Kantei

NH-0230 Rank 136

Yamato no Kami Yasusada

Shintō katana signed by Yamato no Kami Yasusada, with a suriage nakago, an uchigatana-koshirae with black saya and mon, and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate.

Shintō (1596-1780)Keian era (1648–1652)MusashiNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana signed by Yamato no Kami Yasusada, an Edo smith of the shintō period rated shintō jō-saku and yoki wazamono for the sharpness of his blades. According to the original seller, the first Yasusada came from Echizen, is regarded as a pupil of the first Yasutsugu, and recent research links him to the Ishidō school of Kishū; he settled in Kanda, Edo. His blades are known for the cutting-test inscriptions of the Yamano family and for their great popularity at the end of the Edo period. The blade has a nagasa of 71.1 cm with a sori of 0.9 cm, a motohaba of 2.92 cm and a sakihaba of 1.98 cm; the photographs show a wavy notare-gunome hamon. The nakago is shortened (suriage), retains the signature "Yamato no Kami Yasusada" and has three mekugi-ana. It comes with an uchigatana-koshirae with a black ishime-lacquered saya scattered with maru-ni-mitsu-kashiwa mon, a round iron tsuba and a tsuka with black ito, together with a shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate issued in 2013, with a Tokyo registration of 1961.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate (2013), legible in the photographs
  • Smith rated shintō jō-saku and yoki wazamono
  • Signature preserved on the nakago despite the shortening
  • Uchigatana-koshirae with black ishime saya and maru-ni-mitsu-kashiwa mon, plus shirasaya
  • Wavy hamon clearly visible in the photographs

Points to bear in mind

  • Suriage nakago: the blade was shortened, though the signature survives
  • The original seller describes the mounting but does not date it
  • The original seller does not state the condition of the blade

Score breakdown

38.4/100

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 3 of 22 Shortened tang, with 3 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting 3 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · with a family crest (mon)
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.1 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 3.4 of 10 Rank 92 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest