AS26265 Katana：Hizen Koku Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)

Ordering Number: AS26265

Katana in Shirasaya (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)

Signature: Hizen Koku Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro
肥前国住近江大掾藤原忠広

We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo Saku, Jyojyo Saku, Jyo Saku and Regular Saku.
This work is ranked as Jyojyo Saku for Hizen Koku Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro.
Habaki: Gold-foiled single-layer habaki.
Blade Length: 2 Shaku 4 Sun 6 Bu (74.55 cm / 29.35 in)
Curvature (Sori): 6 Bu (1.82 cm / 0.72 in)
Mekugi-ana (peg hole): 1
Width at Base (Motohaba): 3.09 cm (1.22 in)
Width at Tip (Sakihaba): 1.99 cm (0.78 in)
Thickness (Kasane): 0.59 cm (0.23 in)
Blade Weight: 845 grams
Era: Edo period, from the end of the Kan’ei era to around the Kanbun era (1640s–1670s).
Shape: A katana with a wide mihaba and a solid, sturdy kasane, with an extended kissaki.
Jigane: A tightly compacted ko-itame hada mixed with ko-mokume hada, with chikei appearing throughout.
Hamon: Ko-nie deki, suguha.
The nioikuchi is deep, with ko-ashi appearing, and the habuchi is soft — a masterpiece blade.

Features: Omi Daijo Tadahiro was the eldest son and heir of the first generation Tadayoshi.
When his father passed away in 1632 (Kan’ei 9), he was still a young man of nineteen, yet from the following year, 1633, at the age of twenty, his works begin to appear.
This was of course owing to the natural talent and technical skill he possessed as a swordsmith from the outset, but the cooperation of his father’s disciples, who continued to work just as they had in the first generation’s day, was also a great source of support to him.
In July 1641 (Kan’ei 18) he received the title of Omi Daijo, and he died in 1693 (Genroku 6) at the age of eighty-one.
Over these years his career as a swordsmith spanned more than sixty years, and he left behind the largest number of works among the Hizen swordsmiths.
His style encompasses both suguha and choji-midare, but he excelled above all at suguha, tempering a relatively straight hamon with a deep nioikuchi and abundant ko-nie.
This katana is precisely such an exemplary work, showing an elegant suguha with finely scattered kinsuji and a bright nioikuchi.
Moreover, compared with his usual works, the jigane here shows finer and more abundant chikei, giving an impression of markedly stronger forging.
Both the ji and the ha are in sound condition, making this an outstanding work.
For reference, we have included an example of a NBTHK Juyo Token blade that is nearly identical to this work.

Aoi Art’s Comment: Hizen Koku Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro is distinguished above all by the beauty of his jigane, and he is known as a swordsmith of great popularity because of this appeal.
It is said that the raw material for the jigane of Hizen blades was strictly controlled by the Nabeshima clan, making it difficult to obtain in other provinces and effectively held as a monopoly.
This work measures 2 Shaku 4 Sun 6 Bu in length with a width at the base of 3.09 cm, making it a magnificent and powerful piece.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token certificate
Aoi Art estimation paper: Whole Oshigata
* Please note: the price does not include the international shipping fees.

Please note: The price does not include the international shipping fees.