AS21663-Katana: Tsuda Oumi no Kami Sukenao.

Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae(NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon)
Signature : Tsuda Oumi no Kami Sukenao.
Jokyo Gonen Hachigatsuhi(August, 1688)

(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo saku, Jyojyo saku Jyo saku and regular saku)
This sword belongs to Jyojyo saku ranking.

The blade was polished.
Habaki : Gold wrapped double Habaki.
Blade length : 61.5 cm or 24.2 inches.
Sori : 1.5 cm or 0.59 inches.
Mekugi : 1
Width at the hamachi : 3.03 cm or 1.19 inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 1.96 cm or 0.77 inches.
Kasane : 0.66 cm or 0.26 inches.
Era : Edo period Jokyo Era
Shape : The sword is rather short but wide and thick. Sori is deep and Kissaki is long. it has a nice figure.
Jigane : Well grained Koitame-Hada with Jinie attached. it is great Osaka Jigane.
Hamon : Nie-Deki, the mixture of Gunome-Midare with deep Nioikuchi and Doranba with soft-feeling Nioikuchi which looks like unevenly melted snow.

Special Feature : Tsuda Oumi no Kami Sukenao was a swordsmith in Osaka.
He was born at Takagi village of Oumi(current Shiga pref) in 1639 and moved to Osaka to learn under Tsuda Sukehiro the first generation.
Soon after receiving the title of Oumi Daijo in 1669 he changed it to Oumi no Kami.
In 1675 he became an adopted son-in-law of Sukehiro and from 1682 he started to use Tsuda name.
Some say that he passed away in 1693 as there’s no his swords discovered after that year.
His signature styles are Saki-zori and Doranba and his signature is done in cursive writing and Ura-mei is in various writing. for this reason, he is regarded as a penman also.

Koshirae : Handachi Koshirae.
Tsuba: Made of iron.
Fuchikashira: Made of Shakudo, it has Nanakoji over the surface.
Saya: Red Urushi Saya.
Menuki: Made of Shakudo, it has Tengu design carved.

From Aoi Art : Tsuda Oumi no Kami Sukenao learned under the first generation Sukehiro as known as Soboro Sukehiro. Sukenao mastered Choji-midare style from him and learned Doranba from the 2nd. Therefore, we can say that Sukenao’s style is a hybrid of the 1st and 2nd.
Sukenao’s Dorama is pleasantly different to Sukehiro the 2nd and it’s safe to say that his works surpass his teachers.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper
Aoi Art estimation paper
whole Oshigata.