NH-0072 Rank 31
Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadayoshi, 4th generation
肥前国住近江大掾藤原忠吉
Katana by the fourth-generation Hizen Tadayoshi, with a signed ubu tang, Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a complete dragon-themed koshirae that the original seller dates to the Edo period.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana by the fourth-generation Hizen Tadayoshi, Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadayoshi, of the main line of the Hizen Tadayoshi school. According to the original seller, he was born in 1667, the son of the third Tadayoshi (Mutsu no Kami) and grandson of Tadahiro, for whom he forged blades as daisaku, and he received the title Ōmi Daijō in 1700, during the Genroku era. The blade, in shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune, has a nagasa of 71.8 cm and a sori of 2 cm; the seller describes a very fine, uniform konuka-hada and a chū-suguha of fine, bright nie. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, and bears the signature “Hizen Kuni jū Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadayoshi”. It comes with a koshirae the seller dates to the Edo period, with matching dragon-themed fittings —tsuba, fuchi-kashira, menuki and kurigata— and a black lacquered saya with a section of kizami. The photographs also show a shirasaya, its cloth bags and a two-piece habaki in shakudō and silver foil. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, no. 123103, dated July of Heisei 4 (1992).
Strong points
- Work of the fourth Tadayoshi, of the main Hizen line
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana and full signature
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 123103, 1992), visible in the photographs
- Complete dragon-themed koshirae, dated by the seller to the Edo period
- Also supplied with shirasaya, bags and a two-piece habaki
Points to bear in mind
- The Edo dating of the koshirae is the original seller's statement; the mounting has no paper of its own
- The photographs show wear on the ito and small cracks in the same, consistent with use
- The blade is undated; its “perfect” condition is the seller's statement
Score breakdown
67.3/100
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 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
- Mounting 3 of 18 Period mounting · restored: rewrapped ito
- Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Blade 8 of 8 71.8 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 3.3 of 10 Rank 93 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest