Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Signed katana by the second Sukehiro of Osaka, early Edo period around the Manji era, with a nie-based suguha hamon and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers; kept in shirasaya.
Katana by the second Sukehiro, one of the leading smiths of the Osaka shintō tradition, signed on the tang 越前守源助廣 (Echizen no Kami Minamoto no Sukehiro). According to the original seller it dates from the early Edo period, around the Manji era (1658–1661), a dating also given on the paper. The blade is wide and thick, with a nagasa of 77.1 cm and only 0.6 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.2 cm, sakihaba of 2.1 cm, kasane of 0.8 cm and a weight of 856 g. The original seller describes a fine ko-itame jigane with jinie and a nie-deki suguha hamon with kuichigai-ba and ko-ashi and a deep nioikuchi; he notes that, unlike the tōran-ba for which the smith is famous, this work is unusually straight, with a Yamato feel. The photographs show an intact tang with a single mekugi-ana and a gold-foiled double habaki. The blade is kept in shirasaya, without mounts. It carries NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, no. 1002182, issued on 13 May Heisei 26 (2014).
Strong points
- Work of the second Sukehiro, a central figure of Osaka shintō
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2014)
- Nie-based suguha hamon, unusual for a smith known for tōran-ba, according to the original seller
- Intact tang with full signature and a single mekugi-ana
- Gold-foiled double habaki
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae.
- The listing states neither the condition of the blade nor the date of the last polish.
- No inscribed date: the attribution to around the Manji era comes from the paper and the original seller.
Score
85.5 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
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+15
77.1 cm: long blade, 74 cm or more +15
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+15.5
Price: the more affordable, the more points +15.5
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
- 77.1 cm
- Sori
- 0.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Manji era (1658–1661)
- Province
- Echizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,2 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,1 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,8 cm
- Blade weight
- 856 g