Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Shimōsa no Kami Muneyoshi, a Keichō-era smith of Tsuruga (Echizen), with a signed ubu tang and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers; presented in shirasaya.
Blade by Shimōsa no Kami Muneyoshi, a smith working in Tsuruga, Echizen province, around the Keichō era, at the dawn of the shintō period. It measures 68 cm in nagasa with 1.6 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.24 cm and a motokasane of 0.75 cm, and weighs 772 g unmounted. According to the original seller, the blade shows the typical Keichō shintō sugata, with little taper from base to tip, an extended kissaki and a high shinogi. The same seller describes a well-forged itame jigane with visible hada and chikei, and a ko-nie hamon in suguha-chō mixed with notare, with kinsuji and sunagashi, and a straight bōshi with a round turn-back. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, and bears the signature 越州敦賀住藤原下総守宗吉 (Esshū Tsuruga-jū Fujiwara Shimōsa no Kami Muneyoshi). The original seller notes that the mune of the tang was filed to reduce its curvature, something common in older works. The NBTHK certified it as Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken (no. 1017037), attributing it to the Keichō era. It is kept in shirasaya, with the signature written in ink on the scabbard, and comes with a silver habaki.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, no. 1017037
- Signed ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Characteristic Keichō-era shintō sugata
- Shirasaya and silver habaki
Points to bear in mind
- Offered without mounting (koshirae), in shirasaya only.
- According to the original seller, the mune of the tang was filed to reduce its curvature.
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade or the date of its last polish.
Score
95 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
+5
68 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 cm
- Sori
- 1.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Keichō era (1596–1615)
- Province
- Echizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,24 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,58 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,75 cm
- Blade weight
- 772 g