Kantei

NH-0223 Rank 113

Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi

Shintō katana by Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi of Osaka, signed, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, mounted in koshirae and accompanied by a shirasaya.

Shintō (1596-1780)Jōō era, circa 1652SettsuNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Blade by Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi, of the Osaka branch of the Yoshimichi school, working in Settsu province in the early Edo period. According to the original seller, the smith was the second son of the first Kyoto Yoshimichi, also worked in Fushimi, is ranked jōsaku among shintō smiths and is regarded as ryōwazamono. The seller places the blade around the Jōō era (1652). It measures 69.9 cm in nagasa with 1.3 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.21 cm and a sakihaba of 2.38 cm. The seller describes a broken sudare-ba hamon with nie. The nakago bears the signature "Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi" and, in the photographs, two mekugi-ana; the tip keeps its shape. The sword comes in shirasaya and with a complete koshirae: a black textured lacquer saya, a tsuka with dark blue ito over same, gilt warrior menuki and fuchi-kashira, and a lobed iron tsuba inlaid with autumn grasses and a dragonfly. The seller neither describes nor dates the mounting. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper is photographed, dated Reiwa 4 (2022).

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, visible in the photographs
  • Nakago signed Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi (Osaka)
  • Smith ranked jōsaku and ryōwazamono, according to the original seller
  • Complete koshirae and shirasaya
  • Sudare-ba hamon with nie, typical of the school

Points to bear in mind

  • The original seller does not state the condition of the blade
  • The mounting is neither dated nor described by the seller; the ito appears to have been redone
  • The nakago has two mekugi-ana; it is not stated to be ubu

Score breakdown

50.8/100

The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. 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).

  1. Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 18 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting -3 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs · restored: rewrapped ito
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 69.9 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 6.8 of 10 Rank 45 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest