Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed and dated 1639 by the second Tadahiro of Hizen, bearing his earliest signature according to the original seller, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana by the second Tadahiro of Hizen, son and successor of the school's founder, who would later receive the title Ōmi Daijō. The tang bears the tachi-mei signature 肥前国住藤原忠廣 (Hizen no kuni-jū Fujiwara Tadahiro) and, on the other face, the date 寛永十六年二月吉日 (Kan'ei jūroku-nen nigatsu kichijitsu), that is, 1639. According to the original seller, this is the smith's earliest signature, predating his title, and his dated blades are rare. Shinogi-zukuri blade with iori-mune and chū-kissaki, 70.8 cm in nagasa with 1.5 cm of sori. According to the original seller, the jigane is a tightly forged ko-itame with thick ji-nie and fine chikei, and the hamon a suguha-notare in ko-nie with ko-gunome ashi and abundant yō; the bōshi is straight with a ko-maru turn-back. The tang is slightly suriage and has two mekugi-ana, one of them plugged, as the photographs show. Double habaki of gold-foiled copper. The blade comes in shirasaya, as declared by the original seller, and has no mounting. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers attributing it to the second generation.
Strong points
- Signed and dated 1639: the earliest signature of the second Tadahiro, according to the original seller.
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (no. 1015820), attributing it to the second generation.
- Tightly forged ko-itame jigane, the ko-nuka-hada typical of Hizen, according to the original seller.
- Blade of 70.8 cm nagasa with chū-kissaki.
Points to bear in mind
- No mounting: the blade is offered in shirasaya only, declared by the original seller and not photographed.
- Slightly suriage tang, with one of its two mekugi-ana plugged.
- The original seller notes a slight slackness of the steel in the jigane.
- Old polish, not recent.
Score
72.2 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
−20
Shortened tang (suriage) −20
-
Declared condition
−10
The original seller declares flaws 0 · minor flaws −10
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
70.8 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+27.2
Price: the more affordable, the more points +27.2
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
- 70.8 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Shortened tang (suriage)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- 2nd month of Kan'ei 16 (1639)
- Province
- Hizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 2,97 cm
- Sakihaba
- 1,99 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,67 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,42 cm