Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana of the Osafune school of Bizen, signed and dated in the 2nd month of Bunmei 18 (1486), in shirasaya, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Katana by Osafune Katsumitsu, a smith of the Osafune school in Bizen province, signed 備州長舩勝光 (Bishū Osafune Katsumitsu) on the omote of the tang and dated 文明十八年二月日 (Bunmei jūhachi-nen nigatsu hi) on the ura, that is 1486, in the middle Muromachi period. According to the original seller, it is the work of Ukyō no Suke Katsumitsu, who worked with his brother Sakyō no Shin Munemitsu in the service of Akamatsu Masanori, and he made it at the age of 52, the same year as his Kusakabe blades. The nagasa is 63.3 cm with 1.0 cm of sori: chūkissaki, shallow curvature and a short tang, typical of the one-handed uchigatana of the time. The original seller describes a ko-itame jigane with ko-mokume and masame towards the edge, with utsuri, and a suguha hamon with gentle notare and ko-gunome, with kinsuji, sunagashi and ashi. The photographs show the tang with its signature and two mekugi-ana, with no sign of shortening. The blade is kept in shirasaya, as declared by the seller, with a one-piece gold-foiled habaki. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, as declared by the seller.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 2nd month of Bunmei 18 (1486)
- Osafune school of Bizen, middle Muromachi period
- Tang appears intact, with the original signature and two mekugi-ana
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers, according to the seller
- One-piece gold-foiled habaki
Points to bear in mind
- The original seller declares a small kitae-ware near the ha-machi, in the area covered by the habaki
- No koshirae: the blade comes only in shirasaya, which does not appear in the photographs
- The papers do not appear in the photographs
Score
104.5 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana +20
-
Declared condition
−5
The original seller declares flaws 0 · small kitae-ware, away from the edge −5
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
0
63.3 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+24.5
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.5
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
- 63.3 cm
- Sori
- 1 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Osafune Katsumitsu
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- 2nd month of Bunmei 18 (1486)
- Province
- Bizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 2
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 2,94 cm
- Sakihaba
- 1,88 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,7 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,79 cm