Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed 一峯 (Ippō), of the Ishidō school of Ōmi, placed around the Kan'ei era, in shirasaya and with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate.
Katana signed 一峯 (Ippō), a smith of the Ishidō school of Ōmi province, from the Shintō period. The original seller places it around the Kan'ei era and attributes it to the first generation, who signed with two characters in a style close to reisho script; the certificate does not specify the generation. The blade is shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune, wide, with a deep sori and a slightly extended chū-kissaki, and a bō-hi with rounded ends on both sides; nagasa 69.2 cm, sori 1.8 cm. According to the original seller, the jigane is itame mixed with mokume, with thick jinie and abundant chikei, and the hamon is notare mixed with gunome and chōji, with ashi and yō, deep ko-nie, kinsuji and sunagashi, and a midare-komi bōshi with hakikake. The photographs show an undulating notare and gunome hamon along the whole blade. The tang is declared ubu, with a kurijiri tip and sujikai yasurime; the photographs show three mekugi-ana, two of them plugged. It comes in shirasaya, with a one-piece silver-foiled habaki and no mounting. It holds an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate issued in May 2025.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate (2025)
- Signed 一峯 (Ippō), Ishidō school of Ōmi
- Notare and gunome hamon on a wide blade with deep sori
- Tang declared ubu, with kurijiri tip
- Kept in shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade comes in shirasaya only
- The first-generation attribution is the original seller's; the certificate does not specify it
- The tang has three mekugi-ana, two of them plugged
- The listing states neither the condition nor the date of the polish
Score
84.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+15
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25 · 1 extra mekugi-ana −10
-
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
69.2 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+24.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.4
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
- 69.2 cm
- Sori
- 1.8 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Sasaki Ippō
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kan'ei era (1624–1644)
- Province
- Omi
- Mekugi-ana
- 3
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,1 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,0 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,70 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,45 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,70 cm
- Blade weight
- 661 g