NH-0303 Rank 82
Fujiwara Tadahiro
Hizen katana signed "Hizen no Kuni jū Fujiwara Tadahiro", attributed to the second-generation Tadahiro, with declared Jūyō Tōken papers, in uchigatana-koshirae and with shirasaya.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana of the Hizen school signed "Hizen no Kuni jū Fujiwara Tadahiro", which the original seller attributes to the second-generation Tadahiro (Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro), son and pupil of Musashi Daijō Tadayoshi, and places in the Kan'ei era. The signature omits the Ōmi Daijō title, which the seller reads as a presentation signature (kenjō-mei) for a special commission. Blade in shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune, 71.8 cm nagasa, 1.2 cm sori and 0.78 cm kasane. According to the seller, the hada is a tight ko-itame turning to mokume, with abundant ji-nie; the hamon is an open-valleyed gunome-midare with slightly elongated chōji and frequent ashi, in nioi-deki with a deep nioiguchi and long kinsuji, and the bōshi is ko-maru with a hakikake tendency. The photographs show an ubu tang with kiri yasurime and two mekugi-ana, one of them plugged; the seller declares the blade sound. It is mounted in an uchigatana-koshirae with a dark brown lacquered saya, tsuka with green ito over same, chrysanthemum menuki and an iron sukashi tsuba with sayagata pattern; the seller neither dates nor describes the mounting. A shirasaya accompanies the piece according to the seller. NBTHK Jūyō Tōken papers from the 9th session are declared; the origami does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Jūyō Tōken (9th NBTHK session) declared by the original seller
- Second-generation Hizen Tadahiro, with a presentation signature lacking the Ōmi Daijō title
- Ubu tang with a clearly legible signature and kiri yasurime
- Gunome-midare with chōji in nioi-deki, a hamon the seller describes as unusual for this smith
- Complete uchigatana-koshirae and declared shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- Mounting neither dated nor described by the seller: it is known only from the photographs
- One of the two mekugi-ana is plugged
- The Jūyō origami does not appear in the photographs
Score breakdown
57/100
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).
- Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
- Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin, with 2 mekugi-ana
- Mounting -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
- Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Blade 8 of 8 71.8 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 0 of 10 Rank 136 of 136 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest