Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shintō katana from Ōsaka signed 常陸守宗重 (Hitachi no Kami Muneshige), with an ubu tang, in shirasaya and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Shintō-period katana forged in Ōsaka by Hitachi no Kami Muneshige, whom the original seller identifies as the first generation and a student of Echizen no Kami Sukehiro. The blade has a nagasa of 69.8 cm with 2.0 cm of sori, a motohaba of 2.97 cm and a sakihaba of 2.21 cm. According to the original seller, the jigane is a tightly forged ko-itame and the hamon an ō-midare of thick, bright nie, with large nie-ashi in the valleys; the photographs show a broad undulating hamon along the blade. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, and bears on the omote the signature 常陸守宗重 (Hitachi no Kami Muneshige), undated. It is kept in shirasaya and has no mounting. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers recording the same signature.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana and full signature
- Ōsaka school, in the circle of Echizen no Kami Sukehiro
- Ō-midare hamon of thick nie, according to the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- No mounting: the blade is kept in shirasaya only
- The listing does not state the blade's condition or the date of its last polish
- The blade is undated; the attribution to the first generation comes from the original seller
Score
100 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
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
+10
69.8 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+30
Price: the more affordable, the more points +30
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
- 69.8 cm
- Sori
- 2 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Shintō period (1596–1780)
- Province
- Settsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 2,97 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,21 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,72 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,53 cm
- Blade weight
- 740 g