Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke, attributed by the NBTHK to the second generation, “Naka Kawachi”, with Jūyō Tōken papers, koshirae and shirasaya.
Katana of the Ōsaka shintō school, signed 河内守国助 (Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke) on the omote of the tang. The NBTHK Jūyō documentation attributes it to the second generation of the line, known as “Naka Kawachi”, and regards it as a typical and representative work of his. Shinogi-zukuri blade with iori-mune, 70.8 cm in nagasa with 1.4 cm of sori. According to that description, the jigane is a fine, tightly forged ko-itame with ji-nie, and the hamon is a kobushi-style chōji mixed with gunome, rich in ashi, ko-nie and sunagashi, starting in suguha above the tang; the bōshi runs straight with a ko-maru turn. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana and sujikai yasurime, as the papers and the photographs confirm. The blade is mounted in a koshirae that the original seller describes without dating it: saya lacquered in kuro-rō-nuri and koishime, a plain round iron tsuba, a tsuka of polished same with a lacquered leather wrap, and dragonfly menuki. The photographs also show a shirasaya. NBTHK Jūyō Tōken papers no. 6191, from the 25th session.
Strong points
- NBTHK Jūyō Tōken papers no. 6191
- Work of the second generation, “Naka Kawachi”, regarded by the NBTHK as typical and representative
- Kobushi-chōji hamon, this smith’s hallmark
- Ubu, signed tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Koshirae with tsuba, fuchi-kashira, menuki, tsuka and saya, plus shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller declares a couple of kitae-kizu on the mune and some hike-kizu (light scratches) on the shinogi
- The koshirae is undated
- The original seller notes a few scratches on the saya
Score
179.7 pointscurrent max. 255
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Certificate
+140
NBTHK Jūyō paper +140
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Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
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Declared condition
−15
The original seller declares flaws 0 · minor flaws −10 · small kitae-ware, away from the edge −5
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Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
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Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
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Blade
+10
70.8 cm: within the usable range +10
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Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
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Price
−5.3
Price: the more affordable, the more points −5.3
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
- 70.8 cm
- Sori
- 1.4 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Jūyō
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Early Edo period (17th century)
- Province
- Settsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,0 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,0 cm
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