NH-0027 Rank 57
Izumo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshitake Hōtetsu Nyūdō
Signed and dated an auspicious day of the eighth month of Tenna 2 (1682), with an ubu tang, bō-hi on both faces and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers; koshirae and shirasaya.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Izumo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshitake was the son of Horikawa Kunitake and trained in the Horikawa school. The signature “Hōtetsu Nyūdō” belongs to his old age, so it identifies the first of the line without ambiguity. The blade is signed and dated an auspicious day of the eighth month of Tenna 2 (1682). It measures 68.5 cm of nagasa with 2.27 cm of sori, a generous curve, and carries bō-hi on both faces, finished with a rounded end above the habaki. The tang remains ubu, with yasurime cut as ornament, and shows two mekugi-ana. The original seller notes in the workmanship of the blade the mark of contact with the Hōjōji school in Edo. The blade holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers and comes with koshirae and shirasaya, although the fittings are neither described nor dated.
Strong points
- Signed and dated the eighth month of Tenna 2 (1682)
- Ubu tang with yasurime cut as ornament
- The signature “Hōtetsu Nyūdō” identifies the first of the line
- Bō-hi on both faces, rounded off above the habaki
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, with koshirae and shirasaya
- Son of Horikawa Kunitake, of the Horikawa school
Points to bear in mind
- Two mekugi-ana
- The original seller neither describes nor dates the mounting
- No statement is made about the blade's state of preservation
Score breakdown
61.9/100
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 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin, with 2 mekugi-ana
- Mounting -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
- Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
- Blade 6 of 8 68.5 cm: close to the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 4.9 of 10 Rank 72 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest