Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Signed katana by Nobukuni Yoshikane, of the Chikuzen branch of the Nobukuni school, early Edo period, in shirasaya and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana signed 筑前住源信国吉包 (Chikuzen-jū Minamoto Nobukuni Yoshikane), a work of the Chikuzen branch of the Nobukuni school. According to the original seller, the lineage descends from the Kyoto Nobukuni, heirs to the Rai tradition, moved to Chikuzen in the late fifteenth century and worked in the service of the Kuroda clan; this Yoshikane is said to be the fourteenth of the line and one of the representative shintō-period smiths of Chikuzen, active around the Enpō era. The blade has a nagasa of 70 cm, a sori of 1.6 cm, a motohaba of 3.09 cm and a motokasane of 0.74 cm. The original seller describes an elegant shape with moderate curvature, a tightly forged ko-itame jigane with masame and ji-nie, and a bright notare-midare hamon mixed with gunome, with activity along the edge. The photographs show a nakago of intact shape, with two mekugi-ana and the signature on the omote, and a gilt habaki. According to the listing, the blade is kept in shirasaya; there is no koshirae. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, no. 1014613, issued in November of Reiwa 2 (2020).
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2020)
- Full signature with province and clan name
- Nakago of intact shape in the photographs
- Chikuzen Nobukuni school, shintō period
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade
- The shirasaya is stated in the listing but does not appear in the photographs
Score
88.4 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
+10
70 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+23.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +23.4
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
- 70 cm
- Sori
- 1.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Nobukuni Yoshikane
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Around the Enpō era (1673–1681)
- Province
- Chikuzen
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,09 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,0 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,74 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,48 cm