NH-0001 Rank 3
Aizu-jū Munekiyo
会津住宗清造之 / 文化十二年乙亥八月日
Shinshintō blade signed and dated to the eighth month of Bunka 12 (1815), with an untouched tang, Tokubetsu Hozon papers from 2025 and a period koshirae with a signed tsuba and maki-e crests.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Munekiyo worked in Aizu as a retained smith (okakae-kaji) of the domain and trained under Koyama Munetsugu, one of the major names of the late Edo period; like his master, his blades had a reputation for cutting well. The tang is untouched and bears the signature 会津住宗清造之 together with the date of the eighth month of Bunka 12 (1815). The blade measures 67.8 cm nagasa with 1.2 cm sori, 3.11 cm motohaba and 2.25 cm sakihaba, with a kasane of 0.64 cm at the motomachi and a shinogi-gasane of 0.67 cm. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers issued on 28 May 2025. The mounting is an uchigatana koshirae with a chirashi-nuri lacquer saya decorated in gold maki-e with two crests within circles, the tachibana and the character “i”; the fuchi-kashira is iron with camellias in silver and gold, and the tsuba is signed “Nara Toshimitsu, at the age of 75”, of the Nara school. The photographs show the mounting taken apart piece by piece: tsuba, fuchi-kashira, four seppa and habaki. A shirasaya is also included.
Strong points
- Signed and dated to the eighth month of Bunka 12 (1815) by a retained smith of the Aizu domain
- Ubu nakago, never shortened
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon issued on 28 May 2025
- Period koshirae: saya in gold maki-e with two family crests and an iron fuchi-kashira with camellias in silver and gold
- Tsuba signed “Nara Toshimitsu, at the age of 75”, of the Nara school
- Supplied with shirasaya, and the mounting is photographed fully disassembled
Points to bear in mind
- The number of mekugi-ana is not stated
- The original seller gives no account of the blade's state of preservation
- Neither the koshirae nor its tōsōgu carry NBTHK papers of their own
- Nagasa of 67.8 cm, at the short end for a katana
Score breakdown
78.3/100
The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. The mounting starts from what is known of its period, adds what vouches for it (its own NBTHK paper, a signed fitting, a crest) and subtracts what has been restored (saya, ito, same, habaki or sageo).
- Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
- Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
- Mounting 9 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · with a signed fitting · with a family crest (mon)
- Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
- Blade 6 of 8 67.8 cm: close to the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 8.3 of 10 Rank 25 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest