Kantei

NH-0380 Rank 83

Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige

Signed katana by Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige, from the early shintō period, with an ubu tang, Tokubetsu Hozon papers and a Matsushiro-style koshirae dated by the original seller to the late Edo period.

Shintō (1596-1780)Kan'ei era (1624–1644)EchizenNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana by Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige, a smith of the earliest shintō years whom the original seller places around the Kan'ei era, presents as the teacher of Kotetsu, and whose work is rated for its superior cutting ability (ryōwazamono). The blade is in shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, a somewhat wide mihaba, marked taper and a slightly compact chūkissaki; nagasa 70.75 cm, sori 1.7 cm. According to the seller, the jihada is itame mixed with mokume, partly nagare and masame, with dense ji-nie and abundant chikei; the hamon is ko-notare with gunome, thick ashi, deep nioi, ko-nie and sunagashi, and the bōshi runs straight to komaru with a short kaeri. The photographs show goma-bashi on the omote and futasuji-hi on the ura. The tang is ubu according to the seller and the photographs: kurijiri tip, ō-sujikai yasurime, a single mekugi-ana and a six-character signature. It comes with a Matsushiro-style koshirae that the seller dates to the late Edo period: tsuka with dark ito and gilt menuki, mokkō tsuba with gilt rim, and black lacquered saya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, visible in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Early shintō smith, teacher of Kotetsu according to the original seller
  • Signed ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers
  • Matsushiro-style koshirae dated by the seller to the late Edo period
  • Ko-notare hamon with gunome, abundant nie and sunagashi

Points to bear in mind

  • Not dated: the original listing places it around Kan'ei, while the index gives Kanbun
  • The original seller makes no written statement on the blade's condition
  • The koshirae is not stated to have been made for this blade, and any restoration is not detailed

Score breakdown

57/100

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 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting 4 of 18 Period mounting
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 70.8 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 2 of 10 Rank 112 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest