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拍品專文
The fine quality blade has been considerably shortened from its original length, and the tang has been re-shaped with and carved with the attribution to Yasumitsu, probably based on an original signature. Yasumitsu was prominent among the Oei era (1394-1428) smiths of Bizen province together with Morimitsu, Iesuke, and Tsunaie, whose swords emulated that of the early-middle Kamakura period Osafune smiths. The choji and gunome with yo and some togariba with a pale bo [straight]-utsuri of the present sword are characteristic of their work.
Bird's head tachi such as this were used by the aristocracy when hawking, and were often given in dedication to Shinto shrines. A number of examples of such dedicatory pieces survive in important shrine collections.
A torikubi no tachi is illustrated in the Shuko Jisshu in which it is described as having been given by Emperor Saga (785-842) to the Shinguji temple in Kumano. In 'Sword and Samé' Joly and Inaba illustrate a bird's head tachi which once adorned a Buddhist figure in the Togano temple, Yamashiro province. Among the treasures of the Kumano Hayatama Taisha are two fine examples which are said to have been given by the Emperor Gokomatsu (1377-1433), one of which contains a blade by Nobukuni, roughly contemporary with the present tachi blade.
Bird's head tachi such as this were used by the aristocracy when hawking, and were often given in dedication to Shinto shrines. A number of examples of such dedicatory pieces survive in important shrine collections.
A torikubi no tachi is illustrated in the Shuko Jisshu in which it is described as having been given by Emperor Saga (785-842) to the Shinguji temple in Kumano. In 'Sword and Samé' Joly and Inaba illustrate a bird's head tachi which once adorned a Buddhist figure in the Togano temple, Yamashiro province. Among the treasures of the Kumano Hayatama Taisha are two fine examples which are said to have been given by the Emperor Gokomatsu (1377-1433), one of which contains a blade by Nobukuni, roughly contemporary with the present tachi blade.