Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Rai Kinmichi line of Kyoto, with the imperial kikumon before the signature and an inscription declaring the blade forged in the master's ninety-second year. 75.2 cm.
Izumi no Kami Rai Kinmichi heads one of the historic lines of Kyoto, within the Mishina school, and held the privilege of cutting the imperial kikumon before the signature. The name passed through five generations; the NBTHK attributes this blade to the second or the third, on style and signature, without choosing between them, and places it between the Keian and Enpō eras (1648-1681), in early Edo. It measures 75.2 cm of nagasa with 1.0 cm of sori, a long blade of shallow curvature. The reverse of the tang bears the inscription 大法師法橋九十二造之 (probable reading: Daihōshi Hokkyō kyūjūni kore o tsukuru), stating that the blade was forged when the master was ninety-two; Daihōshi Hokkyō was an honorary religious title within the line, and the works that carry it are known as Ōkurikara Rai Kinmichi. The blade holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers and comes with shirasaya, koshirae, a travel bag and a maintenance kit.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers
- Imperial kikumon cut before the signature
- Inscription declaring the blade forged in the master's ninety-second year
- 75.2 cm of nagasa
- Rai Kinmichi line of Kyoto, Mishina school
- Supplied with shirasaya, koshirae, travel bag and maintenance kit
Points to bear in mind
- Three mekugi-ana: the tang has been remounted or shortened at some point
- The NBTHK does not decide between the second and the third generation
- The photographs show a small cluster of marks in the ji of the kissaki: worth asking whether these are ware or traces of polishing
Score
66.3 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
−30
Shortened tang (suriage) −20 · 1 extra mekugi-ana −10
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller declares flaws 0 · black rust (kuro-sabi) −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
-
Blade
+15
75.2 cm: long blade, 74 cm or more +15
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+26.3
Price: the more affordable, the more points +26.3
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).
Measurements
- Nagasa
- 75.2 cm
- Sori
- 1 cm
- Tang
- Shortened tang (suriage)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Rai Kinmichi
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Keian to Enpō eras (c. 1648–81)
- Province
- prov. de Yamashiro
- Mekugi-ana
- 3
- Condition
- Localised flaw declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
A new mounting or a polish for your blade? Custom koshirae · Polishing