Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shintō katana signed by Higo no Kami Kuniyasu, with a gunome and fist-shaped chōji hamon, an intact tang, in shirasaya and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana signed 肥後守国康 (Higo no Kami Kuniyasu). According to the original seller, Kuniyasu was the son of the first Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke and the younger brother of the second, and worked in a style close to his brother's, including kobushigata-chōji, the fist-shaped chōji; the seller presents this blade as a typical example of his work and places it in the early Edo period, in the 17th century. The blade has a nagasa of 69.7 cm and a sori of 1.52 cm; it is wide and thick, with a shallow curvature (motohaba 3.08 cm, sakihaba 2.00 cm, kasane 0.67 cm, 510 g). The seller describes a ko-itame jigane with fine ji-nie and chikei, and a hamon of gunome and fist-shaped chōji midare with ko-nie; the photographs show that undulating pattern along the whole blade. In the photographs the tang appears intact, with a single mekugi-ana and the signature on the omote. It comes in shirasaya with a gold-foiled double habaki, and is accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers issued on the 15th day of the third month of Heisei 30 (2018), which are photographed.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, photographed
- Signed 肥後守国康 (Higo no Kami Kuniyasu) on an intact tang
- Gunome and fist-shaped chōji hamon, the style of the Kunisuke house
- Wide, thick 69.7 cm blade
- Gold-foiled double habaki
Points to bear in mind
- The listing says nothing about the condition of the blade or its polish.
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae.
Score
95 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
69.7 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+30
Price: the more affordable, the more points +30
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
- 69.7 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 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
- Higo
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,08 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,00 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,67 cm
- Blade weight
- 510 g