Kantei

NH-0390 Rank 59

Fuyuhiro

冬廣作

Katana signed Fuyuhiro saku, Wakasa province, late Muromachi period, with an ubu tang, shirasaya and a koshirae with a black-lacquered saya.

Kotō (up to 1596)Late MuromachiWakasa (Obama)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A kotō katana signed "Fuyuhiro saku" (冬廣作), the work of the Fuyuhiro line of Wakasa province (Obama), attributed to the late Muromachi period; the blade carries no inscribed date. It measures 71.5 cm in nagasa with 2.2 cm of sori. The photographs show a visible itame hada in the ji and a notare hamon mixed with gunome, with marked nie activity along the edge, and a complete bōshi at the point. The tang, with a single mekugi-ana, keeps a continuous shape and file pattern and a legible signature on the omote, consistent with an ubu condition. The blade comes with a shirasaya and a koshirae: tsuka with green ito and same, gilt menuki, shakudō fuchi-kashira decorated with animals and pines in gold, a round iron tsuba pierced with small holes, a silver habaki with a nashiji pattern, and a black-lacquered saya with sageo. The original seller states a Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Legible "Fuyuhiro saku" signature on an ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
  • Notare hamon with gunome and abundant nie activity
  • Complete koshirae with iron tsuba and gold-decorated fuchi-kashira
  • The shirasaya is also included
  • Tokubetsu Hozon paper stated by the original seller

Points to bear in mind

  • The condition of the blade is not declared; it can only be judged from small photographs
  • The Tokubetsu Hozon paper is not photographed
  • The koshirae is neither described nor dated by the original seller

Score breakdown

61.7/100

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
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 8 of 8 71.5 cm: within the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 5.7 of 10 Rank 60 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest