Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed by Yamashiro no Kami Kunikiyo, of the Echizen shintō, with suguha according to the original seller, an intact tang, shirasaya and an uchigatana-koshirae bearing the kiri mon. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper.
Yamashiro no Kami Kunikiyo heads a line of smiths which, according to the original seller, worked for several generations in Echizen (Fukui), its founder having trained under Horikawa Kunihiro; suguha was their speciality. The blade measures 70.9 cm in nagasa with 1.0 cm of sori: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune and chū-kissaki, of balanced width and thickness. According to the original seller, the jigane is a fine itame mixed with mokume, dense jinie and chikei, and the hamon a suguha of soft ko-nie with a deep nioiguchi, the bōshi straight with a komaru turn-back. The tang, shown intact in the photographs, with sujikai yasurime and two mekugi-ana, bears the signature 山城守藤原国清 (Yamashiro no Kami Fujiwara Kunikiyo), preceded by a sixteen-petal chrysanthemum and the stroke 一 (ichi). It wears a one-piece gold-foil habaki and comes with a shirasaya and an uchigatana-koshirae with a black lacquered saya and shakudō fittings bearing the kiri (paulownia) mon, described but not dated in the listing. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper issued in 2023.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper
- Full signature with the Yamashiro no Kami title and an engraved chrysanthemum on the tang
- Tang intact according to the photographs, with two mekugi-ana
- Uchigatana-koshirae with shakudō fittings and kiri mon, plus shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The listing describes the mounting but does not date it.
- The photographs suggest a relacquered saya and a rewrapped handle (ito); the listing does not mention it.
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade.
Score
87.5 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
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Mounting
−7
Mounting described, undated +5 · family crests (mon): 1 +3 · relacquered saya −10 · rewrapped ito −5
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Blade
+10
70.9 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+14.5
Price: the more affordable, the more points +14.5
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
- 70.9 cm
- Sori
- 1 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Meireki–Genroku eras (1655–1698)
- Province
- Echizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,15 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,65 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,67 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,55 cm
- Length when mounted
- 100 cm aprox.
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