Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Katana of the Osafune school of Bizen, signed by Katsumitsu and dated the 2nd month of Bunmei 18 (1486), in shirasaya and with Tokubetsu Hozon papers declared by the original seller.
Katana by Osafune Katsumitsu, a smith of the Osafune school in Bizen province during the Muromachi period. According to the original seller, it is the work of Ukyō no Suke Katsumitsu, who worked alongside his brother Sakyō no Shin Munemitsu in the service of the lord Akamatsu Masanori, and the date matches the year in which both forged at Kusakabe. The blade measures 63.3 cm with 1 cm of sori: an uchigatana shape typical of the time, with chū-kissaki, a pronounced shinogi and a short tang meant for one-handed use. The photographs show an undulating notare hamon with gunome elements; the original seller describes a ko-itame jigane with ko-mokume and masame towards the edge, with utsuri, kinsuji and sunagashi. The tang, with one mekugi-ana, is signed 備州長船勝光 (Bishū Osafune Katsumitsu) and dated 文明十八年二月日 (Bunmei jūhachi-nen nigatsu hi). It comes in shirasaya with a one-piece gold-foiled habaki, and the original seller declares NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers.
Strong points
- Blade signed and dated the 2nd month of Bunmei 18 (1486)
- Osafune school of Bizen, Muromachi period
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken papers declared by the original seller
- Period uchigatana shape with a short tang for one hand
- In shirasaya, with a 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
- Offered without mounts, in shirasaya only
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
- The photographs of the tang do not allow the signature to be read in detail
Score
104.2 pointscurrent max. 255
-
Certificate
+50
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper +50
-
Tang
+20
Tang intact according to the photographs +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
+24.2
Price: the more affordable, the more points +24.2
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
- 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
- 1
- Condition
- Minor flaws declared
- Signed
- Yes
- With an engraved date
- Yes
- Motohaba
- 2,94 cm
- Sakihaba
- 1,88 cm
- Motokasane
- 0,70 cm
- Shinogi-kasane
- 0,79 cm