Kantei

NH-0245 Rank 134

Tsuda Ōmi no Kami Sukenao

Ōsaka katana signed and dated 1684 by Tsuda Ōmi no Kami Sukenao, with a cutting-test inscription, tōran-ba hamon, complete koshirae and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate.

Shintō (1596-1780)2nd month of Jōkyō 1 (1684)大阪NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana by Tsuda Ōmi no Kami Sukenao, an Ōsaka smith of the early Edo period. According to the original seller, Sukenao trained under Sukehiro, became his brother-in-law and later his adopted son, and took the Tsuda surname in Enpō 3; he would have forged this blade at the age of 46. The blade has a nagasa of 68.2 cm and a sori of 1.2 cm and carries a tōran-ba hamon; the original seller describes a clear, bright nioiguchi, abundant nie with tama in the ji and a tight ko-itame hada. The nakago is suriage with two mekugi-ana but retains the signature, the date of the 2nd month of Jōkyō 1 (1684) and a cutting-test inscription that the original seller considers rare for this smith. The photographs show the blade with a shirasaya and a complete koshirae: a textured red-lacquer saya, a tsuka with same and dark wrap, an openwork iron tsuba with a dragon among waves, gilt dragon fuchi-kashira and menuki, and a gold-foil habaki; the original seller neither dates nor describes the mounting. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate appears in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Signature, date (2nd month of Jōkyō 1, 1684) and cutting-test inscription preserved on the nakago
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate visible in the photographs
  • Tōran-ba hamon, the speciality of the Sukehiro school
  • Complete koshirae with an openwork dragon-and-waves tsuba and gilt dragon fittings, plus a shirasaya
  • Gold-foil habaki

Points to bear in mind

  • Suriage nakago: shortened with the end reworked, though signature and date survive
  • The original seller neither dates nor describes the mounting; it is documented only in the photographs
  • The original seller does not state the blade's state of preservation
  • The tsuba bears an inscription on the seppa-dai that cannot be read in the photographs

Score breakdown

41.2/100

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 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 6 of 22 Shortened tang (suriage)
  3. Mounting -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 6 of 8 68.2 cm: close to the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 2.2 of 10 Rank 109 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest