Kantei

NH-1015 Rank 95

Echigo no Kami Kanesada

Shintō katana by the first Echigo no Kami Kanesada of Settsu, signed and with an ubu nakago, in a black-lacquered uchigatana koshirae, with a Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper declared by the original seller.

Shintō (1596-1780)Early Edo period (17th century)SettsuNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana by the first Echigo no Kami Kanesada, a Settsu smith of the early Edo period. According to the original seller, his civil name was Yamada Heidayū, he descended from the Tegai line of Yamato and studied under the first Iga no Kami Kanemichi. The blade has a nagasa of 71.4 cm and a sori of 0.9 cm, in shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune. The seller describes a ko-itame with mokume, thick ji-nie and chikei, and a hamon of notare with gunome, chōji and togari-ba in a tōran manner, with ample nie and tobiyaki; the photographs show a broad, undulating hamon consistent with that description. The nakago, declared ubu, appears intact in the photographs, with a single mekugi-ana and the signature 越後守包貞 (Echigo no Kami Kanesada) on the omote; the ura bears no inscription. The blade comes with an uchigatana koshirae: a black roiro-lacquered saya, a tsuka wrapped in black ito over white same, fuchi-kashira with gold accents, a gilt habaki and an iron tsuba with a landscape in relief inlaid with gold and other metals; the original seller describes it but does not date it. According to the seller, the piece also includes a shirasaya and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, neither of which appears in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Signature 越後守包貞 (Echigo no Kami Kanesada) of the first master, on an ubu nakago with a single mekugi-ana.
  • Notare and gunome hamon in a tōran manner, with nie and tobiyaki, visible in the photographs.
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, declared by the original seller.
  • Complete uchigatana koshirae with black roiro saya and an inlaid iron landscape tsuba.
  • Shirasaya included, according to the original seller.

Points to bear in mind

  • The NBTHK paper does not appear in the photographs; its level is stated only in the original seller's listing.
  • The koshirae is undated and has no papers of its own.
  • The listing says nothing about the condition of the blade; the photographs show no obvious flaws but are not enough to confirm it.
  • The shirasaya does not appear in the photographs.

Score breakdown

58.3/100

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 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting 1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.4 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 2.3 of 10 Rank 125 of 161 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest