Kantei

NH-0018 Rank 41

Muramatsu no Omi Shigetsugu

邑松臣重次謹作之

Shinshintō katana of 81.6 cm, signed and dated to the eighth month of Ansei 4 (1857), with an ubu tang bearing a single mekugi-ana and a complete 110 cm mounting.

Shinshintō (1781-1876)8th month of Ansei 4 (1857), auspicious dayEchigoNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A long blade forged in Ansei 4 (1857), in the closing years of the Edo period, by Shigetsugu, a smith of Echigo province. The signature reads “Muramatsu no Omi Shigetsugu respectfully made this” and the reverse is dated “Ansei 4, eighth month, an auspicious day”; both faces can be read in the photographs. It measures 81.6 cm nagasa, of shinogi-zukuri construction, and retains its original unshortened tang with a single mekugi-ana, stated by the originating seller and visible in the images. An NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate accompanies it. The mounting is a complete koshirae of 110 cm which the originating seller believes to be of roughly the same date as the blade: a reddish lacquered saya with kurikata and black sageo, a tsuka wrapped in black ito with gilt menuki, and an iron tsuba. The ensemble is photographed on a stand beside the NBTHK paper and its oshigata.

Strong points

  • Signed and dated on the tang: eighth month of Ansei 4 (1857)
  • Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana, stated and visible in the photographs
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
  • Complete 110 cm koshirae that the originating seller dates to the blade's own period
  • 81.6 cm nagasa: an exceptionally long blade
  • Forged in the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate

Points to bear in mind

  • The originating seller publishes no sori, motohaba, kasane, weight, hamon or hada
  • The koshirae is unsigned and unpapered: its dating rests on the originating seller's judgement
  • Nothing is stated about the condition of the blade or its polish
  • 81.6 cm is an unusual length and heavy to handle

Score breakdown

64.6/100

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 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting 4 of 18 Period mounting
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 6 of 8 81.6 cm: close to the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 3.6 of 10 Rank 90 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest