Kantei

NH-0412 Rank 135

Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadahiro

Katana signed by Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadahiro of the Hizen school, 67.8 cm nagasa, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate. It comes with a black-lacquered koshirae and a shirasaya.

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

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Edo-period katana signed "Hizen no kuni jū Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadahiro", the name of the second master of the Hizen Tadayoshi line. The original seller recalls that the smith received the Ōmi Daijō title in 1641, places him among the shintō jō-saku and credits him with the ō-wazamono cutting grade. The blade measures 67.8 cm nagasa with 1.0 cm sori and has no hi; the photographs show a clean polish, a well-shaped kissaki and a dense jihada, with the hamon visible along its whole length. The nakago keeps the full signature and shows three mekugi-ana, two of them plugged with umegane, the working hole sitting very close to the machi. It is accompanied by a koshirae with black-lacquered saya, an openwork iron tsuba with a dragon and a bird, dark fuchi-kashira bearing a cross-in-circle mon, gilt dragon menuki over same and purple wrapping, plus a silver habaki and a wooden shirasaya. The origami photographed is the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate.

Strong points

  • Full, legible signature of Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadahiro, second generation of the Hizen school
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate, photographed with the piece
  • Complete koshirae: black-lacquered saya, openwork iron tsuba with dragon and bird, gilt dragon menuki
  • Fuchi-kashira bearing a cross-in-circle mon over black lacquer
  • A wooden shirasaya and a silver habaki are also included
  • Clean polish in the photographs, with jihada and hamon readable along the whole blade

Points to bear in mind

  • The original seller says nothing about the blade's condition: no statement on polish, kizu or rust.
  • The nakago photographs show three mekugi-ana, two plugged with umegane, and the working hole very close to the machi: the blade appears to have been machi-okuri.
  • The mounting is documented only by the photographs: the original seller neither describes nor dates it.
  • The saya shows lacquer without wear and the sageo looks like a replacement; the photographs suggest recent work on the mounting.

Score breakdown

40.8/100

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 9 of 22 Full-length tang with machi-okuri, but with 3 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting -3 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs · with a family crest (mon) · restored: relacquered or new saya and new sageo
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 6 of 8 67.8 cm: close to the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 7.8 of 10 Rank 32 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest