Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Kotō katana of the Osafune school of Bizen, signed by Sōzaemon no Jō Sukesada, with an ubu tang, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, uchigatana-koshirae and shirasaya.
Katana from the Sukesada branch of Osafune, in Bizen province, from the late Muromachi period. According to the original seller, the signature using the name Sōzaemon no Jō dates to around the Genki era and his works are scarce. The blade, with a nagasa of 70.9 cm and a sori of 1.6 cm, is shinogi-zukuri with an iori-mune and carries bōhi on both sides. The photographs show a gunome hamon; the original seller describes it as gunome mixed with chōji and pointed elements, with a tight nioiguchi and ko-nie, ashi, yō, kinsuji and sunagashi, over itame mixed with masame, with jinie, chikei and midare-utsuri. The tang is ubu, with one mekugi-ana, and is signed 備前國住長船宗左衛門尉祐定 (Bizen no Kuni-jū Osafune Sōzaemon no Jō Sukesada). It comes with an uchigatana-koshirae with a black lacquered saya, iron tsuba and fuchi-kashira bearing a mon, and with its shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper, according to the original seller.
Strong points
- Rare signature using the name Sōzaemon no Jō within the Osafune Sukesada school
- Ubu tang with a single mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper
- Black lacquer uchigatana-koshirae with crested fuchi-kashira, plus shirasaya
- Bōhi on both sides and an active gunome hamon
Points to bear in mind
- The listing does not mention the condition or polish of the blade
- The mounting is described but not dated
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
Score
112.8 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
+15
Signed, with no engraved date +15
-
Mounting
+8
Mounting described, undated +5 · family crests (mon): 1 +3
-
Blade
+10
70.9 cm: within the usable range +10
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+19.8
Price: the more affordable, the more points +19.8
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
- 70.9 cm
- Sori
- 1.6 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Osafune Sukesada
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- Genki era (1570–1573)
- Province
- Bizen (Osafune)
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- No
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