Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana by Oku Motohira of Satsuma, signed and dated autumn 1793, with an ubu tang, designated Jūyō Tōken in 1966 and published in the Shinshintō Taikan.
Katana by Oku Motohira (1744–1826), smith to the Satsuma domain who, together with Hōki no Kami Masayuki, led Satsuma shinshintō. Son and pupil of Oku Motonao, he received the title Yamato no Kami in 1789; this blade, made in 1793, belongs to his mature period. It is shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune and a slightly extended chū-kissaki, with a nagasa of 71.1 cm and a sori of 1.6 cm. According to the original seller, the jigane is ko-itame mixed with itame, mokume and nagare, with dense ji-nie and abundant chikei; the hamon is a narrow suguha tending to notare with small gunome, in bright nie, with hotsure, nijūba, ashi, yō and a thick kinsuji, inspired by the Sōshū tradition; the bōshi is straight with a slight hakikake. The photographs show the ubu tang with one mekugi-ana, signed in tachi-mei 奥大和守平朝臣元平 (Oku Yamato no Kami Taira no Ason Motohira) and dated on the ura 寛政五丑秋 (Kansei go ushi aki). It was designated Jūyō Tōken at the 14th NBTHK session (1966) and is published in the Shinshintō Taikan. According to the listing, it is kept in shirasaya with a gold-foiled copper habaki.
Strong points
- Jūyō Tōken, 14th NBTHK session (1966)
- Dated 1793, from the smith's mature period, published in the Shinshintō Taikan
- Ubu tang with the full Yamato no Kami signature and date
- Bright-nie suguha with kinsuji in the Sōshū manner, according to the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade comes in shirasaya, declared by the original seller and not photographed
- The original seller dates the blade to spring; the Jūyō certificate and the tang read autumn, 秋 (aki)
- The polish is described as an older high-grade polish, not a recent one
Score
216 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+140
NBTHK Jūyō paper +140
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
71.1 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
−4
Price: the more affordable, the more points −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
- 71.1 cm
- Sori
- 1.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Jūyō
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Oku Motohira
- Period
- Shinshintō (1781-1876)
- Dating
- Autumn of Kansei 5 (1793)
- Province
- Satsuma
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,25 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,16 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,64 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,51 cm