Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed by Chikashige, founder of the Shitahara school of Musashi, late Muromachi, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers, an antique mounting with Hozon Tōsōgu papers, and shirasaya.
Katana signed on the tang 武州住周重作 (Bushū-jū Chikashige saku), the work of Chikashige, whom the original seller presents as the founder of the Shitahara school, active in Musashi from the late Muromachi period. Nagasa 73.2 cm, sori 2.0 cm. According to the original seller, the blade shows the late Muromachi shape, somewhat long, with saki-zori and an extended kissaki; the hamon is a neat suguha with muneyaki, and the jigane, an itame tending to nagare, foreshadows the swirling mokume typical of the school. The photographs show a tang that appears intact, with a single mekugi-ana. The seller states a polish carried out in 2026. The blade holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers dated Reiwa 5 (2023). It comes with an antique mounting with a black ishime saya and iron fittings with dragons and silver nunome, attributed by the seller to Jingo, covered by NBTHK Hozon Tōsōgu papers of Heisei 7 (1995) for the whole koshirae, and with its shirasaya.
Strong points
- Signed by Chikashige, founder of the Shitahara school of Musashi
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers
- Mounting with NBTHK Hozon Tōsōgu papers for the complete koshirae
- Polished in 2026 according to the original seller
- Also kept in shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The seller does not date the mounting precisely; its papers certify it as an object, not as made for this blade
- The ito and sageo appear to have been redone in the photographs
- The seller makes no explicit statement on the condition of the blade
Score
152.5 pointscurrent max. 255
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Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
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Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−10
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20 · recent polish +10
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
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Mounting
+48
Antique mounting, from another period than the blade +35 · Hozon Tōsōgu paper for the whole mounting +20 · family crests (mon): 1 +3 · rewrapped ito −5 · new sageo −5
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Blade
+10
73.2 cm: within the usable range +10
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Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
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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
- 73.2 cm
- Sori
- 2 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
- Smith
- Shitahara Chikashige
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Late Muromachi period (16th century)
- Province
- Musashi
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Recent polish declared by the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,12 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,36 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,74 cm
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