Kantei

NH-0434 Rank 80

Tōtōmi no Kami Fujiwara Kanehiro

Hizen katana signed by Tōtōmi no Kami Fujiwara Kanehiro, ubu nakago with one mekugi-ana, wide hako-midare hamon, with koshirae and declared Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

Shintō (1596-1780)Mid-Edo period (Genroku–Kyōhō, 1688–1736)HizenNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana signed Tōtōmi no Kami Fujiwara Kanehiro, a Hizen smith whom the original seller places in the Tadayoshi school as the second Kanehiro of the line (the first was Yamato Daijō Kanehiro), active between Genroku and Kyōhō. Shinogi-zukuri blade with iori-mune, nagasa 61.2 cm, sori 1.65 cm and kasane 0.78 cm; the seller describes it as thick, with little taper towards the point and very healthy. Jihada of tight ko-itame tending to mokume, with some masame near the mune. Wide hamon with a deep nioiguchi and ko-nie: hako-midare on a notare base mixed with gunome-chōji, abundant yō and ashi, tōran-like and matching on both sides; bōshi slightly pointed with hakikake and a deep kaeri. The nakago is ubu, with a single mekugi-ana and kiri yasurime, and the photographs show it intact with the signature clearly legible. It comes with a koshirae: tsuka wrapped in dark green ito over same, figurative menuki with gold accents, iron tsuba with gold inlay of plant and animal motifs, and a dark lacquered saya with sageo. The original seller neither describes nor dates the mounting, and also mentions a shirasaya. Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper declared; it does not appear in the photographs.

Strong points

  • Ubu nakago with a single mekugi-ana and the full signature legible in the photographs.
  • Wide hako-midare hamon with gunome-chōji, abundant yō and ashi, tōran-like and matching on both sides.
  • Thick and very healthy blade according to the original seller, with little taper towards the point.
  • Hizen smith of the Tadayoshi school, with few surviving works according to the original seller.
  • Complete koshirae with a gold-inlaid iron tsuba; the seller also declares a shirasaya.
  • Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper declared.

Points to bear in mind

  • The mounting is documented only by the photographs: the original seller neither describes nor dates it.
  • The paper does not appear in the photographs; the Tokubetsu Hozon level is as declared by the seller.
  • Short nagasa for its period (61.2 cm, just over 2 shaku), which the seller interprets as a commissioned piece.
  • No engraved date: the dating follows the seller's attribution to the second Kanehiro (Genroku–Kyōhō).

Score breakdown

57.7/100

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 -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 4 of 8 61.2 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 6.7 of 10 Rank 47 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest