NH-0063 Rank 139
Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo
Shintō katana by the leading pupil of Horikawa Kunihiro, between Keichō and Genna, 70.8 cm long, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon and a koshirae whose iron tsuba is carved with hanabishi.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Kunitomo, holder of the Echigo no Kami title, was the leading pupil of Horikawa Kunihiro and, by tradition, his nephew as well. The originating seller further holds that he taught the first Kunisada and the first Kunisuke, two of the great Ōsaka names. His forging is described as finer and more refined than is usual in the Horikawa school. The blade measures 70.76 cm nagasa with 1.52 cm sori and is placed between the Keichō and Genna eras (1596-1624), with no date cut into the signature. The tang has five mekugi-ana, four of them plugged, which the originating seller himself calls a regrettable point of preservation. It holds an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate and comes with a koshirae whose iron tsuba is carved with hanabishi; no shirasaya is included.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Leading pupil of Horikawa Kunihiro and, by tradition, his nephew
- The originating seller regards him as the direct teacher of the first Kunisada and the first Kunisuke
- Forging finer and more refined than is usual in the Horikawa school
- Koshirae with an iron tsuba carved with hanabishi
- 70.8 cm nagasa, a practical length
Points to bear in mind
- Five mekugi-ana in the tang, four of them plugged: the originating seller himself calls this a regrettable point of preservation
- The signature carries no date
- No shirasaya included
- The state of the polish is not stated
Score breakdown
36/100
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 0 of 22 Tang not declared, with 5 mekugi-ana
- Mounting 0 of 18 Modern mounting
- Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
- Blade 8 of 8 70.8 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
- Price 7 of 10 Rank 43 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest