Osafune Masamitsu
政光 (Masamitsu)
An Osafune smith in Bizen of the second half of the 14th century, of the branch that follows Kanemitsu; he worked in Sōden-Bizen and signed blades for about forty years.
Profile
Masamitsu forms, with Tomomitsu and Motomitsu, the Osafune branch that follows Kanemitsu in the Nanbokuchō period. The entry of Bunka Isan Online, of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, gives his signed works between 1361 (Kōan 1) and 1398 (Ōei 5), some forty years, and describes his manner, Sōden-Bizen, as close to Kanemitsu's. The same entry notes that his tachi with the original signature on the tang are rare, and that a blade of his from 1361, in a private collection, is an important cultural property.
Such a long period of signing may bring together more than one smith: the Kotō Taikan presents him as the first of his name, which implies that there was at least one other Masamitsu at Osafune.
Notable works
- Tachi signed «Bishū Osafune Masamitsu» and dated in the second month of 1398 (Ōei 5), with a 67 cm blade; a late work, on Bunka Isan Online.