NH-0343 Rank 20
Kawachi-no-Kami Kunisuke
Katana signed Kawachi-no-Kami Kunisuke, second generation of the Ōsaka shintō school, with a black-lacquered uchigatana koshirae and NBTHK papers for both blade and mounting.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana by Kawachi-no-Kami Kunisuke, attributed by the original seller to the second generation, “Naka-Kawachi” (1628–1698), of the Ōsaka shintō school and famed for his kobushi-chōji. The blade, with a nagasa of 70.6 cm and a sori of 1.9 cm, is wide, with little taper and a long chū-kissaki; according to the original seller, the hada is itame turning to ko-itame with abundant ji-nie, and the hamon mixes gunome, kobushi-chōji and yahazu above a long Ōsaka-style yakidashi, with sunagashi and tama-yaki. The tang is ubu, of tanago-bara shape, with one mekugi-ana, ō-sujikai yasurime and the signature 河内守国助, which the photographs confirm. The original seller warns of an old polish with areas of wear and slight rust. It comes with an uchigatana koshirae with a black-lacquered ribbed saya, a shakudō tsuba with kiri-mon over karakusa and a gold fukurin, shakudō fuchi-kashira with hanabishi and manji in a checkered pattern, sankozuka-ken menuki and a tsuka of white same wrapped in raw silk in hineri-maki, all unsigned; the set holds an NBTHK Hozon Tōsōgu certificate, visible in the photographs. The blade carries an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate and an older Kōshu Tokubetsu Kichō from 1977, of the retired system. A gold-foil habaki and a shirasaya are included.
Strong points
- Kawachi-no-Kami Kunisuke, second generation (“Naka-Kawachi”), a jō-jō-saku smith of the Ōsaka shintō school
- Kobushi-chōji hamon with Ōsaka-style yakidashi, abundant nie and tama-yaki
- Ubu tanago-bara tang with five-character signature and a single mekugi-ana
- Complete uchigatana koshirae with an NBTHK Hozon Tōsōgu certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate, visible in the photographs
Points to bear in mind
- Old polish: the original seller declares areas of wear and slight rust
- The original seller does not date the mounting; the Hozon Tōsōgu certificate accredits the set, not its origin with this blade
- The 1977 Kōshu Tokubetsu Kichō certificate belongs to a retired NBTHK system
Score breakdown
69.6/100
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 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
- Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
- Mounting 15 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · with its own NBTHK paper · with a family crest (mon)
- Declared condition 13 of 20 Minor flaws declared
- Blade 8 of 8 70.6 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
- Price 1.6 of 10 Rank 117 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest