Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Koyama Munetsugu, signed and dated in the 8th month of Keiō 4 (1868), in shirasaya with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate.
Koyama Munetsugu was one of the most highly regarded smiths of the shinshintō period; according to the original seller, he worked for the Matsudaira clan of Shirakawa and settled in Edo in 1831. This katana has a nagasa of 68.9 cm and a sori of 1.0 cm. According to the original seller, it is a wide, thick hirazukuri blade with bōhi, with a fine ko-itame jigane and a nioi-deki gunome midare hamon with a pointed bōshi; the photographs show the bōhi and the gunome along the whole blade. The tang, which the photographs show intact with one mekugi-ana, is signed 備前介藤原宗次 (Bizen no Suke Fujiwara Munetsugu) and dated on the ura 慶応四年八月日 (Keiō yonen hachigatsu hi). The original seller describes it as a very healthy blade retaining about 3 cm of ububa. It is presented in shirasaya with a plain one-piece copper habaki. The NBTHK awarded it a 特別保存刀剣 (tokubetsu hozon tōken) certificate, dated Reiwa 5.
Strong points
- Work of Koyama Munetsugu, one of the great shinshintō smiths
- Signed and dated: 8th month of Keiō 4 (1868)
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate
- Blade declared very healthy, with about 3 cm of ububa
- Intact tang with a single mekugi-ana
Points to bear in mind
- Presented in shirasaya only, without mounting (koshirae)
- The listing does not state when the blade was last polished
Score
141.7 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+5
68.9 cm: close to the usable range +5
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+21.7
Price: the more affordable, the more points +21.7
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
- 68.9 cm
- Sori
- 1 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Koyama Munetsugu
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Keiō 4 (1868)
- Province
- Bizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,3 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,9 cm
- Blade weight
- 805 g