Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Katsumura Norikatsu of the Mito school, dated the 8th month of Meiji 3 (1870), with an unshortened tang, in shirasaya and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana forged by Katsumura Norikatsu, a smith of Mito in Hitachi province, in the last years before the ban on wearing swords. The tang bears on the omote the signature 常州水戸住勝村徳勝造之 (Jōshū Mito-jū Katsumura Norikatsu kore o tsukuru) and on the ura the date 明治三年八月日 (Meiji san-nen hachigatsu hi). The photographs show a tang that appears intact, with continuous file marks and a single mekugi-ana. Nagasa 70.61 cm, sori 1.21 cm; according to the original seller, a relatively wide mihaba and an elongated kissaki, a tightly forged ko-itame jigane mixed with masame, prominent masame in the shinogi-ji, a suguha hamon with gunome and abundant kinsuji, and a midarekomi bōshi with a short rounded turnback. Single gold-foiled habaki. Kept in shirasaya, without mountings. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, an older Tokubetsu Kichō Tōken certificate and a Shibata appraisal. The listing says nothing about the blade's condition.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 8th month of Meiji 3 (1870)
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers
- Unshortened tang, judging by the photographs
- Hamon with abundant kinsuji, according to the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- No mountings: offered in shirasaya only
- The original seller does not state the blade's condition
- The Tokubetsu Kichō Tōken paper belongs to a discontinued NBTHK system
Score
99.4 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
70.6 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+24.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.4
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
- 70.6 cm
- Sori
- 1.2 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Katsumura Norikatsu
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 8th month of Meiji 3 (1870)
- Province
- Hitachi
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 2,95 cm
- Sakihaba
- 1,99 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,63 cm
- Blade weight
- 775 g