Kantei

NH-0436 Rank 119

Sukesada

Kotō katana by Osafune Sukesada, signed and dated Eishō 9 (1512), with an intact tang, a complete koshirae and a declared Tokubetsu Hozon certificate.

Kotō (up to 1596)8th month of Eishō 9 (1512)BizenNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

Silhouette of the blade to scale, aligned at the machi

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Katana signed Bizen no kuni jū Osafune Sukesada saku and dated to the eighth month of Eishō 9 (1512), a work of the Osafune school of Bizen at the height of the Sengoku period. The blade measures 61.2 cm in nagasa with a sori of 0.9 cm, honzukuri construction, a gentle curve, slight tapering towards the point and a somewhat extended kissaki. The original seller describes a tightly packed itame with chikei and midare-utsuri rising from the base, a nioi-based koshi-hiraki midare hamon with ashi and round spots of temper between the waves, and a midare-komi bōshi with ko-maru and a short return. It carries a bō-hi with soe-hi in katachiri style, ending in kaku-dome below the machi. The tang, with kurijiri and lightly cut katte-sagari file marks, appears intact in the photographs, with three mekugi-ana, two of them plugged. It comes with a koshirae featuring a black lacquered saya, a tsuka with same and a light-toned, worn wrap, an iron tsuba with lattice openwork, dark-metal fuchi-kashira with relief motifs, decorated kozuka and kōgai and a blue-and-gold sageo; the seller neither describes nor dates it. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate declared by the seller, not visible in the photographs; a shirasaya is also declared.

Strong points

  • Full signature Bizen no kuni jū Osafune Sukesada saku with a date of Eishō 9 (1512), legible on the tang
  • Intact tang with kurijiri and settled patina, as seen in the photographs
  • Midare-utsuri and nioi-based hamon with round spots of temper, as described by the original seller
  • Complete koshirae with kozuka and kōgai, photographed
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken certificate declared

Points to bear in mind

  • The certificate does not appear in the photographs
  • The mounting is known only from the photographs: the seller neither describes nor dates it
  • Two of the three mekugi-ana are plugged
  • The original seller makes no statement about the blade's state of preservation

Score breakdown

48.7/100

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 18 of 18 Signed and with an engraved date
  2. Tang 17 of 22 Tang intact according to the photographs, but with 3 mekugi-ana
  3. Mounting -2 of 18 Mounting documented only in the photographs
  4. Declared condition 11 of 20 Condition not declared
  5. Blade 4 of 8 61.2 cm: outside the usable range
  6. Shirasaya 0 of 4 No shirasaya: one will have to be made
  7. Price 0.7 of 10 Rank 129 of 139 by price, from the most affordable to the dearest