Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Ubu katana signed by Izumi no Kami Kanesada in the 'nosada' form, a Tegai Kanenaga utsushi according to the original seller, in shirasaya with sayagaki and Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Katana by Izumi no Kami Kanesada, the Seki smith of Mino province who, together with Magoroku Kanemoto, represents Mino swordmaking in the Sengoku age. The tang, ubu according to the sayagaki, shows a single mekugi-ana in the photographs and the signature 兼定 (Kanesada) in the so-called 'nosada' form, with 之 (no) written inside the top radical of 定 (sada). According to the original seller, it is a work from the first years of that signature and an utsushi of Tegai Kanenaga: the keen Seki silhouette, a masame-tending jigane in the Yamato tradition and a suguha-based hamon with kuichigai-ba and inazuma, rich in nie. Nagasa 71.5 cm, sori 1.66 cm. It is kept in shirasaya with a sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro dated 2024, which presents it as one of the smith's rare Kanenaga copies. The NBTHK issued Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers on 4 December 2024, under the signature Kanesada. The piece has no mounting.
Strong points
- 'Nosada' signature of Izumi no Kami Kanesada on an ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2024)
- Tegai Kanenaga utsushi, according to the original seller
- Shirasaya with sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro (2024)
- Long nagasa of 71.5 cm
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade is offered in shirasaya only.
- The original seller does not state the condition of the blade.
- Hamon and jigane details come from the original seller; the photographs are not enough to confirm them.
Score
56.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
71.5 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
−13.6
Price: the more affordable, the more points −13.6
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
- 71.5 cm
- Sori
- 1.7 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Late Muromachi period
- Province
- Mino
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 2,9 cm
- Sakihaba
- 1,9 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,6 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,4 cm