Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa of Mino, dated 1571 and designated Jūyō Tōken at the 16th NBTHK session; ubu tang, with shirasaya and a ryaku-tachi koshirae.
Blade by Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa, a Mino smith of the late Muromachi period who, according to the original seller, worked for Oda Nobunaga and later moved to Owari. Shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and chū-kissaki, nagasa 70.9 cm and sori 1.3 cm, with bōhi carved on both sides. The photographs show a notare hamon mixed with gunome; the original seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume, dense ji-nie and chikei, and an edge with nie, kinsuji and frequent sunagashi. The tang is ubu with a kurijiri tip, signed on the omote 若狭守氏房作 (Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa saku) and dated on the ura 元亀二年八月日 (Genki ninen hachigatsu hi). It was designated Jūyō Tōken at the 16th NBTHK session (1967); the photographs include the certificate and the designation sheet with its oshigata. It comes with a shirasaya and a ryaku-tachi koshirae with a black ishime-lacquered saya, an iron tsuba inlaid with gold and fuchi-kashira decorated with plant motifs.
Strong points
- Jūyō Tōken, 16th NBTHK session (1967), certificate photographed
- Signed and dated: 元亀二年八月日 (Genki ninen hachigatsu hi), 1571
- Ubu tang with kurijiri tip
- Bōhi on both sides
- With shirasaya and ryaku-tachi koshirae
Points to bear in mind
- The tang shows two mekugi-ana (one plugged), whereas the 1967 designation description records only one.
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade.
- The koshirae is described but not dated; the tsuka ito appears to have been redone, judging from the photographs.
Score
175.8 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+140
NBTHK Jūyō paper +140
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin, with 2 mekugi-ana +25
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
0
Mounting described, undated +5 · rewrapped ito −5
-
Blade
+10
70.9 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
−9.2
Price: the more affordable, the more points −9.2
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
- 70.9 cm
- Sori
- 1.3 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Jūyō
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- 8th month of Genki 2 (1571)
- Province
- Mino
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 2,75 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,05 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,8 cm
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