Bizen Osafune Sukesada Katana with Edo Period Koshirae – Dated 1517, Muromachi Period

Smith: Bishū Osafune Sukesada
School: Bizen Osafune
Period: Muromachi (1333–1573)
Date: Eishō 12 (1517) – Second Month
Nagasa: 63.1 cm (24 13/16 in)
Mountings: 19th-century uchigatana koshirae
Certification: NBTHK Hozon Tōken (No. 306362, June 20, 1986)

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Overview

This is a fine and well-documented katana signed Bishū Osafune Sukesada and dated to the second month of Eishō 12 (1517). It was offered in the Bonhams Arts of the Samurai auction and is accompanied by full NBTHK Hozon certification, confirming it as a sword worthy of preservation.

Forged during the late Muromachi period in the Bizen province—then Japan’s most prolific swordmaking center—this katana represents the work of the famed Osafune Sukesada line. This particular example was created during the period historians call Sue-Bizen, when sword production was high to meet the demands of a country at war, but master smiths such as Sukesada continued to produce blades of exceptional quality.

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Sword Description

• Sugata (configuration): Hon-zukuri, iori-mune, chū-kissaki, saki-zori

• Kitae (forging): Flowing itame-hada with fine ji-nie, jifu, and clear utsuri

• Hamon (tempering): Gunome with togari-ba, abundant yō, sunagashi, and tobiyaki

• Bōshi (tip): Midare-komi

• Horimono: Kaku-dome bōhi with soebi and kuwagata (stylized horn motif) carved on both sides

• Nakago: Ubu, slightly machi-okuri with two mekugi-ana, katte-sagari file marks, signed and dated Bishū Osafune Sukesada / Eishō jūninen nigatsu no hi (A day in the second month of 1517)

• Habaki: One-piece gilt

Dimensions:

• Nagasa: 63.1 cm

• Motohaba: 3.1 cm

• Sakihaba: 2.1 cm

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Mountings (Koshirae)

A well-preserved 19th-century uchigatana koshirae comprising:

• Saya: Black lacquer finish

• Kozuka: Shakudō and shibuichi with a water beetle and poem in gold and silver inlay

• Kōgai: Shakudō and shibuichi with a flowering plum bough chiseled and inlaid in copper and gold

• Tsuka: Green ito wrap over ray skin, mounted with shakudō migakiji fuchi-gashira decorated with fans in gold and copper inlay, signed Jochiku

• Menuki: Shakudō and gold, depicting flying creatures

• Tsuba: Circular shakudō nanako with basketry design within an arched octagonal border

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Historical Context

The date of 1517 places this sword in the midst of Japan’s Sengoku Jidai (“Warring States Period”), a time when warfare was constant, and demand for reliable battlefield weapons was extremely high. The Bizen Osafune school dominated sword production during this period, with many Sukesada smiths working cooperatively in large workshops to meet orders from powerful daimyo.

While much of the mass production of Sue-Bizen catered to practical military needs, skilled masters within the Sukesada lineage—especially those signing with their personal names—continued to create swords that retained the refined workmanship of earlier Bizen traditions. This blade’s well-executed jihada, complex gunome with abundant hataraki, and detailed horimono attest to the skill and care invested in its creation, setting it apart from more utilitarian contemporaries.

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Papers and Documentation

• NBTHK Hozon Tōken Certificate (No. 306362, 1986-06-20) – Sword judged worthy of preservation

• Nihon Tōken Hozon Kai Kanteisho (No. 2680, 1980-05-20) – Tsuba

• Nihon Tōken Hozon Kai Kanteisho (No. 2681, 1984-05-20) – Tsuka fittings

• Nihon Tōken Hozon Kai Kanteisho (No. 2682, 1984-05-20) – Kozuka and Kōgai

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Significance

Sue-Bizen swords by Sukesada are valued for their cutting ability, durability, and beauty, and they serve as important examples of Muromachi-period craftsmanship. The dated signature provides precise historical anchoring, and the complete koshirae with NBTHK certification further enhances its collectability.

Given its documented provenance, artistic horimono, and period mountings, this katana offers both historical significance and visual appeal—a worthy addition to any serious collection of Japanese sword.