Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Sukemitsu, a Mito smith, signed and dated 1864, with ubu tang, black-lacquered uchigatana koshirae and Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers according to the original seller.
Katana by Sukemitsu, a smith of Mito (Hitachi province) in the shinshintō period. According to the original seller, he forged in the service of Tokugawa Nariaki at the Shirahata-yama arms workshop. The blade, with a nagasa of 83.8 cm and a sori of 2.2 cm, is shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and has a robust appearance. The original seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume, fine ji-nie and chikei, and a notare hamon with gunome, rich in konie, with ashi and a bright nioiguchi; the photographs show a broadly undulating hamon. The tang is ubu, as the seller states and the photographs confirm, with two mekugi-ana; it is signed on the omote 水府白旗山住祐光造 (Suifu Shirahata-yama-jū Sukemitsu tsukuru) and dated on the ura 元治元年二月日 (Genji gannen nigatsu hi), that is, 1864. It comes with an uchigatana koshirae with a black roiro-lacquered saya, a tsuka of white same with black ito, and an iron tsuba with plant motifs in relief; the listing does not date it. The original seller also declares a shirasaya, which does not appear in the photographs. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, as declared by the original seller.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 元治元年二月日 (Genji gannen nigatsu hi), 1864
- Ubu tang with two mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, according to the original seller
- Long, robust blade: 83.8 cm nagasa
- With uchigatana koshirae in black roiro saya and a shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The listing neither dates the mounting nor describes its fittings.
- The tsuka ito looks tight and clean in the photographs: probably rewrapped.
- The shirasaya and the papers are stated in the listing but do not appear in the photographs.
- The listing says nothing about the condition of the blade.
Score
118.7 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin, with 2 mekugi-ana +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
0
Mounting described, undated +5 · rewrapped ito −5
-
Blade
+15
83.8 cm: long blade, 74 cm or more +15
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+18.7
Price: the more affordable, the more points +18.7
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
- 83.8 cm
- Sori
- 2.2 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Sukemitsu
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- 2nd month of Genji 1 (1864)
- Province
- Hitachi
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motokasane
- 0,82 cm
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