anguilla1980

My nihonto book collection is growing. In addition to the usual generic classics I had before making my purchase, I've now acquired these since they are Bizen-specific and have received them: Osafune Chōshi - General Bizen Sword History Osafune Chōshi - 2 Vol Research Ed (this is the big mutha) Nihonto Koza - Vol IX - Koto Part III - Bizen I'll be busy the rest of this year going through them :D

I've learned something else. Aoi had the sword listed as 1576. But comparing the "Tenshō 3, 8th month" (天正三年八月日) inscription against a modern calendar, and knowing that in this time period the Senmyō-reki lunisolar calendar was used (which was the specific system in use during the Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods before the Jōkyō calendar reform) - it actually looks like my sword was made in 1575 and probably in September. The 8th lunar month in that year technically was a window between September 5 – October 4. Anyway, I'm sure this is the tip of the iceberg in learning about these swords. I gotta say though, it's pretty fun learning all this stuff.

Well s**t, good to know. Google told me there were multiple versions printed, and this was the combined single volume. So much for that lol. This is the Google Translate of the images of the book: "This book is 長船町史 刀剣編 (Osafune Chōshi, “Sword Section, General History”), the official Osafune town sword history volume published in 2000. It is not a general town history volume, and it is not an unrelated excerpt." So since it's just a general sword history, yeah, this wouldn't have all the detail of the 2-volume. Damn, ok. EDIT: Alright, I found the proper 2-volume detailed reference edition and purchased it. Thanks!

Thanks for pointing out that reference book exists, I just found and purchased a copy on Buyee - https://www.kosho.or.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=565488584

I kinda interpreted the data that dates of swords at this specific period of war, were reflecting practical production and military commissioning cycles rather than symbolic or ritual dating. But it looks like I could be wrong, and they are more symbolic dates with the NBTHK respecting that date as real out of superstition and respect. Certainly, with swords before and after I expect that to be the case, so yeah, the truth may be stretched here as well. As a new guy, I really appreciate the info!

That is a great little nugget of intel, thanks. From what I can tell, there is a bit of truth there, but it’s usually framed a bit too symbolically. Sue-Bizen blades do tend to cluster in the 2nd and 8th months based on my research, but this is generally understood as reflecting practical production and commissioning cycles during the Sengoku period. While Hachiman worship and numerological associations with “8” certainly existed, signed and dated blades that pass NBTHK scrutiny are normally taken at face value as real production dates rather than symbolic ones. So I'll just take it for what it is on the NBTHK cert, a literal date, but yes, I suppose I won't put too much weight in it. It could be the NBTHK just respecting the symbolic auspicious date at face value.

Interesting to see that rasp tool just for doing that. I'll be sure to give the saya a really good look, especially on the inside to ensure it's clean. If it's not a great fit, that just gives me an excuse to have one commissioned in the Tensho-era style of the day for a typical rank and file samurai. Very plain, wrapped in cloth then laquered over, etc. but at least it would be a perfect fit for the blade and restore some historical accuracy to the koshirae in a modest sense until I could do the rest of the mounting the same.

For sure, I don't disagree with either of you. It's well known that mountings come and go all the time over the centuries, and that there can be numerous ones owned for each blade at a given time. My observation was simply of the two mekugi, and when the second hole was made. I appreciate the observation on the ito, I hadn't noticed that. Yeah, they are slightly different widths, especially on the outside - which you'd think would be the best. Now the saya, that's an interesting point. I didn't know AOI was notorious for this. Never did it occur to me that a saya would be sold with a blade that hadn't been custom-made for it. Of course, it would also never occur to me to bother putting the mounting on the blade, let alone inserting it into the saya, but I would have trusted it to be made to an absolutely perfect custom fit whenever it was added. That's just dangerous to even sell an ill-fitting saya with a blade, and pretty irresponsible, frankly. Now you've done the opposite and made me so curious, I may carefully try it lol!

