Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Signed katana by Uda Hirakuni of Etchū, placed by the original seller around the Eiroku era, with a kurikara horimono and a declared Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper.
Katana by Uda Hirakuni, of the Uda school of Etchū province, which the original seller places around the Eiroku era (1558–1570), in late Muromachi. According to the seller, the Uda smiths are known mostly through signed tantō and wakizashi, and a long signed katana is uncommon. The blade measures 70 cm in nagasa with 1.82 cm of sori, a motohaba of 2.88 cm and a sakihaba of 2.12 cm. The photographs show on the omote a kurikara, a dragon coiled around a sword on a lotus pedestal (rendai), and on the ura a bonji and a suken. The original seller describes a dark, clear jigane of itame with mokume, a wide, straight-based hamon in gentle notare with ko-gunome, ko-chōji, ko-ashi and yō, and a deep bōshi with kaeri. The tang, with two mekugi-ana, bears the signature 宇多平國 (Uda Hirakuni), crisp and, according to the seller, free of corrosion. The blade comes in shirasaya, declared by the seller, with a double gold-foiled habaki. The seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper and an older appraisal by Fujishiro Matsuo.
Strong points
- Long katana signed 宇多平國 (Uda Hirakuni), uncommon for the Uda school according to the original seller
- Kurikara horimono with rendai on the omote and bonji with suken on the ura, visible in the photographs
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper declared by the original seller
- Tang with a crisp signature and two mekugi-ana
- Double gold-foiled habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade comes in shirasaya, declared by the seller but not shown in any photograph.
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade.
- The blade carries no inscribed date; the Eiroku attribution is the original seller's.
- The paper does not appear in the photographs.
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
70 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
- 70 cm
- Sori
- 1.8 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Uda Hirakuni
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Circa Eiroku era (1558–1570)
- Province
- Etchu
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 2,88 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,12 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,55 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,64 cm