Kantei

NH-0479 Rank 119

Kanekiyo

Katana signed Kanekiyo, of the Tegai school of Yamato, early Muromachi period, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers and a late Edo black-lacquered uchigatana koshirae.

Kotō (up to 1596)Early Muromachi period (early 15th century)YamatoNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana signed Kanekiyo, a smith of the Tegai school, the largest of the five Yamato traditions, which grew up by the Tegai gate of the Tōdai-ji and flourished through the Nanbokuchō and Muromachi periods. According to the original seller, several generations used the name between the 14th and 16th centuries, and this signature belongs to the Kanekiyo working in the early 15th century. The blade has a nagasa of 62.2 cm and a sori of 2 cm, with a motohaba of 3.02 cm and a sakihaba of 1.84 cm; the seller describes an itame jihada with mokume and a suguha hamon mixed with gunome, ashi and konie. The photographs show a tang with a single mekugi-ana, continuous file marks and a rounded tip, with the two-character signature chiselled near the machi. It comes with an uchigatana koshirae whose black ishime-lacquered saya carries makie decoration, dated by the seller to the late Edo period: an iron tsuba with a dragon among clouds, gilt menuki, nanako fuchi-kashira and an iron kojiri with gold tendrils and leaves. The seller states an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate.

Strong points

  • Signed blade of the Tegai school of Yamato, early Muromachi period
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate stated by the original seller
  • Tang with a single mekugi-ana and continuous file marks in the photographs
  • Uchigatana koshirae in black ishime lacquer with makie, dated to late Edo
  • Iron kojiri with gold tendrils and leaves, and iron tsuba with a dragon

Points to bear in mind

  • The certificate does not appear in any photograph
  • The original seller does not state the condition of the blade
  • The blade is undated: its dating is an attribution based on signature and style

Score breakdown

52.7/100

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 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
  3. Mounting 4 of 18 Period mounting
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 4 of 8 62.2 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 3.7 of 10 Rank 95 of 151 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest