Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed by Tosa no Kami Masanobu, from around the Genroku era, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers and kept in shirasaya.
Katana by Tosa no Kami Masanobu, a smith of the mid-Edo period. According to the original seller, he worked in Fuchū and in 1724 moved to Kōriyama in Yamato, where he received the title Tosa no Kami; the NBTHK paper places the blade in Mimasaka around the Genroku era. The blade measures 68.73 cm in nagasa with 2.04 cm of sori, broad and of solid thickness. The original seller describes a well-forged ko-itame jigane with abundant ji-nie and a hamon of gunome and gunome-chōji with a bright nioiguchi; the photographs show a gunome hamon with ashi along the whole blade. The tang, which appears intact in the photographs, has one mekugi-ana and is signed on the omote 土佐守藤原正信 (Tosa no Kami Fujiwara Masanobu). The blade comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers issued in 2018, a copper habaki and its shirasaya. It has no mounting.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2018)
- Full signature with title: 土佐守藤原正信 (Tosa no Kami Fujiwara Masanobu)
- Gunome and gunome-chōji hamon, according to the original seller
- Tang of intact appearance, with a single mekugi-ana
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller declares a small chip (ha-kobore) in the middle section of the edge
- According to the original seller, the ura near the habaki shows traces of amateur rust removal; a new polish is advisable
- Offered in shirasaya only, without mounting
Score
80 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−30
The original seller declares flaws 0 · minor flaws −10 · ha-kobore (chip in the edge) −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+5
68.7 cm: close to the usable range +5
-
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
- 68.7 cm
- Sori
- 2 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Genroku era (1688–1704)
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Localised flaw declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,23 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,68 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,69 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,51 cm
- Blade weight
- 706 g