Antique Japanese Sword Katana Signed by Sadahiro with NBTHK Certificate 【Description】 Kaga no Kami Fujiwara Sadahiro(加賀守藤原貞廣) was born in 1640 in Echizen Shimosaka(today’s Fukui prefecture) and forged swords in the middle of the Edo period, specifically the Genroku Era(1688-1704). Most of his remaining work has Suguha Hamon(Straight Tempering pattern). This blade is one of them. Sadahiro belonged to Shimosaka school, initially founded in Shimosaka town in Shiga prefecture at the end of the Muromachi period. And the school moved to Echizen city(Fukui prefecture) at the beginning of the Edo period. Sadahiro engraved the title “(Kaga no Kami),” and his maker’s name “藤原貞廣(Fujiwara Tsuguhiro)” on the front. There was also a record where Sadahiro forged swords in Settsu province(Osaka prefecture) after leaving Echizen province. Echizen Province was famous for forging razor-sharp, practically-designed swords. The Edo government, run by the Tokugawa clan, ordered many blades from the swordsmiths in this province during the Edo period(1603-1868). There were so many swordsmiths originally from the Mino province(Gifu prefecture) in Echizen province, which is known as one of the five great Japanese sword styles MINO-DEN. This blade comes with a snakeskin-coated gorgeous scabbard with intricate sword mountings. 【 Blade】 Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa): 69.7 cm ( 27.44 inches) Curvature(Sori) : 1.3 cm( 0.51 inches) Hamon : The crystalline structure which forms along the cutting edge of a blade as a result of the hardening process Jimon(Jihada) : visible steel surface pattern created by folding and hammering during forging process Nakago : Nakago is the tang of the Japanese sword. Japanese swordsmiths left the black rust on the tang because it prevents red rust while the tang is in its handle. And the discoloration of the tang was created over time, and it is a great indicator for a Japanese sword specialist to estimate when the sword was forged. Koshirae: Koshirae is the mounting of the Japanese sword. There are several parts that consist of Koshirae such as Saya(Sabbard), Tsuka( Handle), Tsuba(Handguard). Fuchi-Kashira : A pair of matching sword fittings that cover the upper and bottom parts of its sword hilt. Due to the deterioration over time and friction, the original design of this Fuchi Kashira cannot be identified. It is considered that the brass inlay was applied. Tsuka and Menuki : Tsuka is the handle of the Japanese sword and Menuki is its decoration. The motif of this Menuki might be a kind of flag that was used in battlefields. You could find a golden butterfly that is designed for Fuchi. As a butterfly changes its shape from egg to larvae to adult, people considered the butterfly was a symbol of immortality. According to a theory, this insect design had begun to be used with the wish of longevity. Therefore, this motif was appreciated among Samurai who were always on the verge of danger. Tsuba and Habaki : Tsuba is the handguard for the Japanese Sword and Habaki is the equipment to make the blade not touch its scabbard inside. It prevents the blade from getting rusty and chipped. Circle-shaped Tsuba made from iron. The Kiri (桐, paulownia) pattern is arranged evenly. This plant motif was used as an imperial pattern and eventually became the pattern to be given by the emperor to the administration’s ruler as proof. The paulownia design has been treated as a noble pattern. Saya : Saya is the scabbard for the Japanese sword. In Japan, there is a belief that a snake is enshrined as a water god. As agriculture is flourishing in this country, water gods and agriculture were closely related. Also, snakes shed their skin several times. This behavior was considered a symbol of the rebirth of life. Furthermore, snakes could live without eating for a long time. Its strong vitality might be why this creature motif was loved as decoration for Samurai’s tools. Authentication Paper : NBTHK TOKUBETSU Kicho Certificate for the blade NBTHK , also kno

Antique Japanese Sword Katana Signed by Sadahiro with NBTHK Certificate 【Description】 Kaga no Kami Fujiwara Sadahiro(加賀守藤原貞廣) was born in 1640 in Echizen Shimosaka(today’s Fukui prefecture) and forged swords in the middle of the Edo period, specifically the Genroku Era(1688-1704). Most of his remaining work has Suguha Hamon(Straight Tempering pattern). This blade is one of them. Sadahiro belonged to Shimosaka school, initially founded in Shimosaka town in Shiga prefecture at the end of the Muromachi period. And the school moved to Echizen city(Fukui prefecture) at the beginning of the Edo period. Sadahiro engraved the title “(Kaga no Kami),” and his maker’s name “藤原貞廣(Fujiwara Tsuguhiro)” on the front. There was also a record where Sadahiro forged swords in Settsu province(Osaka prefecture) after leaving Echizen province. Echizen Province was famous for forging razor-sharp, practically-designed swords. The Edo government, run by the Tokugawa clan, ordered many blades from the swordsmiths in this province during the Edo period(1603-1868). There were so many swordsmiths originally from the Mino province(Gifu prefecture) in Echizen province, which is known as one of the five great Japanese sword styles MINO-DEN. This blade comes with a snakeskin-coated gorgeous scabbard with intricate sword mountings. 【 Blade】 Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa): 69.7 cm ( 27.44 inches) Curvature(Sori) : 1.3 cm( 0.51 inches) Hamon : The crystalline structure which forms along the cutting edge of a blade as a result of the hardening process Jimon(Jihada) : visible steel surface pattern created by folding and hammering during forging process Nakago : Nakago is the tang of the Japanese sword. Japanese swordsmiths left the black rust on the tang because it prevents red rust while the tang is in its handle. And the discoloration of the tang was created over time, and it is a great indicator for a Japanese sword specialist to estimate when the sword was forged. Koshirae: Koshirae is the mounting of the Japanese sword. There are several parts that consist of Koshirae such as Saya(Sabbard), Tsuka( Handle), Tsuba(Handguard). Fuchi-Kashira : A pair of matching sword fittings that cover the upper and bottom parts of its sword hilt. Due to the deterioration over time and friction, the original design of this Fuchi Kashira cannot be identified. It is considered that the brass inlay was applied. Tsuka and Menuki : Tsuka is the handle of the Japanese sword and Menuki is its decoration. The motif of this Menuki might be a kind of flag that was used in battlefields. You could find a golden butterfly that is designed for Fuchi. As a butterfly changes its shape from egg to larvae to adult, people considered the butterfly was a symbol of immortality. According to a theory, this insect design had begun to be used with the wish of longevity. Therefore, this motif was appreciated among Samurai who were always on the verge of danger. Tsuba and Habaki : Tsuba is the handguard for the Japanese Sword and Habaki is the equipment to make the blade not touch its scabbard inside. It prevents the blade from getting rusty and chipped. Circle-shaped Tsuba made from iron. The Kiri (桐, paulownia) pattern is arranged evenly. This plant motif was used as an imperial pattern and eventually became the pattern to be given by the emperor to the administration’s ruler as proof. The paulownia design has been treated as a noble pattern. Saya : Saya is the scabbard for the Japanese sword. In Japan, there is a belief that a snake is enshrined as a water god. As agriculture is flourishing in this country, water gods and agriculture were closely related. Also, snakes shed their skin several times. This behavior was considered a symbol of the rebirth of life. Furthermore, snakes could live without eating for a long time. Its strong vitality might be why this creature motif was loved as decoration for Samurai’s tools. Authentication Paper : NBTHK TOKUBETSU Kicho Certificate for the blade NBTHK , also kno