Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Bizen katana signed by Osafune Kiyomitsu and dated 1547, with an ubu tang, gold-foiled double habaki and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers declared by the original seller.
Katana from the Kiyomitsu lineage working in Osafune, Bizen province, at the end of the Muromachi period, known for sturdy, sharp blades much in demand during the Warring States era. The tang, ubu according to the original seller and with a single mekugi-ana in the photographs, is signed 備州長舩清光 (Bishū Osafune Kiyomitsu) and dated 天文十六年二月日 (Tenbun jūroku-nen nigatsu hi), that is, 1547. The original seller attributes it to the workshop of the leading Kiyomitsu of those years, with a signature close to his. It measures 68.78 cm in nagasa with 2.0 cm of sori, a motohaba of 3.27 cm, a slightly extended kissaki and a pronounced shinogi over a thick kasane. According to the original seller, the jigane is itame with masame on one side, ji-nie and vivid utsuri; the hamon is suguha with gentle notare, kinsuji, inazuma, hotsure, ashi and yō, livelier in the monouchi; the bōshi shows yakikuzure with a ko-maru turn-back, and there is muneyaki up to mid-blade. It keeps a gold-foiled double habaki and is stored in shirasaya, as declared by the seller. It has no mounting.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 備州長舩清光 (Bishū Osafune Kiyomitsu), 天文十六年二月日 (Tenbun jūroku-nen nigatsu hi), 1547
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, according to the original seller
- Sengoku-era Osafune blade with thick kasane and pronounced shinogi
- Gold-foiled double habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No mounting: the blade is kept in shirasaya, declared by the original seller and not photographed
- The listing says nothing about the condition of the blade
- The papers do not appear in the photographs
- The original seller attributes it to the lineage workshop, not to the hand of a specific master
Score
97.3 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+25
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25
-
Declared condition
−20
The original seller says nothing about the condition −20
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
+5
68.8 cm: close to the usable range +5
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+22.3
Price: the more affordable, the more points +22.3
The score adds and subtracts points for each feature of the piece and has no ceiling: the highest in the catalogue today is 255. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. The mounting starts from what is known of its period, adds what vouches for it (its own NBTHK paper, a signed fitting, a crest) and subtracts what has been restored (saya, ito, same, habaki or sageo).
Measurements
- Nagasa
- 68.8 cm
- Sori
- 2 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Osafune Kiyomitsu
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- 2nd month of Tenbun 16 (1547)
- Province
- Bizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,27 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,30 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,58 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,88 cm