Kantei

NH-0055 Rank 118

Inshū-jū Kagenaga

因州住景長

Kotō blade of the mid-Muromachi period by a Kagenaga of Inaba, with a sayagaki by Hon'ami Chōshiki on the shirasaya. With koshirae and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

Kotō (up to 1596)Mid-Muromachi period (1444–91)Inaba (Tottori)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Kotō katana by Inshū-jū Kagenaga, a line of smiths from Inaba. According to the original seller, the first Kagenaga worked in the Einin era, within the Kamakura period: known by the common name Tōzaemon, he trained under Awataguchi Yoshimitsu and signed at first as Awataguchi Yoshimasa, until he took the name Kagenaga on settling in Inshū, the province of Inaba. This blade is the work of a Kagenaga of the mid-Muromachi period (1444-1491), with a suguha in the Awataguchi manner and a bōshi tending to a point. Fukunaga Suiken's Nihontō Daihyakka Jiten records the “four traits of Kagenaga”: a bōshi like that of the Rai school, a hada in the Awataguchi manner, nie like that of the Enju school of Higo, and an outline recalling Morimitsu and Yasumitsu of Ōei-Bizen. It measures 71.5 cm nagasa with 1.7 cm sori. The saya bears a sayagaki by Hon'ami Chōshiki, who was in charge of the swords of the Imperial Household. It is supplied with shirasaya and koshirae, and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

Strong points

  • Sayagaki by Hon'ami Chōshiki, custodian of the swords of the Imperial Household
  • Kotō blade of the mid-Muromachi period (1444-1491)
  • Suguha in the Awataguchi manner and a bōshi tending to a point
  • Fukunaga Suiken's Nihontō Daihyakka Jiten records the “four traits of Kagenaga”: a Rai-style bōshi, an Awataguchi-style hada, nie like Enju of Higo, and an outline close to Ōei-Bizen
  • Supplied with koshirae and shirasaya
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Points to bear in mind

  • The signature carries no date
  • Neither the condition of the tang nor the number of mekugi-ana is stated
  • The mounting is neither described nor dated
  • The original seller does not describe the blade's state of preservation

Score breakdown

49/100

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 8 of 22 Tang not declared
  3. Mounting 1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.5 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 7 of 10 Rank 42 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest