A BIZEN OSAFUNE TACHI

BIZEN--OSAFUNE

Details

A BIZEN OSAFUNE TACHI
KAMAKURA PERIOD (CIRCA 1260), SIGNED KAGEHIDE

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 3 sun (69.7cm.); curvature (sori): strong koshi-zori of 2.7cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 1.0cm.; carving (horimono): bo-hi on both sides and with pointed ends (kaki-nagashi) extending into the tang.
Forging pattern (jihada): small wood grain pattern (ko-itame).
Tempering pattern (hamon): choji notare in nie and nioi, becoming more subdued towards either end.
Point (boshi): small and rounded (ko-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): regular and unshortened (ubu); file marks (yasurime): sujikai; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kurijiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (tachimei): Kagehide.

Shirasaya with attestation by Sato Kanzan.

Hiru-maki no tachi-koshirae, Edo period (circa 1725), comprising: a saya and tsuka encased in silver-plated copper with a spiralling black-lacquered groove running the entire length, the tsuka with eight tawara-byo (ho-o), four to a side, the kabutogane (kashira) in gold-plated and carved in high relief on an ishime ground with informal kiri-mon, the fuchi in plated gold without decoration and with a central ridge, and two ashi, all gold-plated, the ishizuki and semigane are gold-plated with the same design on ishime ground and informal kiri mon, the nagatsugane are in the shape of kiri mon and are three on the upper ashi and four on the lower, all gold-plated; the ashigawa is doeskin of a light brown color with a white-printed pattern of stupa and mon designs; the tsuba in aori mokko with inomebori inserts at the four indentations in the classic Kamakura Period style, the rim and edge are decorated with ishime ground and informal wistaria and kiri mon, with two o-seppa and six seppa, as is usual for this type of tachi mounting, all unsigned--length of koshirae 105.0cm.; saya length 85.0cm.; tsuka length 23.0cm.; tsuba height 8.2cm., width 7.0cm., thickness at center 0.35cm., thickness at edge 1.1cm.

Accompanied by a tokubetsu juyo token certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., dated Showa 55 (1980); a juyo token certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., dated Showa 51 (1976); and a tokubetsu kicho koshirae certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., no. 0008, dated 1972.

Literature

Juyo token to zufu, vol. 24.
Tokubetsu juyo token to zufu, vol. 7.
One Hundred Masterpieces (1992), no. 12.

Lot Essay

Kagehide was the younger brother of Mitsutada, founder of the Osafune school within the Bizen tradition. From the school's inception, the swordsmiths of Osafune were probably the most numerous (as well as prolific) in the whole of Bizen province.

Surviving tachi by Kagehide are rare, the most famous being the Kurombo-giri, an Important Cultural Property (Juyo bunkazai) and family treasure of the Date family, but that tachi has been shortened and only part of the signature remains.

This example not only is signed fully but also it is unshortened. It clearly displays the choji notare tempering for which Kagehide is known but which also was used by Mitsutada and Ichimonji Yoshifusa, and the signature is executed in large, open strokes.