Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shinshintō katana signed 奥州會津住兼定 (Ōshū Aizu-jū Kanesada) and dated 1856, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, koshirae and shirasaya.
Katana by Kanesada of Aizu, Mutsu province, attributed by the original seller to the tenth generation of this shinshintō lineage of smiths. The tang, intact according to the photographs and with a single mekugi-ana, bears on the omote the signature 奥州會津住兼定 (Ōshū Aizu-jū Kanesada) and on the ura the date 安政三辰年八月日 (Ansei san tatsu-doshi hachigatsu hi), August 1856. The blade measures 70.9 cm in nagasa with 1.8 cm of sori; it is wide and sturdy, with moderate curvature and a slightly extended kissaki. According to the original seller, the jigane is a well-forged masame-hada with chikei, unusual and close to the work of Sendai Kunikane, and the nie-deki hamon is a sanbonsugi-style gunome with kinsuji and sunagashi; the bōshi is midarekomi with a turn-back. The close-up photographs show the masame grain and the pointed gunome. It comes with a restrained koshirae: iron tsuba with characters inlaid in gold, iron fuchi-kashira and kojiri, bird-and-moon menuki with gold and an azuki-coloured ishime saya; and with a shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper no. 1021095, issued in 2023.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 安政三辰年八月日 (Ansei san tatsu-doshi hachigatsu hi), 1856
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper
- Masame-hada jigane, rare for this smith according to the original seller
- Intact tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Supplied with koshirae and shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade or the date of its last polish
- The koshirae is described but neither dated nor separately papered
Score
105 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
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
-
Blade
+10
70.9 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+10
Price: the more affordable, the more points +10
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
- 1.8 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Aizu Kanesada
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Ansei 3 (1856)
- Province
- Iwaki
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,05 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,04 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,67 cm
- Blade weight
- 725 g
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