‹ Catalogue
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

The piece

Ubu katana by Echizen no Kami Nobuyoshi, signed with the engraved chrysanthemum, in a fine-nie suguha and with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper.

Katana by Echizen no Kami Nobuyoshi, a smith of the Nobuyoshi branch linked to the Sanpin school of Kyoto. According to the original seller, he was a son of the first Shinano no Kami Nobuyoshi, later moved to Settsu and worked between the Kanbun and Genroku eras. The blade, in shinogi-zukuri with a low iori-mune and chū-kissaki, has a nagasa of 69.7 cm and a fairly restrained sori of 1.2 cm. The original seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume and nagare-hada, abundant ji-nie and chikei, and a suguha hamon of fine nie with hotsure, ashi, yō, kinsuji and sunagashi, with a straight bōshi that sweeps and turns back. The tang is ubu, with an iriyamagata tip, ō-sujikai yasurime and one mekugi-ana, and bears the signature 越前守源信吉 (Echizen no Kami Minamoto no Nobuyoshi), with the chrysanthemum (kikumon) engraved above it, as the photographs show. According to the seller, it has a gilt copper double habaki and an old polish. It is kept in shirasaya, declared in the listing though not photographed, and has no mounting. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, no. 1026116, dated February of Reiwa 8 (2026).

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, no. 1026116.
  • Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana and full signature with the engraved chrysanthemum (kikumon).
  • Healthy blade without major flaws, according to the original seller.
  • Fine-nie suguha with kinsuji and sunagashi, according to the original seller.

Points to bear in mind

  • No mounting: the blade comes in shirasaya, which the listing declares but does not appear in the photographs.
  • Old polish, according to the original seller.
  • The photographs only show the omote of the tang.

Score

150 pointscurrent max. 255

  1. Certificate +50

    NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50

  2. Tang +25

    Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25

  3. Declared condition +30

    Healthy according to the original seller +30

  4. Signature and date +15

    Signed, with no engraved date +15

  5. Mounting −15

    No mounting −15

  6. Blade +10

    69.7 cm: within the usable range +10

  7. Shirasaya +5

    With a storage shirasaya +5

  8. Price +30

    Price: the more affordable, the more points +30

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
69.7 cm
Sori
1.2 cm
Tang
Intact (ubu)
Certificate
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
Mounting
No mounting
Storage shirasaya
Yes
Period
Shintō (1596-1780)
Dating
Kanbun–Genroku era (1661–1704)
Province
Yamashiro
Mekugi-ana
1
Condition
Sound condition according to the seller at origin
Signed
Yes
With an engraved date
No
Motohaba
3,05 cm
Sakihaba
2,13 cm
Motokasane
0,79 cm
Sakikasane
0,53 cm

€6,590Shipping and taxes included

Write