Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Late Muromachi kotō katana signed by Mutsu no Kami Daidō of Mino province, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, koshirae and shirasaya.
Katana signed 陸奥守大道 (Mutsu no Kami Daidō), a smith of Mino province who, according to the original seller, worked in the Tenshō era at the end of the Muromachi period, later moved to Kyoto and is regarded as the founder of the Mishina school. The blade has a nagasa of 71.9 cm and a sori of 1.9 cm, and the photographs show a broadly undulating hamon. The tang, which appears intact in the photographs, with its dark patina and a single mekugi-ana, carries the signature on the omote; the ura is uninscribed. The original seller notes a couple of minor kitae-kizu. It comes with a koshirae: a brown lacquered saya with a karakusa motif and engraved brass fittings, karakusa fuchi-kashira, menuki of warriors (musha-zu) and a pierced iron tsuba in the form of two stacked masu within a brass rim; the tsuka ito is heavily worn. A shirasaya is included. The NBTHK certified it as 特別保存刀剣 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken) on 16 February 2026, certificate no. 1026018.
Strong points
- Signed 陸奥守大道 (Mutsu no Kami Daidō) on a tang that appears intact, with a single mekugi-ana.
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper (2026, no. 1026018).
- Complete koshirae with a karakusa-lacquered saya and a pierced iron tsuba in the form of masu.
- Shirasaya included.
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller declares a couple of minor kitae-kizu on the blade.
- The tsuka ito is heavily worn and frayed around the menuki, as the original seller acknowledges and the photographs show.
- The original seller does not date the mounting.
Score
116.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−5
The original seller declares flaws 0 · small kitae-ware, away from the edge −5
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
-
Blade
+10
71.9 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+16.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +16.4
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
- 71.9 cm
- Sori
- 1.9 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Daidō
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Tenshō era (1573–1592)
- Province
- Mino
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
A new mounting or a polish for your blade? Custom koshirae · Polishing