Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Seiryūken Moritoshi, smith of Iwakuni in Suō, dated 1866, with an ubu tang, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a black-lacquered uchigatana mounting.
Seiryūken Moritoshi worked at Iwakuni, Suō province, at the end of the Edo period; according to the original seller he was a leading pupil of Chōunsai Tsunatoshi, also studied under Koyama Munetsugu and served the Iwakuni domain as its swordsmith. The blade measures 61.0 cm with 1.3 cm of sori: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, wide mihaba and an extended chū-kissaki. The original seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume, with ji-nie and chikei, and a chōji-midare hamon mixed with gunome, with abundant ashi and yō, ko-nie, kinsuji and sunagashi; the photographs show a lively, undulating hamon along the whole blade. The tang is ubu, with kiri yasurime, an iriyamagata tip and one mekugi-ana; the omote is signed 巌国山麓青龍軒盛俊造之 (Iwakuni sanroku Seiryūken Moritoshi kore o tsukuru) and the ura dated 慶應二年丙寅八月日 (Keiō ninen hinoe-tora hachigatsu hi). Single-piece copper habaki. The mounting is an uchigatana koshirae with a mirror-black lacquered saya, a round iron tsuba with a herdsman and his ox, a shakudō nanako fuchi with a dragon among clouds, polished shakudō kashira and kojiri, and shakudō dragon menuki with gold. It comes with the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, visible in the photographs
- Signed and dated 1866, with an ubu tang and a single mekugi-ana
- Chōji-midare hamon with gunome, ashi and yō, according to the original seller
- Complete uchigatana mounting: iron tsuba, fuchi-kashira, menuki, tsuka and lacquered saya
Points to bear in mind
- The listing says nothing about the condition of the blade or its polish
- The mounting is described, but the original seller does not date it or state it was made for this blade
- The photographs suggest a relacquered saya and a rewrapped ito: flawless mirror lacquer and tight, clean wrapping
- No shirasaya is included
Score
98.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−10
Mounting described, undated +5 · relacquered saya −10 · rewrapped ito −5
-
Blade
0
61 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
0
No shirasaya: one will have to be made 0
-
Price
+28.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +28.4
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
- 61 cm
- Sori
- 1.3 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- No
- Smith
- Seiryūken Moritoshi
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Keiō 2 (1866)
- Province
- Suo
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,1 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,69 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,48 cm
- Blade weight
- 590 g
- Length when mounted
- 86,6 cm
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