Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana of the Osafune school of Bizen, signed Sukesada and dated the 8th month of Eiroku 5 (1562), with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers according to the original seller; supplied in shirasaya.
Katana of the Osafune school of Bizen, signed on the omote 備前國住長舩祐定作 (Bizen no kuni-jū Osafune Sukesada saku) and dated on the ura 永禄五年八月日 (Eiroku go-nen hachigatsu hi), in the heart of the Sengoku era. The Osafune Sukesada were the great workshop of Bizen in the late Muromachi period. The blade measures 65.4 cm in nagasa with 2.48 cm of sori; according to the original seller it has a very wide motohaba (3.06 cm), a thick shinogi-kasane (0.82 cm) and a slightly extended chū-kissaki. The seller describes an itame jigane mixed with mokume and strong chikei, and a hiro-suguha hamon with some ko-gunome, ashi, yō, kinsuji and sunagashi; the photographs show the whole blade on both sides with a broad straight hamon. The tang, with a kurijiri tip and a single mekugi-ana, appears intact in the photographs. The original seller notes that the style of the signature resembles that of Shinjūrō Sukesada, as an opinion rather than a ruling. It comes in shirasaya with a gold-foiled double habaki, without mountings. According to the original seller, it holds NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Strong points
- Full signature and date: Eiroku 5 (1562), Sengoku era
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers, according to the original seller
- Tang intact in the photographs, with a single mekugi-ana
- Robust blade: 3.06 cm motohaba and 0.82 cm shinogi-kasane
- Shirasaya and gold-foiled double habaki
Points to bear in mind
- No koshirae: the blade comes in shirasaya only
- The listing does not state the condition of the blade
- The papers do not appear in the photographs
- The signature does not establish which Sukesada master forged the blade
Score
86.2 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +20
-
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
0
65.4 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+21.2
Price: the more affordable, the more points +21.2
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
- 65.4 cm
- Sori
- 2.5 cm
- Tang
- Intact according to the photographs
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Osafune Sukesada
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- 8th month of Eiroku 5 (1562)
- Province
- Bizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 1
- Condition
- Condition not declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,06 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,21 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,73 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,82 cm