Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shintō katana of the Shimosaka school of Echizen, around the Kanbun era, signed and carved with Buddhist motifs, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers and kept in shirasaya.
Chikugo no Kami Kanenori worked in Echizen in the early Edo period, within the Shimosaka school. This katana, with a nagasa of 73.1 cm and a sori of 1.0 cm, has the typical shape of Kanbun-era shintō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, a wide blade, shallow sori and an extended chū-kissaki. According to the original seller, the jigane is a well-forged itame with ji-nie and chikei; the hamon is in nie, a suguha-based pattern with notare and ko-gunome on the omote and gunome-midare with chōji, ashi and yō on the ura, with a straight bōshi ending in a small turn-back. The photographs show the carvings: bonji and the figure of Jizō Bosatsu on the omote, and bonji with a sanko-tsuka-ken on the ura, which the seller attributes to a specialist carver of the Kinai line. The nakago is ubu, with the machi moved up by about 3 cm and two mekugi-ana, and bears the signature 以南蛮鉄筑後守藤原包則 (Nanbantetsu o motte Chikugo no Kami Fujiwara Kanenori). According to the seller, the blade is published in the Shintō Taikan and holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers. It is kept in shirasaya, with a silver double habaki and a cloth bag.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, according to the original seller
- Carvings of bonji, Jizō Bosatsu and a sanko-tsuka-ken visible in the photographs
- Full signature mentioning nanbantetsu steel
- Different hamon on each side, according to the original seller
- Published in the Shintō Taikan, according to the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Offered without koshirae, in shirasaya only
- Machi-okuri: the machi has been moved up about 3 cm, so the nakago has two mekugi-ana
- According to the original seller, the shirasaya lacks its ura hatome
- The papers do not appear in the photographs
Score
109.5 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
−10
Full-length tang, with the machi moved up (machi-okuri) −10
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
73.1 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+24.5
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.5
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
- 73.1 cm
- Sori
- 1 cm
- Tang
- Full-length tang, with the machi moved up (machi-okuri)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Chikugo Kanenori
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Echizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,13 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,28 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,73 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,51 cm
- Blade weight
- 845 g