Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Kotō katana from Bizen Osafune, signed and dated to the 2nd month of Eiroku 12 (1569), with an ubu tang, NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a shirasaya bearing a sayagaki by Honami Nisshū.
Katana of the Osafune school in Bizen province, forged in the late Muromachi period. The tang is ubu, with three mekugi-ana, two of them plugged, and bears on the omote the signature 備前国住長船孫右衛門尉清光 (Bizen no Kuni-jū Osafune Magoemon-no-jō Kiyomitsu) and on the ura the date 永禄十二年二月吉日 (Eiroku jūni-nen nigatsu kichijitsu), February 1569. Nagasa 65.2 cm, sori 1.7 cm. According to the original seller, the blade is broad, deeply curved and has an extended kissaki; the jigane shows a tightly packed ko-mokume, and the bright, clear hamon features ashi and fine kinsuji, with an irregular bōshi that turns back. It is kept in a shirasaya with a sayagaki by the polisher Honami Nisshū, dated 1984, which records it as a piece handed down in the Asano family of Geishū. The habaki is silver, engraved with family crests. It holds the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper. The original seller describes the blade as healthy.
Strong points
- Signed and dated: 2nd month of Eiroku 12 (1569)
- Ubu tang with complete signature and date
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken paper
- Sayagaki by Honami Nisshū recording provenance from the Asano family of Geishū
- Silver habaki engraved with family crests
Points to bear in mind
- Offered in shirasaya only, without koshirae
- Two of the three mekugi-ana are plugged
- The hamon and jigane activity is given on the original seller's description
Score
118.9 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+15
Tang intact according to the seller at origin +25 · 1 extra mekugi-ana −10
-
Declared condition
+30
Healthy according to the original seller +30
-
Signature and date
+25
Signed and with an engraved date +25
-
Mounting
−15
No mounting −15
-
Blade
0
65.2 cm: outside the usable range 0
-
Shirasaya
+5
With a storage shirasaya +5
-
Price
+8.9
Price: the more affordable, the more points +8.9
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
- 65.2 cm
- Sori
- 1.7 cm
- Tang
- Intact (ubu)
- Certificate
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
- Mounting
- No mounting
- Storage shirasaya
- Yes
- Smith
- Osafune Kiyomitsu
- Period
- Kotō (up to 1596)
- Dating
- 2nd month of Eiroku 12 (1569)
- Province
- Bizen
- Mekugi-ana
- 3
- Condition
- Sound condition according to the seller at origin
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 3,26 cm
- Sakihaba
- 2,29 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,73 cm
- Blade weight
- 790 g