Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Kanbun-era shintō katana signed by Yamato no Kami Yasumichi, with an Ichimonji-style chōji-midare hamon, in shirasaya with koshirae, and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana signed 大和守源康道 (Yamato no Kami Minamoto Yasumichi), a smith active around the Kanbun era. According to the original seller he belonged to the Akasaka Senjuin lineage of Mino and also worked in Owari; the NBTHK paper places him in Owari around Kanbun. The blade measures 71.2 cm according to the paper (the seller's listing gives 70.2 cm), with 0.9 cm of sori and a slightly elongated kissaki, the typical Kanbun shintō shape. The original seller describes a finely forged ko-itame with masame in the shinogi-ji, and a hamon that starts as suguha at the hamachi and opens into Ichimonji-style chōji-midare with a deep nioiguchi, ending in an almost ichimai bōshi with a rounded turnback; the close-up photographs show this chōji-midare. The tang is ubu, with one mekugi-ana and the signature on the omote. It comes in shirasaya and with a koshirae: kawari-nuri saya, round iron openwork tsuba with a gunbai and a silver fukurin, shakudō fuchi-kashira and menuki with shells and flowers in gold iroe, and an engraved iron kojiri. Single-piece silver-foiled habaki. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers
- Signed ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Ichimonji-style chōji-midare hamon, visible in the close-ups
- Shirasaya and koshirae with shakudō fuchi-kashira and menuki in gold iroe
Points to bear in mind
- The listing does not state the blade's condition or when it was polished
- The koshirae is described piece by piece, but is undated and has no papers of its own
- The paper gives a length of 71.2 cm; the seller's listing, 70.2 cm
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
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
+5
Mounting described, undated +5
-
Blade
+10
71.2 cm: within the usable range +10
-
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
- 71.2 cm
- Sori
- 0.9 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Mino
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,08 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,16 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,76 cm
- Blade weight
- 780 g
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