NH-0007 Rank 19
Jōunsai Hayama Enshin
浄雲斎羽山円真造之
Gendaitō of April 1915 signed by Hayama Enshin, with a kijimomo-gata tang and a single mekugi-ana, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon, shirasaya and koshirae.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Jōunsai Hayama Enshin was born in Edo in 1845 under the civil name Suzuki Masahiro and learned the craft from Suzuki Masao, a pupil of Kiyomaro. He was among the best-regarded smiths of the Meiji and Taishō eras, with one distinctive trait: instead of tamahagane he worked Swiss carbon steel, a material he was held to master better than anyone. He was known for his utsushi of celebrated blades, among them works by Awataguchi Kuniyoshi. This katana is signed and dated April of Taishō 4 (1915), in Musashi, present-day Tokyo. It measures 71.1 cm nagasa with 1.4 cm sori. The tang is kijimomo-gata — “pheasant thigh” — its abrupt step clearly visible in the photographs, in original unshortened form and with a single mekugi-ana. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, shirasaya and koshirae, and the photographs show the whole ensemble in very good order.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon on a blade made in 1915, an uncommon combination
- Signed and dated April of Taishō 4 (1915)
- Kijimomo-gata tang, an archaic and rarely seen shape, with one mekugi-ana
- Enshin descends from the Kiyomaro line through his teacher Suzuki Masao
- 71.1 cm nagasa, a practical length, with a shirasaya for storage besides the koshirae
Points to bear in mind
- This is a Taishō-era gendaitō, not an antique Edo-period or earlier blade
- Blade forged with Western carbon steel rather than tamahagane, according to the original seller
- The originating seller gives no detail on the state of the polish
- The mounting is described but not dated
Score breakdown
70.1/100
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 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
- Mounting -1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: rewrapped ito and new sageo
- Declared condition 13 of 20 Minor flaws declared
- Blade 8 of 8 71.1 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 8.1 of 10 Rank 27 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest