Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shinshintō katana signed by Nanno Tarō Tomohiro and dated 1865, kept in shirasaya with sayagaki and accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper.
Nanno Tarō Tomohiro worked at the end of the Edo period; according to the original seller, he was a pupil or associate of Nankai Tarō Chōson, and the cutting of the signature and the shape of the tang closely recall those of the first-generation Chōson. The blade has a nagasa of 74.0 cm and a sori of 1.9 cm: wide and thick, deeply curved, with a long kissaki and about 3 cm of ububa preserved near the machi. The original seller describes an itame and mokume jigane with jinie, and a hamon of nie-based suguha turning into gunome-midare with abundant ashi, sunagashi and kinsuji, comparing the hamon and bōshi to those of Kamakura-period kotō. The tang, intact in the photographs and with two mekugi-ana, bears on the omote the signature 南之太郎朝弘作之 (Nanno Tarō Tomohiro saku kore) and on the ura the date 慶応元年八月日 (Keiō gannen hachigatsu hi). The blade is kept in shirasaya with a sayagaki repeating signature, date and length, and has a single-piece gold-foiled habaki. There is no koshirae. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, no. 145463, was issued on 11 May of Heisei 12 (2000).
Strong points
- Full signature and date on the tang: 8th month of Keiō 1 (1865)
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, no. 145463
- Wide, thick blade with deep sori, long kissaki and about 3 cm of ububa
- Tang intact in the photographs
- Shirasaya with sayagaki
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade is kept in shirasaya only.
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade.
- The tang has a second mekugi-ana near its end.
Score
108.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+15
74 cm: long blade, 74 cm or more +15
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+28.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +28.4
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
- 74 cm
- Sori
- 1.9 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Nanno Tarō Tomohiro
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Keiō 1 (1865)
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,07 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,03 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,87 cm
- Blade weight
- 900 g