Osafune Kanemitsu
長船兼光 (Osafune Kanemitsu)
An Osafune smith in Bizen of the Nanbokuchō period, son of Kagemitsu and head of the school's main line; one of the best cutting smiths of Bizen.
Profile
Kanemitsu, son of Kagemitsu and grandson of Nagamitsu, worked at Osafune for about thirty years from the Genkō era (1331-1334). His early blades follow his father, with katai-ochi gunome and chōji and the bōshi of the three masters; around the Enbun era (1356-1361) his work changes: broad tachi of more than three shaku, a notare with gunome in nie, and a pointed bōshi of his own. Because of that change two generations were once assumed, but today he is held to be one smith. Tradition links him with Ashikaga Takauji and counts him among Masamune's «ten pupils». The Kokon Kaji Bikō of 1830 ranks him saijō ō-wazamono, the highest cutting grade.
Notable works
- Fukushima Kanemitsu: tachi, important cultural property, Tokyo National Museum.
- Ōdachi of 1359 (dated fourth year of Enbun), from the Uesugi house: important cultural property, Tokyo National Museum.
Rankings
- Saijō ō-wazamono (highest grade) (Kokon Kaji Bikō, 1830)