Kantei

NH-0288 Rank 82

Banzai Hisanori

Katana by Banzai Hisanori of Ōmi province, dated Bunkyū 3 (1863) and dedicated on the tang to a samurai of the Koga domain; Tokubetsu Hozon paper and koshirae.

Shinshintō (1781-1876)Bunkyū 3 (1863)OhmiNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Banzai Hisanori, known as Ikeda Reitarō, worked at Takagi in Gōshū (Ōmi province), earlier at Kanzaki and also in the castle town of Kōfu; according to the original seller he was the elder brother of Kaga Hisanori. This shinshintō katana has a nagasa of 76.5 cm with 1.1 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.4 cm and a kasane of 0.85 cm: a broad, thick blade with restrained curvature. The omote of the tang bears the signature "Ōmi no kuni Banzai Hisanori" with kaō; the ura carries the dedication to Teraoka Fujiwara Yoshiyuki of the Koga domain in Sōshū and the date Bunkyū 3, year of the water boar (1863). The photographs show an intact tang with two mekugi-ana, a notare midare hamon and a well-preserved bōshi. The blade is published as no. 39 in the catalogue "Kogahan no bugu" (The Arms of the Koga Domain), whose page is reproduced. It comes with a koshirae featuring an iron tsuba with gold inlay, silver fuchi and kashira with plum blossoms, green ito and a black lacquered saya, as well as a shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper no. 1024174, issued February 2025.

Strong points

  • Signed, dated 1863 and dedicated to a samurai of the Koga domain
  • Published in the catalogue "Kogahan no bugu", no. 39
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2025)
  • Intact tang with crisp signature and kaō
  • Comes with a complete koshirae and a shirasaya

Points to bear in mind

  • The original seller neither describes nor dates the mounting
  • Saya, ito and sageo look recent and the same very white: a restored mounting
  • The original seller does not state the condition of the blade

Score breakdown

57.3/100

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).

  1. Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 18 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting -6 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs · restored: relacquered or new saya, rewrapped ito, washed same and new sageo
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 76.5 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 8.3 of 10 Rank 24 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest