Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by the first Gassan Sadakazu, signed and dated 11th month of Keiō 1 (1865), a work of his thirtieth year inspired by the Aoe school; in shirasaya, with a declared Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Katana by Gassan Unryūshi Sadakazu, the first Sadakazu of the Gassan school, working in Naniwa (Ōsaka), Settsu province, in the shinshintō period. According to the original seller, he forged it at the age of thirty with the Aoe blades of Bitchū from the Nanbokuchō period in mind. It is a shinogi-zukuri blade with shin-no-mune, a wide mihaba, thick kasane and a slightly extended chū-kissaki, measuring 69.99 cm in nagasa with 1.39 cm of sori, and carved with bōhi kaku-dome on both sides, visible in the photographs. The original seller describes a dense ko-itame jigane mixed with ko-mokume, with jinie and abundant chikei; a suguha hamon with ko-gunome, bright nie, kinsuji, yubashiri, ashi and yō; and an Aoe-style bōshi with a ko-maru kaeri. The tang, ubu according to the photographs, has one mekugi-ana and is signed 浪華住月山雲竜子貞一造 (Naniwa-jū Gassan Unryūshi Sadakazu tsukuru) with the smith's seal; on the ura it bears the date 慶應元年十一月日 (Keiō gannen jūichigatsu hi). Gold-foiled double habaki. The blade comes in shirasaya, without koshirae, and the original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Strong points
- Signed and dated work by the first Gassan Sadakazu, made in his thirtieth year
- An interpretation of the Aoe school of Bitchū, according to the original seller
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana and a crisp signature and seal
- Bōhi kaku-dome on both sides and a gold-foiled double habaki
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade is offered only in shirasaya, which the listing declares but no photograph shows
- The Tokubetsu Hozon paper does not appear in the photographs
- The listing makes no explicit statement about condition or polish
Score
87.4 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
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
70 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+12.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +12.4
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 cm
- Sori
- 1.4 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Gassan Sadakazu
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 11th month of Keiō 1 (1865)
- Province
- Settsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,58 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,39 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,73 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,76 cm