Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana of the Takada school of Bungo, signed 豊後住藤原則行 (Bungo-jū Fujiwara Noriyuki), around the Kanbun era, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers, red-lacquered koshirae and shirasaya.
Katana signed by a smith of the Noriyuki line of Bungo province, within the Takada school. According to the original seller, the Noriyuki smiths succeeded one another from a first master active around the Kanbun era down to a sixth generation, and the Takada school worked in Bungo from the Muromachi period until the end of Edo. The blade has a nagasa of 67 cm, 1.5 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.75 cm and a sakihaba of 2.35 cm; the photographs show an undulating notare hamon with gunome and a rounded bōshi. The tang, which the photographs show intact with a single mekugi-ana, is signed 豊後住藤原則行 (Bungo-jū Fujiwara Noriyuki). The piece retains a koshirae: a red-lacquered saya with signs of use, a black-wrapped tsuka, an iron tsuba with relief decoration and gilt touches, and white-metal fuchi-kashira bearing a mon of a cross in a circle. It is also kept in a shirasaya. It comes with NBTHK 特別保存刀剣 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken) papers, issued on 9 November Reiwa 2 (2020). The listing describes neither the condition of the blade nor the date of the mounting.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2020)
- Signed 豊後住藤原則行 (Bungo-jū Fujiwara Noriyuki), tang intact according to the photographs
- Koshirae with red-lacquered saya and fuchi-kashira bearing a mon
- Also kept in shirasaya
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller does not state the condition of the blade
- The mounting is neither dated nor described by the original seller; the saya shows scuffs and small lacquer losses
- The signature does not establish which generation of the line made the blade
Score
108 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
+3
Mounting the original seller says nothing about 0 · family crests (mon): 1 +3
-
Blade
+5
67 cm: close to the usable range +5
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+30
Price: the more affordable, the more points +30
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
- 67 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting documented only in the photographs
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Bungo Noriyuki
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Bungo
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,75 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,35 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,75 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,52 cm
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