Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Kanbun-era blade with an untouched tang, an even chū-suguha and a complete koshirae described piece by piece: red lacquer saya, silver and gold floral menuki and a pierced iron tsuba.
Yasushige worked in Kii province, present-day Wakayama, during the Kanbun era (1661-1673), and trained under Yasuhiro; in his early years he wrote his name with different characters (安重, Yasushige). The blade measures 70.7 cm nagasa with 2.0 cm of torii-sori, mihaba 36.6 mm, kasane 6.65 mm and saki-kasane 4.7 mm, with a 35.2 mm chū-kissaki, iori-mune and no horimono. The hamon is a chū-suguha, straight and even from end to end. The tang is ubu, with a kengyō nakago-jiri and suji-kai yasurime, and the signature 紀伊国康重 (Kii no Kuni Yasushige) carries no date. The habaki is in two pieces covered with gold foil. The koshirae is described piece by piece: saya in bright red lacquer, brown silk tsuka-ito over white same, floral menuki in silver and gold, black fuchi-kashira carved with flowers and plants, and an iron tsuba with a symmetrical geometric piercing that the original seller suggests may be a Christian cruciform design. In its scabbard it measures 103 cm. A shirasaya with tsunagi and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers are included.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon, with koshirae and shirasaya with tsunagi
- Ubu nakago as stated, with kengyō nakago-jiri and suji-kai yasurime
- Complete koshirae described piece by piece, with a bright red lacquer saya and silver and gold floral menuki
- Iron tsuba with a symmetrical geometric piercing that the seller links to a possible cruciform design
- 2.0 cm of torii-sori over 70.7 cm nagasa
- Two-piece habaki covered with gold foil
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller declares a kiri-komi, a parrying notch, on the left side of the mune
- The number of mekugi-ana is not given
- The mounting is not dated and no fitting is stated to be signed
- The signature carries no date; the Kanbun dating is an estimate
Score
124.2 pointscurrent max. 255
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Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
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Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
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Declared condition
−10
The original seller declares flaws 0 · minor flaws −10
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
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Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
-
Blade
+10
70.7 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+24.2
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.2
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
- 70.7 cm
- Sori
- 2 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Kii Yasushige
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Kii (Wakayama)
- Condition
- Localised flaw declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
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