Kantei

NH-0103 Rank 79

Chikuzen no Kami Nobuhide

Katana signed by Kurihara Chikuzen no Kami Nobuhide, a pupil of Kiyomaro, dated the 8th month of Keiō 2 (1866), with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, a sayagaki by Tanobe and a koshirae.

Shintō (1596-1780)8th month of Keiō 2 (1866)EchigoNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana by Kurihara Nobuhide, a late Edo-period smith born in Echigo province and a pupil of Minamoto Kiyomaro who, according to the original seller, was granted the title Chikuzen no Kami in 1865. The blade has a nagasa of 71.21 cm and a sori of 1.67 cm: wide and thick, with a large kissaki, in the shinshintō manner. The jigane is itame with ji-nie and chikei; the wide hamon is a gunome-midare with ashi, abundant nie, sunagashi and kinsuji, and the bōshi ends in ōmaru on the omote and komaru on the ura, as described in the sayagaki by Tanobe on the shirasaya. In the photographs the tang appears untouched, with a single mekugi-ana, the five-character signature 筑前守信秀 and the date 慶応二年八月日. The original seller ranks it as jōjō-saku within the smith's output. It comes with a koshirae comprising an openwork iron tsuba, dark fuchi-kashira with gold motifs, gold-coloured menuki, a tsuka with same and black wrap, and a lacquered saya in reddish and black tones; some metal fittings bear a mon. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate is legible in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Work by Kurihara Nobuhide, pupil of Minamoto Kiyomaro, with a five-character signature and a date of the 8th month of Keiō 2 (1866)
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate, legible in the photographs
  • Sayagaki by Tanobe on the shirasaya describing the blade, hamon and bōshi
  • Untouched tang with a single mekugi-ana in the photographs
  • Wide gunome-midare hamon with sunagashi and kinsuji; ōmaru bōshi on the omote, komaru on the ura
  • Complete koshirae with an openwork iron tsuba and metal fittings bearing a mon

Points to bear in mind

  • The original seller neither describes nor dates the koshirae: it is documented only by the photographs
  • The original listing says nothing about the blade's condition
  • The saya lacquer and the tsuka wrap show signs of age and use in the photographs

Score breakdown

57.9/100

The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. 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).

  1. Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
  3. Mounting 0 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs · with a family crest (mon)
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.2 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 0.9 of 10 Rank 127 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest