NH-0463 Rank 71
Harima Daijō Fujiwara no Shigetaka
Shintō katana from Echizen signed by Harima Daijō Fujiwara no Shigetaka, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, shirasaya and a complete koshirae with a pierced iron tsuba.
Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Katana signed by Harima Daijō Fujiwara no Shigetaka, a shintō-period smith working in Echizen. According to the original seller, he was a student or descendant of Kanenori of Seki in Mino and was active in the early Edo period, between the Kan'ei and Kanbun eras. The blade has a nagasa of 71.3 cm and a sori of 1.3 cm, with a motohaba of 3.07 cm, a sakihaba of 1.98 cm and a weight of 713 g without mounts. The original seller describes it as sound and free of rust; the photographs show no flaws, although they do not allow the hamon to be studied in detail. The tang, with a single mekugi-ana and continuous file marks, appears intact in the photographs and bears the signature 越前住播磨大掾藤原重高 on the omote. The blade is kept in a shirasaya and comes with a complete koshirae: tsuka with black ito over pale same and fuchi-kashira with gilt chrysanthemums, a pierced mokkō iron tsuba with gold-inlaid bamboo, and a black lacquered saya. The mounts are documented only by the photographs: the seller neither describes nor dates them. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers dated 25 February Reiwa 3 (2021).
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers (2021)
- Full signature with title: Echizen-jū Harima Daijō Fujiwara Shigetaka
- Tang of intact appearance with a single mekugi-ana
- Shirasaya and complete koshirae, with a mokkō iron tsuba with gold bamboo
- Described as sound and rust-free by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The mounts are neither described nor dated by the seller: they are documented only by the photographs
- The tang is not declared ubu; its integrity is judged from the photographs
- The photographs do not allow the hamon or hada to be studied in detail
Score breakdown
61.3/100
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).
- Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
- Tang 20 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs
- Mounting -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
- Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Blade 8 of 8 71.3 cm: within the usable range
- Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
- Price 4.3 of 10 Rank 87 of 151 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest