Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by the first Izumi no Kami Kunisada, founder of Osaka sword-making in early Edo: a broad, robust blade with a deep-nioi notare hamon, kept in shirasaya, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers declared.
Katana by the first Izumi no Kami Kunisada. According to the original seller, he trained under Horikawa Kunihiro and, after the latter's death in 1614, settled in Osaka, where he received the title Izumi no Kami in 1623; together with Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke he is regarded as the founder of the Osaka tradition. The blade, in shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, is wide with a thick kasane, a shallow sori and an extended chū-kissaki; nagasa 66.35 cm. The original seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume, with ji-nie and chikei, and a notare hamon mixed with gunome, deep nioi, ashi and abundant nie, with muneyaki; the bōshi is notare-gokoro with hakikake, komaru and a long kaeri. The photographs show the broad, undulating hamon along the whole blade. The tang is ubu, with sujikai yasurime and kurijiri; the machi has been moved up about two sun, hence two mekugi-ana. Signed 於大坂和泉守国貞 (Ōsaka ni oite Izumi no Kami Kunisada). The blade is kept in shirasaya with a gold-foiled copper habaki engraved with karakusa, and the original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper issued in 2025.
Strong points
- Work of the first Izumi no Kami Kunisada, founder of Osaka sword-making
- Signed 於大坂和泉守国貞 (Ōsaka ni oite Izumi no Kami Kunisada)
- Broad, robust blade with a deep-nioi notare and gunome hamon
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, according to the original seller
- Shirasaya and gold-foiled copper habaki
Points to bear in mind
- Old polish: the original seller describes the condition as generally good
- Machi moved up about two sun, with a second mekugi-ana
- No mounting: the blade is offered in shirasaya only
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
Score
99.5 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
−10
Full-length tang, with the machi moved up (machi-okuri) −10
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
0
66.4 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+24.5
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.5
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
- 66.4 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Full-length tang, with the machi moved up (machi-okuri)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Genna–Keian eras (1615–1652)
- Province
- Settsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,02 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,11 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,71 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,53 cm
- Blade weight
- 748 g