Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Gassaku katana by the Rai Kinmichi family of the Mishina school of Kyoto, circa the Jōkyō era, with Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, lacquered mounting and shirasaya.
A joint work (gassaku) by father and son of the Rai Kinmichi house, Mishina school of Yamashiro. The omote bears an engraved chrysanthemum (kikumon) and the signature 和泉守来金道 (Izumi no Kami Rai Kinmichi); the ura reads 法橋来栄泉 (probable reading: Hokkyō Rai Eisen). According to the original seller, the first signature is by the third generation and the second by the second generation, and the blade dates from early Edo, around the Jōkyō era. It is shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and chū-kissaki, wide, thick and with moderate curvature (nagasa 70.3 cm, sori 1.5 cm). The seller describes a tight ko-itame with ji-nie and a hamon that starts straight and continues in notare-flavoured gunome midare with ko-nie, matching on both sides; the photographs show a regular undulating hamon. The tang is ubu, with sujikai file marks, kurijiri tip and one mekugi-ana. It comes with an uchigatana mounting with a gold-brown lacquered saya, an iron tsuba with fans in gold and silver nunome-zōgan, chrysanthemum fuchi-kashira and plum-blossom menuki, as well as its shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper issued in 2022.
Strong points
- Gassaku signed by two generations of the Rai Kinmichi house
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana and engraved kikumon
- Wide, thick blade declared sound in steel, temper and tang by the original seller
- Complete uchigatana mounting with lacquered saya, plus shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The blade is not dated: the Jōkyō attribution and the division of generations come from the original seller
- The seller describes the mounting but neither dates it nor declares papers for it
- The photographs show a tight, clean tsuka wrap, probably redone
Score
151.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
0
Mounting described, undated +5 · rewrapped ito −5
-
Blade
+10
70.3 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+16.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +16.4
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
- 70.3 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Rai Kinmichi
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Circa Jōkyō era (1684–1688)
- Province
- Yamashiro
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,3 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,1 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,8 cm
- Length when mounted
- 102,0 cm
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