Lot Essay
The blade was commissioned by Dr. Compton.
Details
A BIZEN OSAFUNE TANTO AFTER BIZEN KAGEMITSU
DATED 1967, SIGNED BIZEN (NO) KUNI OSAFUNE (NO) JU TOSHIMITSU (B. 1898)
Configuration (sugata): of flat, wedge section (hira-zukuri) with shallow peaked back (iori-mune); length (nagasa): 8 sun, 6 bu (26.0cm.); curvature (sori) none (muzori), but with a slight uchizori of 0.1cm.
Forging pattern (jihada): highly compacted wood and straight wood grains (koitame masame).
Tempering pattern (hamon): small invections (juzuba gonome) with several deep, slanted 'legs' (saka-ashi) in ko-nie and with some 'swept sands' (sunagashi).
Point (boshi): medium rounded (chu-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): Bizen, ubu and with a clean surface; file marks (yasurime): sloping (sujikai); end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (mei): inside (ura): Bizen (no) Kuni Osafune (no) ju Toshimitsu; outside (omote): Oju Compton Hakushi (requested by Dr. Compton), Bizen (no) Kuni Osafune Kagemitsu utsushi; date (jidai): Showa 42-nen 2-gatsu hi (a day in the 2nd month of Showa 42 [1967]).
Shirasaya with attestation by Sato Kanzan.
Silk storage bag.
DATED 1967, SIGNED BIZEN (NO) KUNI OSAFUNE (NO) JU TOSHIMITSU (B. 1898)
Configuration (sugata): of flat, wedge section (hira-zukuri) with shallow peaked back (iori-mune); length (nagasa): 8 sun, 6 bu (26.0cm.); curvature (sori) none (muzori), but with a slight uchizori of 0.1cm.
Forging pattern (jihada): highly compacted wood and straight wood grains (koitame masame).
Tempering pattern (hamon): small invections (juzuba gonome) with several deep, slanted 'legs' (saka-ashi) in ko-nie and with some 'swept sands' (sunagashi).
Point (boshi): medium rounded (chu-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): Bizen, ubu and with a clean surface; file marks (yasurime): sloping (sujikai); end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (mei): inside (ura): Bizen (no) Kuni Osafune (no) ju Toshimitsu; outside (omote): Oju Compton Hakushi (requested by Dr. Compton), Bizen (no) Kuni Osafune Kagemitsu utsushi; date (jidai): Showa 42-nen 2-gatsu hi (a day in the 2nd month of Showa 42 [1967]).
Shirasaya with attestation by Sato Kanzan.
Silk storage bag.