Kantei

NH-0050 Rank 67

Kanefusa

兼房作

Late fifteenth-century kotō katana of the Sue-Seki group, 76.2 cm long, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon for the blade and an NBTHK Hozon tōsōgu paper for its han-tachi koshirae.

Kotō (up to 1596)Bunmei era (late 15th century)MinoNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Kanefusa is a name that recurs in Sue-Seki from the middle of the Muromachi period into shintō times. According to the indexes, the smith who signs “Kanefusa saku” was a grandson of the first Kaneyoshi and the eldest son of the Kanefusa (Seizaemon) of the Eikyō era; his given name was Shirō and he worked in the late fifteenth century, around the Bunmei era, with works dated Bunmei 10 and 16. The blade is shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, a broad mihaba, saki-zori and an extended chū-kissaki: 76.2 cm nagasa, 1.6 cm sori, 3.22 cm motohaba and 923 g in weight. The hada is a varied itame with ji-nie and shirake-utsuri; the hamon a gunome with togari and chōji, plentiful ko-ashi and yō, nie and tobiyaki; the bōshi differs on each face. The tang is suriage, with a lightly cut kuri-jiri end, katte-sagari yasurime except on the shinogi-ji of the reverse, which is suji-kai, and three holes. What sets the ensemble apart is its double certification: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon for the blade (27 August 2021) and NBTHK Hozon tōsōgu for the 108 cm han-tachi koshirae (2 April 2021), with a saya in black ishime-ji lacquer, mantis-on-autumn-grasses menuki and a tsuka covered in aya cloth with flat nandō-coloured tsukamaki. A shirasaya with cover and a one-piece silver habaki are included.

Strong points

  • Two NBTHK papers: Tokubetsu Hozon for the blade and Hozon tōsōgu for the koshirae, both issued in 2021
  • Han-tachi koshirae of 108 cm with a saya in black ishime-ji lacquer
  • Praying-mantis menuki on autumn grasses and a tsuka in aya cloth with flat nandō tsukamaki
  • 76.2 cm nagasa and a 923 g blade: long and substantial
  • Kotō blade of the late fifteenth century, from the Mino tradition
  • Shirasaya with cover and a one-piece silver habaki included

Points to bear in mind

  • Suriage tang with three mekugi-ana: the blade has been shortened
  • The signature carries no date
  • The koshirae fittings are mumei, unsigned
  • The originating seller reports areas of slightly open hada on the shinogi-ji and around the monouchi of the front face; the polish and the koshirae are described as sound

Score breakdown

60.2/100

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 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 3 of 22 Shortened tang, with 3 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting 13 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · with its own NBTHK paper
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 8 of 8 76.2 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 5.2 of 10 Rank 67 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest