Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae (NBTHK Hozon Paper)(Consignment sale)

Signature: Bizen no kuni ju Osafune Sukesada.
Ten,,, 19 nen 8 gatsuhi.

The blade was polished.
Blade length : 66.3 cm or 26.10 inches.
Sori : 2.4 cm or 0.94 inches.
Mekugi: 1
Width at the hamachi : 2.87 cm or 1.12 inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 1.69 cm or 0.66 inches.
Kasane : 0.66 cm or 0.25 inches.
Weight of only blade:580g
Era : Late Muromachi period.
Shape : This blade is regular sized Katana with deep Sori and long Kisskai. It’s very nice shape.
Jitetsu : Tight Ko-itame and Ko-mokume mix with Jinie attach.
There are Utsuri on jitetsu. There are some rusts and flaws on the blade.
Hamon : Nie based, Gunome midare and Choji mix.
There are small Kinsuji and many Sunagashi in Ha.
Boshi is round shaped.

Special feature : In the Muromachi period, Harima, Mimasaka and Bizen province
had been prospered under the protection of the Akamatsu family.
Above all, Bizen province has turned out a great many talented swordsmiths.
Supplying the demand of the Age of Provincial Wars in Japan, a large
number of swords were made there in the late Muromachi period.
Sukesada has become a synonym for the Osafune School though the
founder was Mitsutada. It is regrettable that a deluge devastated the
School in Osafune districts in Tensho era. Such is the way of the world
that even the Osafune School, that prosperity and power had been unparalleled,
perished in this way in the deluge. Old swords are all that is left to tell
how once the swordsmiths lived.

Generally, many Sukesada blades have Suguha Hamon.
But this blade has Gunome and Choji mix, and this Hamon is interesting.
There are some rusts and flaws on the blade.

Hisrorical background: The Daimyo Maeda Toshiie was surrendered 1583
Tensho 11 the year which is same Nengo of this Tanto to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
After that Sekigahara war occured 1583 and Daimyo Ieyasu won this battle by the betrayal of Daimyo Kobayakawa.

Koshirae : (Tsunagi is short sized Tsunagi.)
Tsuba : On the round shaped iron Tsuba, dragon and scrolls and Gunbai are engraved. There are a few gold and silver inlay.
Fuchikashira : Made with iron plate.
Saya : Black colored Saya. There are a few small flaws on Saya. And there is crack on Kurikata.
Menuki : On the Suaka copper plate, oar is engraved.

 

NBTHK Hozon Paper
Aoi Art estimation paper : whole Oshigata.