Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana signed by Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro of the Hizen school, Kanbun era, with an ubu tang and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers; presented in shirasaya, without mounts.
Katana by Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro, second generation of the Hizen school and one of the central names of shintō. The tang, ubu according to the original seller and consistent with the photographs, keeps a single mekugi-ana and bears the signature 肥前国住近江大掾藤原忠広 (Hizen no kuni-jū Ōmi Daijō Fujiwara Tadahiro). The original seller places it in the Kanbun era. The blade measures 71.8 cm in nagasa with 1.5 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.28 cm and a sakihaba of 2.35 cm: a robust shape that narrows only slightly towards the point. The magazine review accompanying the piece, reproduced in the photographs, describes a tightly forged ko-itame jigane with abundant ji-nie, a deep and bright chū-suguha hamon in ko-nie with fine kinsuji, and a straight bōshi following the fukura and ending in ko-maru; it presents the sword as a typical and very healthy work of the smith, and mentions a sayagaki by Satō Kanzan. It is kept in shirasaya with a one-piece gilt habaki. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper of June 2003, visible in the photographs. The piece comes without mounts.
Strong points
- Full signature of Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro, a central figure of the Hizen school
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, visible in the photographs
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- Robust shape: 71.8 cm nagasa and 3.28 cm motohaba
- Published in a specialist magazine describing it as a typical work of the smith
Points to bear in mind
- Presented in shirasaya only, without koshirae
- The Kanbun dating comes from the original seller: the blade bears no engraved date
- The sayagaki mentioned in the published review is not shown in the photographs
Score
134.4 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+10
71.8 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+14.4
Price: the more affordable, the more points +14.4
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
- 71.8 cm
- Sori
- 1.5 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro
- Period
- Shintō (1596-1780)
- Dating
- Kanbun era (1661–1673)
- Province
- Hizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
- Motohaba
- 3,28 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,35 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,75 cm
- Sakikasane
- 0,58 cm