Kantei

NH-0003 Rank 5

Takagi Minamoto Masayuki

常陽笠間士高木源正行

Shinshintō katana signed and dated to the second month of Meiji 3 (1870), with an unaltered tang, a hitatsura hamon and a late-Edo mounting with matching shibuichi fittings.

Shinshintō (1781-1876)2nd month of Meiji 3 (1870)Hitachi (han de Kasama)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Takagi Kōkichi (b. 1805) married into the household of the stirrup smith Takagi Yasuharu at Kataniwa, in Ibaraki, and rose to swordsmith of the Kasama domain under Makino Sadaaki. He trained with Tegarayama Masashige and signed Minamoto Masayuki, the same name Kiyomaro used before changing his own. The blade measures 68.2 cm nagasa with 0.9 cm sori: a broad, solid shape with an extended kissaki, carved bō-hi and soe-bi, a tight ko-itame hada and a gunome-midare hamon whose tobiyaki spreads into full hitatsura in the manner of Sōshū Hiromitsu. The photographs show an ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana, a long signature on the front and the date — second month of Meiji 3 (1870) — cut into the tang itself. It comes with a late-Edo isshin koshirae: black ito over pale same, gold menuki bearing a family crest, an engraved-rim tsuba and a kashira in relief with gold inlay, on a black saya with blue-and-gold sageo. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate issued on 20 August 2018.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon issued on 20 August 2018, fully legible in the photographs
  • Signed and dated on the tang: second month of Meiji 3 (1870)
  • Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana, confirmed in the photographs
  • Hitatsura hamon with tobiyaki across the ji up to the shinogi, over clean bō-hi and soe-bi
  • Late-Edo isshin koshirae with matching shibuichi fittings and gold crested menuki
  • The smith served the Kasama domain and came from the Tegarayama Masashige line

Points to bear in mind

  • No shirasaya included
  • The originating seller says nothing about condition or polish
  • Nagasa of 68.2 cm: at the short end for a katana

Score breakdown

76/100

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).

  1. Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
  3. Mounting 12 of 18 Period mounting · with a signed fitting · with a family crest (mon)
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 6 of 8 68.2 cm: close to the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 9 of 10 Rank 15 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest