Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shintō katana signed by Izumo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshitake, a wide and robust blade, in shirasaya with a sayagaki by Kunzan and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana by Izumo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshitake, a Shintō-period smith active in the second half of the 17th century. According to the original seller, tradition holds him to be the son of Kunitake, a pupil of Horikawa Kunihiro. The blade measures 72.4 cm in nagasa with 3 cm of sori; it is wide and thick, with a large kissaki, and the photographs show a hi carved along the blade. The original seller describes a ko-itame and itame jigane with ji-nie and chikei, more pronounced near the habaki, and a nie-based gunome-midare hamon with a deep nioiguchi and a large bōshi. The tang, which the photographs show intact with two mekugi-ana, bears the signature 出雲守藤原吉武 (Izumo no Kami Fujiwara Yoshitake). The blade is kept in a shirasaya with a sayagaki by Kunzan dated 昭和乙卯年正月 (Shōwa kinoto-u-doshi shōgatsu), January 1975, and has a gilt two-piece habaki. It holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers from January 2006, visible in the photographs. It does not come with a koshirae.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2006)
- Full signature on a tang that appears intact in the photographs
- Shirasaya with a sayagaki by Kunzan (1975)
- Wide, thick blade with a large kissaki and a nie-based gunome-midare hamon
- Gilt two-piece habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade comes in shirasaya only
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade or the date of the polish
- The tang has two mekugi-ana
Score
86.2 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
72.4 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+21.2
Price: the more affordable, the more points +21.2
The score adds and subtracts points for each feature of the piece and has no ceiling: the highest in the catalogue today is 255. 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).
Measurements
- Nagasa
- 72.4 cm
- Sori
- 3 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Manji to Enpō eras (1658–1681)
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,48 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,57 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,76 cm
- Blade weight
- 875 g