Kantei
‹ Catalogue

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

The piece

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.

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

157.2 pointscurrent max. 255

  1. Certificate +50

    NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50

  2. Tang +25

    Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25

  3. Declared condition +30

    Healthy according to the original seller +30

  4. Signature and date +15

    Signed, with no engraved date +15

  5. Mounting 0

    Mounting the original seller says nothing about 0

  6. Blade +10

    69.1 cm: within the usable range +10

  7. Shirasaya +5

    With a storage shirasaya +5

  8. Price +22.2

    Price: the more affordable, the more points +22.2

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).

Nagasa
69.1 cm
Sori
1.3 cm
Tang
Intact (ubu)
Certificate
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
Mounting
Period mounting
Storage shirasaya
Yes
Period
Shintō (1596-1780)
Dating
Early Edo period
Province
Chikuzen (Fukuoka)
Mekugi-ana
1
Condition
Sound condition according to the seller at origin
Signed
Yes
With an engraved date
No

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