NH-0009 Rank 12
Hosokawa Tadamasa
Signed and dated the eighth month of Keiō 4 (1868), with an ubu tang bearing a single mekugi-ana, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, and both koshirae and shirasaya.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Hosokawa Tadamasa was the eldest son of Hosokawa Tadayoshi and worked as a smith for the Nobeoka domain in Hyūga province; the signature ties his activity to Shimōsa and to Nobeoka. The blade measures 72.1 cm of nagasa with a sori of 1.1 cm, giving a long, barely curved outline, and it is broad and substantial in weight: 920 g bare and 1,300 g when mounted. The tang remains ubu, unshortened, with a single mekugi-ana, so the signature survives in full. It is dated the eighth month of Keiō 4 (1868), the year of the Meiji Restoration, an uncommon detail that fixes the work to a precise moment. The blade carries NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers. It comes with koshirae and shirasaya, although the original seller gives no detail on the fittings of the mounting and makes no statement about the blade's state of preservation.
Strong points
- Signed and dated the eighth month of Keiō 4 (1868)
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana: the signature is complete and unshortened
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers
- Supplied with koshirae and shirasaya
- Broad blade of 72.1 cm: 920 g bare, 1,300 g mounted
- By the eldest son of Hosokawa Tadayoshi, smith to the Nobeoka domain
Points to bear in mind
- Sori of 1.1 cm: an almost straight profile
- The original seller does not describe the fittings of the mounting
- No statement is made about the blade's state of preservation
Score breakdown
71.9/100
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).
- Signature and date 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
- Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
- Mounting 0 of 18 Modern mounting
- Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
- Blade 8 of 8 72.1 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 8.9 of 10 Rank 16 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest