Listed an excellent Bizen Osafune Katsumitsu katana dated Eisho 5 (made on a day in the eighth month of the year 1508). The blade has a tight and finely worked ko-itame jihada and a fabulous, vivid midare utsuri that runs the length of both sides of the blade. Ubu nakago with a well preserved mei and date. With copper habaki and shirasaya. NBTHK Hozon kanteisho (easily a candidate for Tokubetsu Hozon). The kanteisho does not specify which specific Katsumitsu made this sword, but for the date there were several possibilities including the Saijo-saku smith Jirozaemon along with Hikobeijo and Tobeijo.
KATSUMITSU (勝光), 5th gen., Eishō (永正, 1504-1521), Bizen – “Bizen no Kuni-jū Osafune Jirōzaemon no Jō Katsumitsu” (備前国住長船二郎左衛門尉勝光), “Bizen no Kuni-jū Osafune Jirōzaemon no Jō Fujiwara Katsumitsu”(備前国住長船次郎左衛門尉藤原勝光), son of the 4th gen. Ukyō no Suke Katsumitsu, first name Jirōzaemon no Jō (二郎左衛門尉), he changed the characters of his first name during the early Eishō era to (次郎左衛門尉), there exist gassaku with his uncle Sakyō no Shin Munemitsu (左京進宗光), Yosōzaemon no Jō Sukesada (与三左衛門尉祐定), and with his son Jirōbei no Jō Harumitsu (次郎兵衛尉治光), we know date signatures from the third year of Chōkyō (長享, 1489) to the ninth year of Tenbun (天文, 1540), he continued the workmanship of his father whereas his hamon is more densely arranged, the flamboyance of his hataraki within the ha can not compete with that of his father, he know elaborate horimono of kurikara and the like, ō-wazamono, saijō-saku
KATSUMITSU (勝光), Meiō (明応, 1492-1501), Bizen – “Bizen no Kuni Osafune Hikobei no Jō Katsumitsu”
(備前国長船彦兵衛尉勝光), “Bishū Osafune Hikobei no Jō Katsumitsu” (備州長船彦兵衛尉勝光), first name Hikobei no Jō (彦兵衛尉), he is associated with the family of Ukyō no Suke Katsumitsu, his younger brother was Tōbei no Jō Katsumitsu (藤兵衛尉勝光), koshi-no-hiraita gunome-chōji, wazamono, jō-saku
KATSUMITSU (勝光), Meiō (明応, 1492-1501), Bizen – “Bizen no Kuni Osafune Tōbei no Jō Katsumitsu”
(備前国長船藤兵衛尉勝光), first name Tōbei no Jō (藤兵衛尉), younger brother of Hikobei no Jō Katsumitsu (彦兵衛尉勝光)
$8,750.00