NH-0053 Rank 106
Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Kunikiyo
(菊紋) 山城守藤原国清
Echizen blade with the kikumon chiselled ahead of the signature, attributed by workmanship and by the cut of the mei to the first generation Kunikiyo, a pupil of Horikawa Kunihiro.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Kunikiyo worked in Echizen, present-day Fukui prefecture, around the Kan'ei era (1624-1644). Four generations used the name, and this blade is taken to be the work of the first, the finest of the line, an attribution the original seller rests on the workmanship and on the cut of the signature, as supported by the certificate. Kunikiyo came from Matsushiro in Shinano, the son of Sukemune, third master of the Shimada school of Suruga; he went up to Kyoto and studied under Horikawa Kunihiro. After his master's death he entered the service of Matsudaira Tadamasa, lord of Takada, and followed him to Fukui. In 1627 he received the title of Yamashiro Daijō and in 1628 that of Yamashiro no Kami, with which the blade is signed. Beneath the title is the kikumon, the chrysanthemum that records the privilege granted by the court to this line. The blade measures 69.6 cm nagasa with 1.0 cm sori. Koshirae, shirasaya and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers are included.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Kikumon, the imperial chrysanthemum, chiselled ahead of the signature beside the Yamashiro no Kami title
- Attributed to the first generation Kunikiyo, a direct pupil of Horikawa Kunihiro
- Tang in excellent condition, the signature complete and legible at full resolution
- Supplied with koshirae and shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- Two mekugi-ana, one of them plugged with a metal stopper: the mounting point was changed at some stage (machi-okuri, shortening or simply a new mounting), and the photographs do not settle which
- The hole in use cuts into the upper petals of the chrysanthemum, so it was drilled or widened after the engraving
- The kikumon records the privilege of the line, not the generation: the later ones used it too
- Fine polishing marks on the shinogi-ji; the mounting is documented only in the photographs
Score breakdown
53.3/100
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).
- Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
- Tang 12 of 22 Full-length tang, with the machi moved up (machi-okuri)
- Mounting 0 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: new habaki
- Declared condition 13 of 20 Minor flaws declared
- Blade 8 of 8 69.6 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 6.3 of 10 Rank 52 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest