Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Late Muromachi katana signed 兼元 (Kanemoto) and attributed to Magoroku Kanemoto, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers. Freshly polished and housed in a new shirasaya.
Katana attributed to Magoroku Kanemoto, the most celebrated master of the Kanemoto line of Seki, Mino province, in the late Muromachi period. The tang bears the signature 兼元 (Kanemoto) on the omote. According to the original seller, the hamon is based on the sanbonsugi typical of the school, but with rounded, varied gunome heads, and this feature led to its attribution to the generation known as Magoroku. The blade is shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, a deep sori with saki-zori and an extended chū-kissaki, with bōhi on both sides. The original seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume, somewhat open, with ji-nie and shirake-utsuri, and a gunome hamon with togariba, ashi, ko-nie and fine sunagashi; a close-up in the photographs shows the pointed gunome. The tang is suriage, shortened by about 3.5 sun according to the seller, with kiri-jiri, katte-sagari yasurime and three mekugi-ana. It comes freshly polished, in a new shirasaya, with a one-piece gold-foiled copper habaki and a silk bag. According to the original seller, it carries NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers issued in December 2023.
Strong points
- Attributed to Magoroku Kanemoto, a leading figure of the Mino school in the late Muromachi period
- Signed 兼元 (Kanemoto) on the omote of the tang
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2023), according to the original seller
- Freshly polished and in a new shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- According to the original seller, a slight kitae-ware in the jigane on the ura, around the monouchi
- According to the original seller, a small ha-kobore on the edge around the monouchi
- Suriage tang, shortened by about 3.5 sun; the original blade exceeded 2 shaku 5 sun
- No koshirae: offered in shirasaya only
Score
−47.1 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
−30
Shortened tang (suriage) −20 · 1 extra mekugi-ana −10
-
Declared condition
−80
The original seller declares flaws 0 · large kitae-ware, in the edge or the monouchi −70 · ha-kobore (chip in the edge) −20 · recent polish +10
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
0
66.8 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+7.9
Price: the more affordable, the more points +7.9
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
- 66.8 cm
- Sori
- 1.9 cm
- Tang
- Shortened tang (suriage)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Magoroku Kanemoto
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Late Muromachi period
- Province
- Mino
- Mekugi-ana
- 3
- Condition
- Localised flaw declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 2,98 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,15 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,53 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,39 cm
- Blade weight
- 595 g