NH-0046 Rank 120
Hizen Saga-jū Fujiwara Masanaga
肥前佐賀住藤原正長
Hizen blade of the Kanbun era, with a showy gunome-midare, a very legible hada and a red-lacquered koshirae. With shirasaya and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana signed 肥前佐賀住藤原正長, “Hizen Saga-jū Fujiwara Masanaga”, of the Kanbun era (1661-1673). The original seller stresses that Masanaga was particularly skilled at carving. Hizen enjoyed an advantage over other provinces: Nagasaki was the only port open to foreign trade, with the Dutch, so techniques and information reached it that did not reach other schools, and its smiths earned a reputation for precision. The Kanbun era also marks the point at which the samurai ceased to be a full-time warrior and became an official: he wore a sword by obligation but rarely used it, hence the straight, barely curved outline typical of the period, which this blade shows with 1.06 cm of sori over 71.2 cm of nagasa. The hamon is a showy gunome-midare and the hada is very legible. The photographs show the tang with two mekugi-ana and mottled rust, and a clean blade in every frame. It is supplied with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, shirasaya and a koshirae with red saya and cream tsuka, together with a carrying case and a maintenance kit.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon, with shirasaya and koshirae
- Showy gunome-midare hamon over a very legible hada
- Koshirae with red saya and cream tsuka
- Hizen, one of the best-known schools of the shintō period
- The original seller underlines Masanaga's skill at carving
- Supplied with a carrying case and a maintenance kit
Points to bear in mind
- The signature carries no date
- Two mekugi-ana, and the condition of the tang is not stated: it can only be judged from the photographs
- The photographs show mottled rust on the tang
Score breakdown
48.2/100
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 6 of 22 Shortened tang (suriage)
- Mounting 0 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: new habaki
- Declared condition 13 of 20 Minor flaws declared
- Blade 8 of 8 71.2 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 7.2 of 10 Rank 40 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest