Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by the second generation of the Sendai Kunikane line of Mutsu province, signed with an ubu tang and designated Jūyō Tōken at the 27th NBTHK session. Kept in shirasaya.
Work of the second-generation Yamashiro no Kami Kunikane, a smith of the Sendai Kunikane school active in Mutsu province in the early Edo period. According to the original seller, he was the son of the first Kunikane, who served Date Masamune, and received the title Yamashiro no Kami in 1667. The school is renowned for its regular, tightly forged masame-hada. The blade measures 70.4 cm in nagasa with 1.6 cm of sori: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, standard width and a medium kissaki. The certificate describes a tight masame-hada with ji-nie, a hiro-suguha hamon with ashi, a deep nioi, abundant ko-nie and sunagashi, and a straight bōshi with a rounded turn-back. The tang is ubu with one mekugi-ana and bears on the omote, along the back, the signature 山城守藤原国包 (Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Kunikane). The photographs show a double habaki with gold foil and the shirasaya. The NBTHK designated it Jūyō Tōken at the 27th session (1980); the certificate and the designation book page accompany it.
Strong points
- Jūyō Tōken, 27th NBTHK session (1980)
- Ubu tang signed 山城守藤原国包 (Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Kunikane)
- Masame-hada typical of the Sendai Kunikane school
- Hiro-suguha rich in nie with ashi and sunagashi, according to the certificate
- Double gold-foiled habaki and shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade is offered in shirasaya only.
- The original seller does not expressly state the condition of the blade.
Score
157.4 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
-
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
70.4 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
−2.6
Price: the more affordable, the more points −2.6
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
- 70.4 cm
- Sori
- 1.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Jūyō
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Mutsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,09 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,03 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,75 cm
- Blade weight
- 850 g