Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed and dated to the second month of Kanbun 13 (1673) by a smith working for the Maeda of Kaga, with an untouched tang, a single mekugi-ana and a complete mounting.
Iehira worked in Kanazawa as a smith for the Maeda house, lords of Kaga. The blade measures 69.5 cm nagasa with 0.9 cm sori, the very straight outline typical of Kanbun-era shintō, and weighs 630 g. The hada is mokume and the hamon a bright gunome-midare in ko-nie. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, and carries both the signature and the date: an auspicious day of the second month of Kanbun 13 (1673). NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers accompany the blade. The mounting is complete: saya in reddish-brown lacquer, tsuka wrapped in black silk over isogusa lacquer, menuki and a tsuba with gold inlay. The original seller places tsuba and menuki between the middle and the end of the Edo period, unsigned and without tōsōgu papers, and declares one small rust spot on the sashi-omote. No shirasaya is included.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: an auspicious day of the second month of Kanbun 13 (1673)
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Smith working for the Maeda house in Kanazawa
- Complete mounting: reddish-brown lacquered saya and a gold-inlaid tsuba
- Mokume hada and gunome-midare in ko-nie; 630 g blade
Points to bear in mind
- Sori of 0.9 cm: a very straight outline
- One small rust spot on the sashi-omote, declared by the original seller
- The fittings are unsigned and carry no tōsōgu papers: their dating rests on the original seller's opinion
- No shirasaya included
Score
77.3 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
−50
The original seller declares flaws 0 · light red rust −50
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−10
Modern or replacement mounting +15 · relacquered saya −10 · rewrapped ito −5 · new habaki −10
-
Blade
+10
69.5 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
0
No shirasaya: one will have to be made 0
-
Price
+27.3
Price: the more affordable, the more points +27.3
The score adds and subtracts points for each feature of the piece and has no ceiling: the highest in the catalogue today is 255. 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).
Measurements
- Nagasa
- 69.5 cm
- Sori
- 0.9 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Modern mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- No
- Smith
- Kaga Iehira
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- 2nd month of Kanbun 13 (1673), auspicious day
- Province
- Kaga (Ishikawa)
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 31,0 mm
- Motokasane
- 6,8 mm
- Sakihaba
- 20,8 mm
- Sakikasane
- 4,3 mm
- Blade weight
- 630 g
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