Kantei

NH-0466 Rank 98

Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna

Shintō katana signed Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna, attributed by the original seller to Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, with an ubu tang, Tokubetsu Hozon paper, shirasaya and a red-lacquered koshirae.

Shintō (1596-1780)Mid-Edo period, circa 1688SettsuNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana signed Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna. The original seller attributes it to Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, son of the first Tadatsuna and second generation of the Osaka school in Settsu province, also renowned as a blade engraver, and places it in the mid-Edo period, around 1688. The blade measures 61.1 cm in nagasa with 1.6 cm of sori: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune and chū-kissaki, of healthy shape according to the seller. The jigane is ko-itame with ji-nie and fine chikei; the hamon is a tall ashinaga-chōji mixed with gunome, with a deep, bright nioiguchi, and the bōshi runs straight with a round turn-back. The tang is ubu, with sujikai file marks and keshō-yasuri, a single mekugi-ana and the signature on the omote, as the photographs show. It comes with a one-piece gold-foiled habaki, a shirasaya and an uchigatana koshirae with a shu-tame-nuri scabbard, plain round tsuba, dark fuchi-kashira and menuki with gilt shishi in relief; the seller describes the mounting but does not date it. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper no. 1021045, issued August 2023.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper no. 1021045 (2023)
  • Ubu tang, signed, with a single mekugi-ana
  • Tall, flamboyant ashinaga-chōji hamon, clearly visible in the photographs
  • Supplied with shirasaya and a complete uchigatana koshirae
  • Attributed by the original seller to Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, a smith ranked yoki-wazamono

Points to bear in mind

  • The mounting is undated and has no paper of its own: the original seller only describes it.
  • The scabbard shows glossy lacquer with no visible wear, consistent with relacquering or a new saya.
  • The attribution to the second generation is the original seller's; the paper records the signature, not the generation.

Score breakdown

56.8/100

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 22 of 22 Tang intact according to the seller at origin
  3. Mounting -1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin · restored: relacquered or new saya
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 4 of 8 61.1 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 4 of 4 With a storage shirasaya
  7. Price 0.8 of 10 Rank 139 of 151 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest