Q562. O-suriage, mumei katana.

Nagasa: 27 1/4″ 68.8 cm.

Siri: 1.1 cm.

Moto haba: 2.9 cm.

Moto kasane: .6 cm.

Saki haba: 2.1 cm.

Saki kasane: .4 cm.

Nakago nagasa: 7 7/16″ 18.9 cm.

Overall in koshirae: 39 1/4″ 99.5 cm.

Shinogi zukuri, koshi zori, iore mune, chu kissaki. The hada is ko itame with mokume. The hamon is sanbon suji (3 pines) and the boshi is suguba with a bit of nijuba and other hataraki, ending is a slightly swept o-maru and a medium length kaeri. Other than for a couple pin prick coarse grain the blade is flawless and other than for a few minor scratches, it is in polish. It is mounted with a double gold foil habaki and comes with a Hozon paper from the NBTHK, dated 2018 and giving it to Kanesaki.

The koshirae is in excellent condition. The saya is textured black lacquer without damage, with a plain iron jojiri and horn kurikata and koiguchi. The tsuba is iron sukashi. The fuchi kashira are mismatched: plain iron fuchi and a shakudo kashira. The menuki are shakudo and gold, possibly of oni or maybe a fierce samurai. The tsuka-ito is in great condition and wrapped over better qualith same’.

While the paper doesn’t specify which Kanesaki, the typical for Mino sanbon suji hamon and the rest of the work point to one of the 2 prominent smiths with that name who worked in Mino in the 16th century. A healthy blade in polish and intact koshirae, with a polish: what’s not to like. 3 pounds, 7 ounces.  $2,850.