Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Munetsugu of Shinano, forged in Kyoto and dated 1867, with an ubu tang, kept in shirasaya and accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Katana signed by Munetsugu, a smith of Shinano province active in the bakumatsu period. According to the original seller, he was a pupil of Masao, the elder brother of Kiyomaro. The blade has a nagasa of 72.7 cm with 1.3 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.31 cm and a sakihaba of 2.58 cm, and weighs 850 g bare. The original seller describes a gunome-chōji hamon in ko-nie deki, with ashi reaching the edge and a bright ha, over a well-forged ko-mokume jigane. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana; the omote bears the signature 於都五条辺信濃国宗継造之 (probable reading: Miyako Gojō-hen ni oite Shinano no Kuni Munetsugu kore o tsukuru), which places the forging in Kyoto, and the ura the date 慶応三年八月日 (Keiō sannen hachigatsu hi). The photographs show the blade kept in its shirasaya; there is no mounting. The blade comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, shown in the photographs and issued in 2019.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 8th month of Keiō 3 (1867)
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, photographed
- Gunome-chōji hamon in ko-nie deki, according to the original seller
- Kept in shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- Offered without koshirae, in shirasaya only.
- The listing says nothing about the condition of the blade.
Score
99.3 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
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
72.7 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+19.3
Price: the more affordable, the more points +19.3
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
- 72.7 cm
- Sori
- 1.3 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Shinano Munetsugu
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Keiō 3 (1867)
- Province
- Shinano
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,31 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,58 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,72 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,49 cm
- Blade weight
- 850 g