Kantei

NH-0444 Rank 123

Ise Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige

Katana signed and dated Ansei 6 (1859) by Kinoshita Ise Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige, a Kaga smith retained by the Maeda house, with an ubu nakago, full koshirae and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate.

Shinshintō (1781-1876)8th month of Ansei 6 (1859)KagaNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana by Kinoshita Ise Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige, a smith of Kaga province retained by the Maeda house. According to the original seller, he descended from the Kanemoto line of Seki (Mino), was born in 1815 as the eldest son of the eighth Kanehisa, received the title Ise Daijō in Ansei 6 and died in Bunkyū 2 at the age of 46. The blade, with a nagasa of 63.6 cm and a sori of 1.0 cm, is shinogi-zukuri with a chū-kissaki; the photographs show a suguha-based hamon with gentle undulations and a rounded bōshi. The nakago is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, a full signature on the omote (“Kashū jū Kinoshita Ise Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige”) and a date on the ura (“an auspicious day in the 8th month of Ansei 6”, 1859). It comes with a complete koshirae: an openwork iron tsuba with a dragon, dragon fuchi-kashira, a tsuka with same and blue wrap over gilt menuki, a black-lacquered saya and a blue-and-white sageo; the original seller neither describes nor dates the mounting. It holds an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate, legible in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Full signature with the Ise Daijō title and an engraved date of Ansei 6 (1859)
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate, visible in the photographs
  • Ubu nakago with a single mekugi-ana
  • Smith retained by the Maeda house of Kaga, heir to the Kanemoto line of Seki
  • Complete koshirae with iron dragon fittings

Points to bear in mind

  • The mounting is documented only in the photographs: the original seller neither describes nor dates it
  • The wrap, the sageo and the saya lacquer look recent in the photographs
  • The original seller makes no statement about the condition of the blade

Score breakdown

47.3/100

The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. 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).

  1. Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
  3. Mounting -6 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs · restored: relacquered or new saya, rewrapped ito and new sageo
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 4 of 8 63.6 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 0.3 of 10 Rank 135 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest