Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed 肥前國河内大掾藤原正廣 (Hizen no Kuni Kawachi Daijō Fujiwara Masahiro), early Edo period, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers and kept in shirasaya.
A blade by Kawachi Daijō Masahiro, a smith of Hizen province linked to the Tadayoshi school. According to the original seller, he usually forged Sōshū-style midare hamon with abundant nie, and this blade is an exception: a tight masame jigane mixed with itame and mokume, covered in ji-nie, in the manner of the Hōshō school, with a suguha hamon accompanied by sunagashi, kinsuji and uchinoke. It is a wide, thick blade with shallow curvature: nagasa 70.6 cm, sori 1.5 cm, motohaba 3.27 cm and kasane 0.80 cm. The tang, which the photographs show intact with a single mekugi-ana, bears the signature 肥前國河内大掾藤原正廣 (Hizen no Kuni Kawachi Daijō Fujiwara Masahiro). The original seller describes it as well polished and in healthy condition. It is kept in a shirasaya with an ink sayagaki, fitted with a double-layer gold-covered habaki, and accompanied by NBTHK 特別保存刀剣 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken) papers issued in 2018.
Strong points
- NBTHK 特別保存刀剣 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken) papers, photographed
- Full titled signature: 肥前國河内大掾藤原正廣 (Hizen no Kuni Kawachi Daijō Fujiwara Masahiro)
- Masame jigane, unusual for this smith, according to the original seller
- Intact tang with a single mekugi-ana, according to the photographs
- Shirasaya with ink sayagaki and double-layer gold habaki
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only: no koshirae included.
- The blade bears no engraved date; the original seller places it in the Kan'ei era, early 17th century.
Score
142 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
70.6 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+27
Price: the more affordable, the more points +27
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
- 70.6 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kan'ei era (1624–1644)
- Province
- Hizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,27 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,32 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,80 cm
- Blade weight
- 875 g