\"\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n    \u003ctr\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eComplete set includes\u003c\/td\u003e\n      \u003ctd style=\"padding: 10px 14px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\"\u003eOriginal koshirae mounts · Shirasaya (plain wood storage mounts) · Wooden blade for safe mounting to the saya\u003c\/td\u003e\n    \u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAuthenticity Guaranteed.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003caside\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe welcome all reasonable offers, we will also consider requests for dedications, autographs, and video messages from the \"Pawn Stars,\" just let us know in your message when you press \"\u003cstrong\u003eMake an Offer\u003c\/strong\u003e\"!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFree US Shipping. Yes we do ship Internationally!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor any questions regarding this listing or help with orders email us at \u003ca href=\"mailto:orders@gspawn.com\"\u003eorders@gspawn.com\u003c\/a\u003e or call 702-272-0006.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe appreciate your business and look forward to helping you bring home a piece of history!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/aside\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n","brand":"Gold \u0026 Silver Pawn Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50975043190924,"sku":"GOS275297","price":27000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0575\/3543\/0796\/files\/1800sIyeshige3BodyTestedSword_4.png?v=1782405454","url":"https:\/\/gspawn.com\/products\/1800s-iyeshige-katana","provider":"Gold \u0026 Silver Pawn Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}