Honjo Masamune
lost art OPEN fame 3/5
A revered Japanese sword forged by the master smith Masamune, a shogunal heirloom of the Tokugawa family and a designated national treasure. Surrendered to US occupation authorities in December 1945 and never traced afterward — presumed held anonymously by a private collector.
Scorecard
- +0.68 · The Honjo Masamune was among the finest works attributed to the 13th-14th…
- +0.35 · In December 1945 Tokugawa Iemasa reportedly handed the sword, with others, to a…
- +3.00 · technique_term
- -0.53 · In December 1945 Tokugawa Iemasa reportedly handed the sword, with others, to a…
- +3.00 · technique_term
- -0.53 · In December 1945 Tokugawa Iemasa reportedly handed the sword, with others, to a…
- +0.07 · As a uniquely identifiable signed blade, the sword would be recognizable if it…
Location hypotheses
No location hypothesis has been recorded for this treasure, so there is nothing to plot — and this tool never fabricates a map or a dig site. Per the scoring gates, an absence of location data caps Findable now at band 2 (LONG-SHOT).
What would it take?
No emerging or speculative technique changes the picture yet — the frontier findability band (LONG-SHOT) equals the current band. A breakthrough here would need a genuinely new capability, not just a maturing one.
Evidence ledger (3 verified facts)
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The Honjo Masamune was among the finest works attributed to the 13th-14th century swordsmith Masamune and passed down as a Tokugawa family treasure, designated a Japanese national treasure before the war.known by 1940-01-01 · diagnosticity high · confidence 0.90↳ Wikipedia: Honjo Masamune journalistic
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In December 1945 Tokugawa Iemasa reportedly handed the sword, with others, to a police station in Mejiro for surrender to occupation authorities; it was logged to a "Sergeant Coldy Bimore" (a name never since identified) and disappeared.known by 1946-01-01 · diagnosticity high · confidence 0.70 · loss: dispersed↳ Wikipedia: Honjo Masamune journalistic
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As a uniquely identifiable signed blade, the sword would be recognizable if it resurfaced; its likely survival in a private collection makes this a provenance-tracing problem rather than a field search.known by 2010-01-01 · diagnosticity medium · confidence 0.60↳ Wikipedia: Honjo Masamune journalistic
Technique matrix
| Technique | Family | Maturity | Applicability | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wartime-looting inventory research | archival | available | 3/3 | The 1945-46 surrendered-swords paperwork is the only real trail to follow. |
| Auction, exhibition & provenance research | archival | available | 2/3 | A resurfacing blade would move through the collector/auction market. |
| Metallurgical & isotopic assay | ground truthing | available | 1/3 | Confirmation only — authenticating a candidate blade against Masamune's work. |