NH-0044 Rank 104
Awataguchi Fujiwara Tadanawa
An early signature of the first Tadatsuna, while he still signed “Tadanawa”. Well-kept tang with a single mekugi-ana, koshirae and shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana signed “Awataguchi Fujiwara Tadanawa”: the early signature of the first Tadatsuna, before he adopted the name by which he is known. He had been born in Himeji, in Harima, and the “Yamashiro no Kuni” that appears in the signature indicates that by then he had moved away and returned to his native province to forge this blade. The original seller regards it as a representative work of his maturity and points out that without this first Tadatsuna there would be no Ikkanshi of the second generation. The blade belongs to the early Edo period and measures 66.4 cm nagasa with 1.5 cm sori. The tang is well kept, with a long signature in a distinctive hand, and retains a single mekugi-ana. It is sold with koshirae and shirasaya, and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Strong points
- An early signature of the first Tadatsuna, while he still signed “Tadanawa”
- A single mekugi-ana
- Well-kept tang with a long signature in a distinctive hand
- The original seller regards it as a representative work of his maturity
- Sold with koshirae and shirasaya
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
Points to bear in mind
- 66.4 cm nagasa: below the usual length of a katana intended for use
- The signature carries no date
- The mounting is neither described nor dated
- The original seller does not describe the blade's state of preservation
Score breakdown
53.8/100
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 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
- Tang 16 of 22 Tang not declared, with a single mekugi-ana
- Mounting 1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
- Blade 4 of 8 66.4 cm: outside the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 7.8 of 10 Rank 31 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest