Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Oku Motohira, a central figure of the Satsuma shinshintō tradition, signed and dated autumn of Kansei 7 (1795), in shirasaya with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Oku Motohira, son of Motonao, received the title Yamato no Kami in 1789 and stands, together with Hōki no Kami Masayuki, among the leading representatives of the Satsuma shinshintō tradition. This katana has a nagasa of 71.82 cm and a sori of 2.27 cm; according to the original seller, it has a wide mihaba, ample niku, pronounced koshizori and a slightly elongated chū-kissaki. The seller describes a tight, dark ko-itame jigane with ji-nie and chikei, and a nie-deki gunome-midare hamon with sunagashi, kinsuji and imozuru, a hallmark of Satsuma; the detail photographs show the nie-based gunome-midare. The tang, intact as far as the photographs show, with a single mekugi-ana, is signed 奥大和守平朝臣元平 (Oku Yamato no Kami Taira Ason Motohira) and dated 寛政七卯秋 (Kansei shichi u aki). It has a one-piece silver habaki and is kept in a shirasaya bearing a sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro. The NBTHK awarded it Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers in 2019.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers
- Signed and dated 1795, in the smith's prime
- Nie gunome-midare hamon with sunagashi and imozuru, according to the original seller
- Shirasaya with sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro
- Tang intact according to the photographs
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae
- The listing does not state the blade's condition or the date of polish
Score
82.7 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
71.8 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+7.7
Price: the more affordable, the more points +7.7
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
- 71.8 cm
- Sori
- 2.3 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Oku Motohira
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- Autumn of Kansei 7 (1795)
- Province
- Satsuma
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,16 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,17 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,68 cm
- Blade weight
- 765 g