Sugata
The wakizashi that the NBTHK discusses is in hira-zukuri with a mitsu-mune, of a little under 1 shaku 2 sun 8 bu (about 38.8 cm) and 7.5 bu of sori. According to the NBTHK, the first two Teruhiro make the wide shapes typical of the shintō of the Keichō era. The NBTHK also cites a Teruhiro, without saying which, among the swordsmiths of the period who copy in kataki-kiriha-zukuri the heavily shortened shapes of the Nanbokuchō, in the manner of Sadamune and Kaneuji.
Jihada
A somewhat tight itame with nagare, frequent ji-nie and chikei, in the wakizashi; according to the NBTHK, many of his blades have a tight ko-itame with nagare. The NBTHK suggests that this may be a legacy of the Mino school they came from.
Hamon
A notare with ko-gunome, a dense nioiguchi, frequent nie, kinsuji and yubashiri. The NBTHK says that his hamon are mostly notare, clear and bright, like those of the first Tadayoshi. According to tradition, Teruhiro came, like the first Tadayoshi, from the school of Myōju.
Bōshi
In the wakizashi, on one side a somewhat shallow notare-komi with a round turn-back; on the other, straight, somewhat tsukiage, with a round tip and a turn-back. The sources consulted give no general rule.
Nakago, mei and horimono
He signs 肥後守藤原輝広 (Higo no Kami Fujiwara Teruhiro), and the katana of the 2020 exhibition adds 作 (saku), “made it”. The NBTHK’s wakizashi bears a bōhi on each side that runs on into the tang.
Who he is confused with
According to the NBTHK, it is hard to tell the work of Higo no Kami from that of his son-in-law, Harima no Kami: put simply, that of Higo no Kami is somewhat more classical, and that of Harima no Kami belongs to a more modern shintō, with a tighter jihada and a wider nioiguchi. For other swordsmiths of the Keichō shintō, the NBTHK gives three clues: Tadayoshi almost never shows so much nagare and his nioiguchi has the same width along the whole blade, like a ribbon; Kunihiro has a rough, visible itame (ざんぐり, zanguri), and Yasutsugu a darker jihada with marked mokume, the steel of Echizen (越前鉄, Echizen-gane).