NH-0254 Rank 66
Masao
Katana signed and dated by Minamoto Masao, a pupil of Kiyomaro, forged in the 8th month of Ansei 6 (1859) from Ezo iron sand. Tokubetsu Hozon paper, shirasaya and a koshirae with gold crests.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana by Minamoto Masao (Suzuki Jirō Masao), a shinshintō smith who, according to the original seller, studied under Kiyomaro from the time the master still signed Masayuki and set up on his own in Edo in Kaei 6 (1853). The tang, ubu with a single mekugi-ana, carries a long inscription on both sides: the signature "Minamoto Masao", the date of the 8th month of Ansei 6 (1859), the name of the patron who commissioned it and a note that the blade was forged from iron sand of Ezo (Hokkaidō), which the seller reads as steel smelted by the smith himself for the loyalists who travelled north to defend Ezo. The blade measures 70.5 cm of nagasa with a sori of 2.0 cm; the seller describes a midare hamon rich in sunagashi and kinsuji, with bright nie and fine workmanship, and the photographs show a polished blade with the bōshi intact. It comes in a shirasaya with an inscription and with a complete koshirae: iron sukashi tsuba, fuchi, kashira and menuki bearing gold crests, a saya covered in a brocade-pattern finish and a sageo. The mounting is documented only in the photographs: the seller neither describes nor dates it. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate, photographed.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 8th month of Ansei 6 (1859), with the patron's name and the origin of the steel in the inscription
- Pupil of Kiyomaro, according to the original seller; forged from Ezo iron sand
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, visible in the photographs
- Complete koshirae with gold crests on fuchi, kashira and menuki, and an iron sukashi tsuba
Points to bear in mind
- The mounting is neither described nor dated by the original seller: it is documented only in the photographs
- The seller makes no statement on the blade's condition; the small photographs cannot confirm it
Score breakdown
60.3/100
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).
- Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
- Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
- Mounting 0 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs · with a family crest (mon)
- Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
- Blade 8 of 8 70.5 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
- Price 1.3 of 10 Rank 121 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest