Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shinshintō katana signed by Kiyoshige of Iwami and dated to the eighth month of 1802, with a Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, black-lacquered koshirae and shirasaya.
Katana by Kiyoshige, a smith from Iwami province (Sekishū) who, according to the original seller, settled in Edo in 1795 and worked with Tegarayama Masashige, at the height of the shinshintō movement. The blade has a nagasa of 70.4 cm and a sori of 1.0 cm. The photographs show a notare hamon with broad, regular undulations. The tang, intact as far as the photographs show, keeps a single mekugi-ana and bears on the omote the signature 石州益田住清繁作 (Sekishū Masuda-jū Kiyoshige saku) and on the ura the date 享和二年壬戌八月日 (Kyōwa ni-nen mizunoe-inu hachigatsu hi), the eighth month of 1802. It comes in a koshirae with a black-lacquered saya, an iron tsuba with engraved and pierced chrysanthemums, dragon menuki enhanced with gold according to the original seller, and fuchi-kashira bearing the goka ni karabana mon. The seller describes the fittings but does not date the mounting. A shirasaya is included. The NBTHK certified it as Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken on 23 August 2024 (no. 1023282). The original seller notes a few light black rust spots on the blade.
Strong points
- Full signature and date on the tang: eighth month of 1802
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper (2024)
- Intact tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Black-lacquered koshirae with mon on the fuchi-kashira and dragon menuki
- Also supplied with a shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller declares a few light black rust spots on the blade
- The mounting is not dated
- The saya shows glossy, unmarked lacquer, which suggests it has been relacquered
Score
110.5 pointscurrent max. 255
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Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller declares flaws 0 · black rust (kuro-sabi) −20
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−2
Mounting described, undated +5 · family crests (mon): 1 +3 · relacquered saya −10
-
Blade
+10
70.4 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+22.5
Price: the more affordable, the more points +22.5
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
- 70.4 cm
- Sori
- 1 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
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Kyōwa 2 (1802)
- Province
- Shimane
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
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