Kantei

NH-0051 Rank 110

Chikuzen-jū Minamoto Nobukuni Yoshikane

An early Edo work by a smith to the Kuroda house, with an ichimai bōshi, funbari preserved at the tang and a condition the original seller calls exceptional.

Shintō (1596-1780)Early Edo periodChikuzen (Fukuoka)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Yoshikane worked in Chikuzen as a smith to the Kuroda house and was the father of Shigekane, who forged the sword of the shōgun Yoshimune. This katana, early Edo and without a carved date, measures 69.1 cm nagasa with 1.3 cm sori. The original seller singles out its state of preservation: it keeps an ichimai bōshi and the funbari at the tang, a degree of health he considers remarkable for some 350 years. He also notes the rarity of the work, a broad suguha over koshiba that he reads as a copy of Yosozaemon Sukesada, and states a single mekugi-ana. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers accompany the blade, which comes with koshirae and shirasaya.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon, with koshirae and shirasaya
  • Smith to the Kuroda house and father of Shigekane, who forged the sword of the shōgun Yoshimune
  • A single mekugi-ana, according to the original seller
  • Exceptional condition for its age: ichimai bōshi and funbari preserved at the tang
  • Uncommon work: broad suguha over koshiba, read by the original seller as a copy of Yosozaemon Sukesada

Points to bear in mind

  • The signature carries no date
  • The original seller does not describe the mounting

Score breakdown

52.4/100

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 16 of 22 Tang not declared, with a single mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 69.1 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 5.4 of 10 Rank 65 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest