Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shinshintō katana signed by Muneharu of Hizen, of the Iyo no Jō Munetsugu line, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers and kept in shirasaya.
Blade by Muneharu, a Hizen smith whom the original seller places in the line of Iyo no Jō Munetsugu and in the later Edo period, around the Tenmei era. It measures 67.07 cm in nagasa with 1.82 cm of sori; the taper from base to point is pronounced and the kissaki is elongated, giving a sharp profile. According to the original seller, the jigane is a well-forged ko-itame with ji-nie, chikei and a faint utsuri; the hamon is a suguha with a bright nioiguchi and ko-ashi, turning slightly towards notare near the point and widening below the yokote, and the bōshi is straight with a rounded turn-back. The photographs show a clean straight hamon along the whole blade. The tang, with two mekugi-ana and a shape that appears intact, bears on the omote the signature 肥前国宗治 (Hizen no kuni Muneharu). The NBTHK awarded it Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken in 2022, classifying it as shinshintō. It comes without mounts, in shirasaya, with a silver-foiled copper habaki.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2022)
- Signed 肥前国宗治 (Hizen no kuni Muneharu)
- Tang that appears intact in the photographs, with two mekugi-ana
- Suguha hamon with a bright nioiguchi, according to the original seller
- Kept in shirasaya with a silver-foiled copper habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade is supplied in shirasaya only
- The original seller does not state the condition of the blade or the date of its last polish
- Undated: the attribution to around Tenmei is the original seller's
Score
90 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+5
67.1 cm: close to the usable range +5
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+30
Price: the more affordable, the more points +30
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
- 67.1 cm
- Sori
- 1.8 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Hizen Muneharu
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- Around the Tenmei era (1781–1789)
- Province
- Hizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,30 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,32 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,70 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,54 cm
- Blade weight
- 729 g