Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Higo no Kami Kuniyasu, a Settsu smith of the Kunisuke school, around the Kanbun era; in shirasaya with sayagaki and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Blade signed 肥後守国康 (Higo no Kami Kuniyasu), a smith of Settsu province from the Kunisuke school. According to the original seller he is the first of the name, a son of the first Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke, and his work recalls that of the second Kunisuke. A well-proportioned katana with standard mihaba and thick kasane: nagasa 70.9 cm, sori 1.67 cm, motohaba 3.05 cm. The omote bears a carved suken, the ura a bonji and futasuji-hi. The original seller describes a well-forged ko-itame jigane with ji-nie and a suguha hamon with active ashi, the bōshi slightly pointed with a rounded turn-back; the close-ups in the photographs show the suguha with ashi. The seller adds that suguha is very rare in this smith's work. The nakago, with one mekugi-ana and the signature on the omote, appears intact in the photographs. The blade is kept in a shirasaya whose sayagaki places it around the Kanbun era and records its length, and it has a single-piece gold-foiled habaki. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, issued in 2026.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2026)
- Suguha hamon with ashi, very rare in this smith's work according to the original seller
- Horimono: suken on the omote; bonji and futasuji-hi on the ura
- Signed nakago, intact according to the photographs, with one mekugi-ana
- Shirasaya with sayagaki
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae.
- The listing does not state the blade's condition or the date of polish.
- No engraved date: the attribution to around the Kanbun era comes from the sayagaki and the original seller.
Score
92.7 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
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
70.9 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+27.7
Price: the more affordable, the more points +27.7
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
- 70.9 cm
- Sori
- 1.7 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Settsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,05 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,10 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,84 cm
- Blade weight
- 755 g