Kantei

NH-0006 Rank 29

Hizen Kawachi no Kami Masahiro

肥前國河内守藤原正廣

Second-generation Kawachi no Kami Masahiro of Hizen, with an ubu tang holding a single hole, the school's tight ko-nuka-hada and a period mounting with a full matching set of fittings.

Shintō (1596-1780)Kanbun era onwards (from 1661)HizenNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Son of the first Kawachi Daijō Masahiro, the second Masahiro was named Sadenjirō and first signed “Masanaga”. He received the title Musashi Daijō in 1660 and Musashi no Kami in 1661; on his father's death in 1665 he took the name Masahiro and the title Kawachi no Kami. He died in 1699, aged 73. The blade, signed 肥前國河内守藤原正廣, is shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, broad mihaba, moderate sori and chū-kissaki: 71.5 cm nagasa, 1.5 cm sori, 3.12 cm motohaba, 764 g. The hada is a very tight ko-itame — the Hizen ko-nuka-hada — with abundant ji-nie and fine chikei; the hamon consists of linked gunome with ashi, well-set nie and sunagashi, and the bōshi is straight with a rounded turnback and hakikake. The tang is ubu, with suji-kai yasurime, an iri-yamagata tip and a single mekugi-ana. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers dated 11 May 2000. The koshirae is an uchigatana with kuro-kawari-nuri saya, an iron tsuba pierced with pines and kin-zōgan, hō-ō menuki in shakudō with gold iroe, and matching fuchi-kashira, koiguchi, kurikata and kojiri in polished shibuichi. Shirasaya and a one-piece gilt suaka habaki are included.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon (11 May 2000)
  • Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana and iriyama-gata nakago-jiri
  • Black kawari-nuri koshirae with a complete soroi-kanagu set in polished shibuichi
  • Iron tsuba with pines in sukashi and kin-zōgan; shakudō hō-ō menuki with gold iroe
  • Tight ko-nuka-hada with ji-nie and chikei, the Hizen school trait
  • Shirasaya included

Points to bear in mind

  • The signature carries no date
  • The koshirae has no tōsōgu papers of its own

Score breakdown

67.5/100

The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. 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).

  1. Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting -1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: rewrapped ito and new sageo
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.5 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 7.5 of 10 Rank 36 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest