Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Minamoto Masao, a pupil of Yamaura Kiyomaro, from the late Edo period, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers and kept in shirasaya.
Katana by Minamoto Masao, a shinshintō smith of the Yamaura Kiyomaro school. According to the original seller, he worked in Shitaya Okachimachi in Edo, set up independently in Kaei 6 (1853) and forged in Hakodate in Ansei 6 (1859). The blade has a nagasa of 71.3 cm and a sori of 1.6 cm, with a motohaba of 3.20 cm, a sakihaba of 2.52 cm and a kasane of 6.6 mm at the base: a broad, robust blade typical of its time. The original seller describes a tightly forged ko-itame jigane and a bright gunome-chōji hamon in ko-nie with abundant nie-ashi; the photographs show an undulating gunome hamon along the whole blade. The nakago is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, and bears the signature 源正雄 (Minamoto Masao) on the omote; it is undated. The blade holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers issued in Heisei 10 (1998) and is kept in shirasaya with its habaki. It comes without koshirae.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers (1998)
- Signed 源正雄 (Minamoto Masao), ubu nakago with one mekugi-ana
- Smith of the Yamaura Kiyomaro school
- Robust blade: 71.3 cm nagasa and 6.6 mm kasane at the base
- Gunome-chōji hamon in ko-nie, according to the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae
- The original seller's listing does not state the condition of the blade
- No date inscribed on the nakago
Score
76.1 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
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
71.3 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+6.1
Price: the more affordable, the more points +6.1
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
- 71.3 cm
- Sori
- 1.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Minamoto Masao
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (bakumatsu)
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,20 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,52 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,66 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,52 cm
- Blade weight
- 800 g