Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shintō katana by Sasaki Ippō of Ōmi, Tenna era, signed and inscribed as made from nanban iron; ubu tang, in shirasaya, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana by Sasaki Ippō, a smith of Ōmi province active in the Tenna era of the Edo period (shintō). According to the original seller, he was the eldest son of the first Ippō and followed his style of gunome-midare with deep nie. The tang appears ubu in the photographs, with a single mekugi-ana; the omote bears the signature 江州住人佐々木善四郎源一峯 (Gōshū-jūnin Sasaki Zenshirō Minamoto Ippō) and the ura 南蛮以鉄作之 (Nanban-tetsu o motte kore o tsukuru), meaning "made with nanban iron", the steel brought by European traders. The blade measures 71.21 cm in nagasa with 1.67 cm of sori; it is slightly broad and thick, with a slightly extended kissaki. The original seller describes a well-worked ko-itame jigane and a nie-based gunome-midare hamon with a deep nioikuchi and uneven peaks, which the detail photographs show; the bōshi is, in his words, of the so-called "Kotetsu bōshi" type, with a deep turn-back. The seller states that the blade has been polished. Gold-foiled double habaki. Kept in shirasaya, without mounts. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper no. 154384, dated January 2010.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper no. 154384 (2010)
- Signed, with the nanban iron inscription on the ura
- Nie-based gunome-midare hamon, visible in the detail photographs
- Tang ubu as seen in the photographs, with a single mekugi-ana
- Gold-foiled double habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No mounts: the blade is kept in shirasaya only
- The original seller states the blade has been polished, without giving the date of the polish
- The tang is judged ubu from the photographs; the listing does not state it
Score
98.3 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−10
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20 · recent polish +10
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
71.2 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+23.3
Price: the more affordable, the more points +23.3
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
- 71.2 cm
- Sori
- 1.7 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Sasaki Ippō
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Tenna era (1681–1684)
- Province
- Omi
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Recent polish declared by the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,13 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,04 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,7 cm
- Blade weight
- 740 g