Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Kenryūshi Nagashige, smith to the Date clan in Sendai, signed and dated 1804, with ubu tang, koshirae, shirasaya and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper.
Katana by Kenryūshi Nagashige, a smith in the service of the Date clan in Sendai (Mutsu province), active from the Hōreki to the Bunka era. According to the original seller, he was a pupil of Ōmi no Kami Tsuguhira, carried on the Nagashige house as its fifth generation and received the title Settsu no Kami. The blade has a nagasa of 60.6 cm and a sori of 1.2 cm: shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and chū-kissaki, wide and thick. The original seller describes a tight ko-itame jigane, a gunome midare hamon starting in suguha with tama in the monouchi, and a straight bōshi with hakikake returning in ko-maru; the photographs show the gunome along the blade. The tang is ubu, with one mekugi-ana, sujikai file marks with keshō-yasuri and a kurijiri tip. Signed 見龍子永茂 (Kenryūshi Nagashige) on the omote and dated 文化元于余作 (probable reading: Bunka gan u yo saku) with a kaō on the ura: a mature work of 1804. It comes with a complete koshirae with black lacquered saya, a copper tsuba with tiger and bamboo, shibuichi fuchi-kashira with Fukurokuju and Chinese figures, shakudō menuki of folding fans, and also a shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, issued in 2026.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, issued in 2026
- Signed and dated Bunka 1 (1804), with kaō
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Complete koshirae with black lacquered saya, plus shirasaya
- Smith in the service of the Date clan in Sendai
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller does not state the condition of the blade or the date of the polish.
- The mounting is described but not dated, and its fittings carry no stated paper or signature.
- At 60.6 cm nagasa, this is a short katana.
Score
120 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
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
-
Blade
0
60.6 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
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
- 60.6 cm
- Sori
- 1.2 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Kenryūshi Nagashige
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- Bunka 1 (1804)
- Province
- Mutsu
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,2 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,1 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,7 cm
- Length when mounted
- 92,0 cm
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