Kantei

NH-0429 Rank 111

Sukesada

Katana signed Bishū Osafune Sukesada, mid to late Muromachi, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken, an uchigatana-koshirae with black ishime saya, and shirasaya.

Kotō (up to 1596)Mid to late Muromachi period (15th–16th centuries)BizenNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana by Bishū Osafune Sukesada, a line of smiths that, together with Katsumitsu and Kiyomitsu, represents the Osafune school of Bizen at the end of the Muromachi period; the original seller places it between the mid and late Muromachi. The blade has a nagasa of 65.85 cm and a sori of 2.1 cm, with a saki-zori profile and a clear taper from base to point. According to the original seller, the jigane is well-forged mokume, slightly hadatachi with chikei; the hamon is notare with gunome, ashi, sunagashi and ko-chōji, and the bōshi runs into midare with a rounded return; the blade is declared healthy, with no notable forging flaws. The nakago, which appears ubu in the photographs, with two mekugi-ana and a kurijiri end, bears the signature "Bishū Osafune Sukesada" without a personal name. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate dated February 2025, legible in the photographs. The mounting is an uchigatana-koshirae with a black ishime-lacquered saya, an openwork iron tsuba with pine and hut, shakudō fuchi-kashira with gold chrysanthemums, a same-covered tsuka with dark wrap and a gold sageo; the seller describes it as in good condition, with slight play in the tsuka, and does not date it. Two-piece shakudō habaki and shirasaya with tsunagi.

Strong points

  • Signature "Bishū Osafune Sukesada" on a nakago with two mekugi-ana, ubu as seen in the photographs
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate (February 2025), legible in the photographs
  • Blade declared healthy by the original seller, with no notable forging flaws
  • Complete uchigatana-koshirae: black ishime saya, openwork iron tsuba, shakudō fuchi-kashira
  • Includes shirasaya with tsunagi and a two-piece shakudō habaki

Points to bear in mind

  • The mounting is not dated by the original seller
  • The seller reports slight play in the tsuka, fixable by rewrapping or shimming
  • Signature without a personal name: it cannot be attributed to a specific Sukesada

Score breakdown

52.4/100

The score shares out 100 points: Signature and date 18 · Tang 22 · Mounting 18 · Declared condition 20 · Blade 8 · Shirasaya 4 · Price 10. 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).

  1. Signature and date 10 of 18 Signed, with no engraved date
  2. Tang 18 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs, with 2 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting 1 of 18 Mounting described piece by piece by the seller at origin
  4. Declared condition 17 of 20 Sound condition according to the seller at origin
  5. Blade 4 of 8 65.9 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 2.4 of 10 Rank 106 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest