Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana of the Takada school of Bungo, early Edo period, signed with an ubu tang, in shirasaya and, according to the original seller, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Katana by Fujiwara Saneyuki, a smith of the Takada school active in Bungo province (Kyūshū), placed by the original seller in the early Edo period. The blade has a nagasa of 69.4 cm and a sori of 1.4 cm, in shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and no hi; motohaba 3.14 cm, sakihaba 2.14 cm, weight 715 g. According to the original seller, the jigane is a tightly forged itame, the hamon a gunome-midare in nie-deki, and the bōshi runs straight and turns back deeply. The photographs show a regular gunome hamon along the whole blade. The tang is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana, a rounded tip and continuous yasurime, and is signed on the omote 豊州高田住藤原実行 (Hōshū Takada-jū Fujiwara Saneyuki); it is undated. The blade is kept in shirasaya, without koshirae. The original seller declares NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, which do not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed 豊州高田住藤原実行 (Hōshū Takada-jū Fujiwara Saneyuki), Takada school of Bungo
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers according to the original seller
- Gunome-midare hamon in nie-deki, visible in the photographs
Points to bear in mind
- Supplied in shirasaya, without koshirae
- The listing says nothing about the condition or polish of the blade
- The papers do not appear in the photographs
Score
99.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
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
69.4 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+29.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +29.4
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
- 69.4 cm
- Sori
- 1.4 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Fujiwara Saneyuki
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Early Edo period
- Province
- Bungo
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,14 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,14 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,54 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,47 cm
- Blade weight
- 715 g