A BIZEN OSAFUNE TACHI

Details

A BIZEN OSAFUNE TACHI
MUROMACHI PERIOD, DATED THE 3RD MONTH OF 1412, SIGNED BISHU OSAFUNE IESUKE

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 5 sun, 3 bu (76.8cm.); curvature (sori): koshi-zori of 2.0cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 1.25cm.; carving (horimono): maru-dome bo-hi on both sides.
Forging pattern (jihada): wood grain (itame) with some bo-utsuri.
Tempering pattern (hamon): shallow swells (gonome) ko-notare and clove-like patterns (choji) in profuse nioi and ko-nie, interspersed with some 'legs' (ashi),some yo and one single 'pearl' on the inside.
Point (boshi): midare-komi with small turn-back.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): regular, unshortened (ubu) and of uncommon length (24.1cm.); file marks (yasurime): slanted (katte-sagari); end (nakagojiri): rounded (kurijiri); holes (mekugi-ana): two; signature (tachimei): Bishu Osafune Iesuke, dated Oei 19 (1412), 3rd month.

Shirasaya with attestation signed Kunzan (Homma Junji).

Accompanied by a tokubetsu juyo token certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., dated Showa 50 (1975), and a juyo token certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., dated Showa 42 (1967).

Provenance

Shogun Tokugawa Ieshige
Maeda family

Literature

Tokubetsu juyo token to zufu, vol. 4.
Juyo token to zufu, vol. 16.
Compton, Homma, Sato and Ogawa (1976), no. XI.
One Hundred Masterpieces (1992), no. 19.

Exhibited

Compton, Homma, Sato and Ogawa (1976), no. XI.

Lot Essay

Iesuke I was the son of Hatakeda Moriie and his works display the typical Osafune hamon of either medium gonome midare mixed with choji midare or a hamon of medium suguba in profuse nioi. According to the Meikan, among his Nambokucho period swords those with Oei date are probably the earliest.