Kantei

NH-0395 Rank 98

Mutsu no Kami Ōmichi

Katana signed Mutsu no Kami Ōmichi (Daidō), founder of the Mishina school, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate and a complete brown-lacquer koshirae with karakusa motif.

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

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana signed by Mutsu no Kami Ōmichi (Daidō), a Mino-province smith credited with founding the Mishina school of Kyoto, whose sons became known as the Kyōto Gokaji. The blade measures 71.9 cm in nagasa with a sori of 1.9 cm; the photographs show an undulating gunome and notare hamon in clear nioi and a well-preserved bōshi, in presentable polish. The tang appears intact, with a single mekugi-ana, visible yasurime and the five-character signature on the omote. The original seller warns of a couple of minor kitae-kizu; one of them can be seen next to the machi in a detail photograph. The mounting is a complete koshirae: brown lacquered saya with a raised karakusa pattern, engraved brass kojiri, kurikata and koiguchi, brass fuchi-kashira with karakusa, gilt menuki depicting warriors (musha-zu) and an iron tsuba with an openwork design of two overlapping masu and a brass rim; the blue-green tsuka wrap is aged, as the seller himself acknowledges. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate (no. 1026018, 16 February 2026) and a shirasaya.

Strong points

  • Full signature of Mutsu no Kami Daidō, founder of the Mishina school, on a tang that appears intact
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate issued in 2026
  • Complete koshirae: karakusa lacquer saya, brass fuchi-kashira, musha-zu menuki and openwork masu-motif tsuba
  • Striking hamon and preserved bōshi, well documented in the photographs

Points to bear in mind

  • The original seller declares a couple of minor kitae-kizu; one is visible next to the machi
  • The mounting is described but not dated, and has no certificate of its own
  • The tsuka wrap is aged and frayed in places
  • The original listing places the smith in the Tenshō era (1573–1592) while the index dates him to Kan'ei; the generation is not specified

Score breakdown

54.9/100

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 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
  3. Mounting 1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
  4. Declared condition 13 of 20 Minor flaws declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.9 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 2.9 of 10 Rank 99 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest