Kantei

NH-0383 Rank 21

Chikugo Aoki Ōmi no Suke Minamoto Kiyohide

筑後国青木近江介源清秀

Shinshintō katana signed and dated 1847 by Kiyohide, a smith in the service of the Arima clan in Chikugo. It retains a koshirae with black lacquer saya, mokkō tsuba with gold kiri-mon, and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon origami.

Shinshintō (1781-1876)2nd month of Kōka 4 (1847)Chikugo (Kurume, Fukuoka)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Shinshintō katana by Chikugo no Kuni Aoki Ōmi no Suke Minamoto Kiyohide, a smith of Chikugo province who, according to the original seller, served the Arima clan of the Kurume domain and received the court title of Ōmi no Suke in 1845; his work is associated with the Bizen tradition and its chōji midare hamon. The blade measures 63.6 cm nagasa and 1.7 cm sori, and the photographs show a clean polish, a well-defined undulating temper line and an intact bōshi. The tang is ubu with a single mekugi-ana, signed 筑後国青木近江介源清秀 on the omote and dated 弘化四年二月日 on the ura. The koshirae, described but not dated by the original seller, comprises a black roiro lacquer saya, a lacquered-cord tsuka with menuki of a mounted warrior, kikusui fuchi-kashira and a mokkō tsuba with gold kiri-mon; the sageo is a replacement. An NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken origami, legible in the photographs, and a shirasaya accompany the sword.

Strong points

  • Full signature and date on the tang: 弘化四年二月日, corresponding to 1847.
  • Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana, photographed on both sides.
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken origami legible in the photographs.
  • Complete koshirae: black lacquer saya, mokkō tsuba with gold kiri-mon, kikusui fuchi-kashira and mounted-warrior menuki.
  • A shirasaya is also retained.

Points to bear in mind

  • The koshirae has no certificate of its own and the original seller does not date it precisely.
  • According to the original seller, the wooden parts of the mounting are later than the blade; the metal fittings are considered Edo period.
  • The sageo is a replacement.
  • The lacquer of the saya shows rubbing and small chips from use.

Score breakdown

69.4/100

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 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
  3. Mounting 0 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: new sageo
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 4 of 8 63.6 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 6.4 of 10 Rank 51 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest