Katana signed Mikawa-koku Gamagori-ju Fujiwara TAKENORI Auspicious day in the 2nd month, the 41th year of Showa
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Contemporary sword (Showa 41/1966) Aichi prefecture
Length of cutting edge 76.6cm Curvature 2.0cm Width of base 35.3mm Width of Yokote 26.5mm Thickness of base 8.0mm
Blade construction: Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune, extraordinary long, wide and thick, solidly heavy katana(click HERE for higher resolution image of the entire blade)
Forging(Hada): Forging is fine Ko-Itame. Refined steel is covered with uniform Ji-Nie sparkling hard metal granules on Hira-ji surface. Darkish small lines of Nie so called "CHIKEI" activity wells out from steel.
Temper(Hamon): Hamon is fine Nie hard metal granules base, Gentle waves NOTARE. The interior of temper is filled with mist-like crystallize area deeply and active with frequent short ASHI feet and floating YOU activities. The entire quenched Hamon gives off disheveled impression.
Temper of tip(Boshi): Temper of boshi forms straight with Sunagashi darkish nie lines blushing away indication.
Tang(Nakago): Nakago is in UBU original. One peg hole. O-sujikai(greatly slanting left with horizontal) filemarks. Back ridge of Nakago is flat and Single-bevelled (Iriyama) heel shape. The signature in front starts with the place of work Mikawa-koku Gamagori-ju 三河国蒲郡住 and smith name Fujiwara TAKENORI 藤原武則 then the reversed side is chiselled the date of year, An auspicious day in the 2nd month, Showa 41th 昭和四十一年二月吉日.
Fujiwara TAKENORI 藤原武則, real name is Hashimoto Takehira 橋本武平, was born in February 5, Meiji 44 (1911), lived in Iseki-town, Takeya-cho, Gamagori city, Aichi pref. He belonged to smith Ishido KOREKAZU's lineage 石堂是一 to learn sword making from 2nd generation Unju KAZUNORI 運寿一則.
He had kept winning 5 times of Nyusen prizes since Showa 14 (1939) every year in the sword contests sponsored by the Agency of Cultural Affairs.
After a few years of history as an official army sword maker, he was officially licensed from the Agency of Cultural Affairs as the Artistic Japanese Sword Artisan in Showa 35 (1960), when he was 49 years old. He diligently work together with his son Fujiwara MOTOHISA 藤原元久 and continuously had won the prize of NYUSEN award from Showa 40 - 44 (1965-69), 7 times awarded altogether in the evaluation contests held by Japanese Sword Preservation Society (NBTHK).
The subject magnificent sword is dated in the 2nd month, Showa 41th (that is year of 1966) when he was matured, 56 years old while he kept won the NYUSEN award continuously.
The shape is powerfully brave with awe-inspiring air, holding an extra long, wide and thick blade leading to the long tip that shows a close resemblance to the ones during end Edo period, full of upheavals times. Extremely fine forging that comes from refined steel appears sparkling fine and uniform granules so called JI-Nie that precisely generates short Nie lines so called CHIKEI activity.
Hamon bears a close resembles to gentle waves and shows rich activities of steel forging and quenched Hamon in Yamato school technique and would be a reproduction of MONJU school 文殊 during Edo period.
Preserved in a Shira saya plain wood mounting, Wooden Habaki collar that comes with hilt (no metal habaki collar included).
Original polish with some minor scratches/Condition scale: mint (using a scale of mint-excellent-very good-good-fair-poor).
reference data : Ono Tadashi, Geidai Toko Meikan, Kougei-Shuppan 1971