I wanted to post a brief follow-up and clarification to my original introduction, as further close study of the blade and mounting details has led to a more precise understanding of the sword’s remounting history, specifically regarding the second mekugi-ana. In my original post, I described the koshirae as a coherent mid-Edo remounting, and while that assessment remains broadly correct for the visible fittings themselves, closer examination of the nakago, mekugi-ana placement, and patina has refined when a critical remounting event may have actually occurred. The blade has two mekugi-ana, and after spending a frankly obsessive amount of time studying their placement, finish, and internal patina, it is now clear that the second mekugi-ana was not a late or decorative alteration, nor a simple reinforcement measure, but the result of a deliberate, planned remounting event. Both holes exhibit uniform age and undisturbed patina, with spacing that reflects a change in tsuka geometry rather than emergency field refitting or later display-driven modification. This I believe strongly places the addition of the second mekugi-ana in the late Momoyama to very early Edo period, most plausibly the Keichō era (circa 1596–1615). In other words, the blade appears to have been remounted structurally right at the transition from endemic Sengoku warfare into early Tokugawa peace, rather than centuries later. What this suggests, and what I find particularly compelling, is continuity of ownership. Rather than being replaced, discarded, or relegated to storage, this Sengoku-era blade seems to have been retained, trusted, and thoughtfully adapted as its owner survived into a new social and military reality. The later Edo-period fittings, including the Maruyama Sōzan work, are best understood as subsequent aesthetic or preservation updates, fitted to an already established tang configuration, not the moment that necessitated the second mekugi-ana. Importantly, this interpretation also addresses a common misconception I initially shared, namely that two mekugi-ana necessarily indicate “wartime reinforcement.” While extra holes do appear on Sengoku blades, they overwhelmingly reflect adaptation and remounting, not a doctrinal preference for dual pegs. A properly carved tsuka with a single well-fitted mekugi was standard even at the height of warfare, and the evidence on this blade aligns with planned remounting rather than battlefield expediency. Nothing about this refinement diminishes the coherence or quality of the koshirae as it exists today, but it does sharpen the sword’s life story in a way I find deeply satisfying. It reinforces the idea that this was a working blade that earned its keep, survived its era, and was carried forward with intention. I appreciate everyone’s patience indulging this level of detail, and I’m grateful to be part of a community where these nuances are appreciated - especially as part of the learning process. I'm also sure some other experts here may have already thought this, but hey, as a newbie to this, it's a realization to me lol. I’ll be sure to share higher-resolution images once the sword arrives and I can document it properly in hand. Thanks again, and I look forward to continuing to learn here. – Alex

Anyone have updates for this thread since September? I did a forum search for the word Tariff in the thread title and this was the only one that came up. AOI is currently waiting on my export permit and I paid 65,000 JPY / $414 for shipping which I presume will be UPS since even DHL is paused right now, I've read elsewhere. It sounds like, and correct me if I'm wrong, that UPS knows the process and will just have me pay on their site for the tariffs then deliver it, and only the USPS process mentioned by the OP is a disaster needing an import broker... is that correct? I've previously had UPS notify me to pay the tariffs online before for packages from Europe, which I always pay right away before it even leaves the source country. Hopefully, this is the same way.

Oh wow, gorgeous. Now that's a dedicated work of art right there. Thanks!

Do you happen to have a link to that one? I've noticed they remove listings from their main site, but not their auction site (at least not all the time). I'd love to check it out, although no doubt it was out of my price range. I'm doing a search, but coming up empty so far.

Thank you, and I appreciate the commentary. I still know very little about how it compares to other similar blades. This one really spoke to me, and so I couldn't pass it up.

Thanks!!

