Kantei

NH-0171 Rank 58

Tango-no-kami Fujiwara Toshinaga

A long, robust katana by the first Toshinaga of Owari, early Edo period, with a signed ubu tang, Tokubetsu Hozon paper and an uchigatana koshirae with burgundy saya.

Shintō (1596-1780)Kan'ei era (1624–1644)OwariNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Description

The original seller attributes this work to the first Tango-no-kami Fujiwara Toshinaga, a smith born in Seki (Mino) who settled in Owari and served the Owari Tokugawa house; the sayagaki on the shirasaya identifies him as the shodai. Shinogi-zukuri blade with iori-mune, nagasa of 76.2 cm and sori of 1.2 cm, wide at the base with little taper and an extended chū-kissaki; it weighs 802 g without habaki. Bo-hi are carved on both sides. The original seller describes itame-hada with masame, abundant ji-nie and chikei, and a hamon of gunome and togari-ba with tobiyaki, ashi and sunagashi. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, iriyama tip, ō-sujikai yasurime and a long signature on the shinogi-ji, as the photographs confirm. It comes with an uchigatana koshirae: burgundy lacquered saya with a granular surface, iron mokkō tsuba with gold and silver inlay, oborogin fuchi-kashira with cherry blossoms, shakudō menuki and a white rayskin tsuka with grey-blue ito, plus a shirasaya with sayagaki. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper dated 4 December, Reiwa 6.

Strong points

  • Ubu tang with one mekugi-ana and a long signature, visible in the photographs
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper photographed
  • Complete uchigatana koshirae with cherry-blossom fittings
  • Shirasaya with sayagaki attributing it to the first Toshinaga
  • Robust 802 g blade, typical of the Kan'ei era

Points to bear in mind

  • Old polish according to the original seller
  • The mounting is not dated in writing
  • The ito and sageo look clean and unworn: probably redone

Score breakdown

61.8/100

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).

  1. Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting -1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: rewrapped ito and new sageo
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 8 of 8 76.2 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 5.8 of 10 Rank 59 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest