Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Early Edo-period katana signed by Fujiwara Nagatsugu of Kaga province, in shirasaya and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana by Fujiwara Nagatsugu, a smith of Kaga province working in the early Edo period. According to the original seller, the Maeda family chose twenty-two smiths of the domain to offer swords to the Zuiryū-ji temple, and Nagatsugu was one of them; his lineage and school are unknown. The blade has a nagasa of 60.45 cm and a sori of 1 cm, just under two shaku, a length the original seller links to the taste of the domain's high-ranking samurai. The photographs show a gunome midare hamon, angular near the base and rounder towards the point; the original seller describes a well-forged ko-itame jigane, a bright nioiguchi and abundant sunagashi with kinsuji. The tang appears intact in the photographs, with two mekugi-ana, and bears the signature 賀州住藤原長次 (Kashū-jū Fujiwara Nagatsugu). The blade is kept in shirasaya with a copper (suaka) habaki and has no mounting. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers issued in 2019 (Heisei 31).
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2019)
- Signed 賀州住藤原長次 (Kashū-jū Fujiwara Nagatsugu)
- Tang intact in the photographs, with two mekugi-ana
- Gunome midare hamon; sunagashi and kinsuji according to the original seller
- Shirasaya and copper (suaka) habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No mounting: the blade is offered in shirasaya only
- The listing does not state the blade's condition; the photographs show a few fine scratches on the surface
- Length just under two shaku (60.45 cm)
Score
85 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana +20
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
0
60.5 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
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
- 60.5 cm
- Sori
- 1 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Kaga Nagatsugu
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Jōō to Jōkyō eras (1652–1688)
- Province
- Kaga
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,00 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,66 cm
- Blade weight
- 598 g