Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Inoue Izumi no Kami Kunisada, later known as Shinkai, signed with the kikumon and dated the 8th month of Kanbun 3 (1663), with an ubu tang and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Katana by the second generation Izumi no Kami Kunisada, the Ōsaka shintō master who signed as Shinkai from 1672. The omote bears the signature 井上和泉守国貞 (Inoue Izumi no Kami Kunisada) and the ura the imperial chrysanthemum, 菊紋 (kikumon), above the date 寛文三年八月日 (Kanbun sannen hachigatsu hi), 1663. The blade shows the Kanbun-era shape: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, a wide mihaba of 3.2 cm tapering noticeably towards the point, 1.1 cm of sori and a chū-kissaki, with a nagasa of 75.8 cm. According to the original seller, the jigane is a tight ko-itame mixed with mokume, with thick jinie and chikei, and the hamon starts in suguha and continues in notare with gunome and chōji, ashi, yō, kinsuji and sunagashi, with a notare bōshi turning back deeply in komaru; the photographs show this lively undulating hamon along the whole blade. The tang is ubu, with a kurijiri tip, ō-sujikai keshō yasurime and a single mekugi-ana, as the photos confirm. It is kept in shirasaya with a one-piece gilt habaki, without a mounting. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, issued in 2009, is photographed.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, photographed
- Signed and dated: Kanbun 3 (1663), with the kikumon granted by the court
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Blade described as very healthy by the original seller
- Classic Kanbun-era shintō shape with a wide mihaba
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade is kept in shirasaya only
- The original seller presents it as a Jūyō candidate; this is the seller's opinion, not a certification
- The listing does not give the date of the last polish
Score
130.9 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+15
75.8 cm: long blade, 74 cm or more +15
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
−4.1
Price: the more affordable, the more points −4.1
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
- 75.8 cm
- Sori
- 1.1 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- 8th month of Kanbun 3 (1663)
- Province
- Settsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,2 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,1 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,65 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,50 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,70 cm
- Blade weight
- 773 g