Hi everyone! I’m new to the forum and wanted to briefly introduce myself by sharing a recent acquisition - my first in this space. I’ve been studying nihontō for some time, with a particular focus on late Muromachi work that prioritizes functional integrity, honest construction, and historically grounded workmanship over overtly decorative tendencies. I’m not obsessed with excessively showy hamon, but I do value how all aspects of the blade appear and balance. You will understand what I mean when you really zoom in on the image of the blade. The katana I'd like to share is a signed and dated Bishū Osafune Sukesada katana, saku, forged in Tenshō 3 (1576) and certified NBTHK Hozon Tōken. It is a late Muromachi uchigatana-form blade and represents the Sue-Bizen tradition at a moment when Osafune production was operating under sustained wartime demand. This one is ranked Jō Saku. I was specifically looking for a blade that met several criteria including: A clearly documented Sengoku-era date. A form appropriate to infantry combat rather than earlier tachi conventions. Workmanship that remained firmly within classical Bizen-den practice rather than later Shintō reinterpretation. The blade measures 67.4 cm nagasa, with a wide motohaba, firm kasane, and moderate sori, proportions that read immediately as purposeful rather than exaggerated. The jihada is itame mixed with mokume, with visible utsuri that is consistent and legible under angled light, something I consider essential in pre-flood Bizen work of this period. The hamon is a gunome-midare in nie-deki, active but controlled, favoring durability and coherence over flamboyance. The bōshi enters the kissaki in a continuous midare-komi that holds together well at the point. The nakago is ubu, with two mekugi-ana reflecting long-term use and remounting rather than shortening, and carries the full inscription 備州長船祐定作, paired with a clear Tenshō 3, 8th month date. Both the mei and nengō were accepted without reservation by the NBTHK. I was particularly interested in a dated Bishū signature, as I regard dated Sue-Bizen work as occupying a materially different category from undated mass-output blades, both in intent and quality. Historically, the blade sits in a narrow window that I find especially compelling. August 1576 places its forging immediately after Ukita Naoie’s consolidation of Bizen and only weeks after the First Battle of Kizugawaguchi. This was not a transitional or speculative period, but a moment of active mobilization, when swords were commissioned with the expectation of use. The blade’s geometry, heat treatment, and overall character align with that context in a way that feels honest. – I’m an obsessive history geek if you can’t tell lol. The koshirae itself represents a coherent mid-Edo period remounting, with the tsuka, tsuba, and primary fittings conceived as a unified aesthetic program rather than an assemblage of unrelated parts. The handle fittings are signed by Maruyama Sōzan, an Edo-period metalworker, and display a consistent visual language across the fuchi, kashira, and menuki. The rabbit (hare) menuki are rendered in a restrained, naturalistic style with selective gilt highlights, emphasizing quiet alertness rather than overt martial aggression, a sensibility characteristic of refined Edo tastes. This motif is deliberately complemented by the iron sukashi tsuba, whose rotating tomoe-derived design expresses cyclical motion and natural force in abstract form. Together, the animal imagery of the tsuka and the dynamic, elemental symbolism of the tsuba form a balanced thematic whole, power expressed through harmony rather than excess. The matching materials, colors, gilt, patina, fit, and composition strongly indicate that these components were produced within the same artistic style and likely by the same hand or workshop, assembled intentionally as a complete Edo-period mounting rather than through later mixing. - All this was another big selling point, personally. This coherence underscores a later owner’s discernment, preserving the Sengoku-era blade within a thoughtful and unified Edo presentation. I’ll be adding an appropriate silk sageo, which is missing. Attached are some of the only photos I have so far, as it's currently pending the export permit. I’ll be absolutely stoked beyond belief when it arrives! The forum size limits are far too restrictive for high-resolution images, especially of the blade, so I'll link them from my OneDrive: 25445paper-1.jpg 25445-2.jpg 25445-4.jpg image 001.png image 002.png image 005.png image 006.png image 007.png image 008.png image 010.png image 011.png Anyway, it’s great to meet everyone and join the forum, and I look forward to learning and sharing! I'm not a collector per se, more of an admirer of the art, skill, and a history buff. I don't see myself buying another one as this ticks all my boxes already. I'm going to have it on display in my living room and I'm writing a full-color coffee table book on the sword to print. It will be an absolute honor and privilege being the caretaker for this nihontō and Japanese history. - Alex