GENERAL QUESTIONS: OSAFUNE 長船

[NihontoEurope]

Hello all,

 

I have a sword what appears to be signed only with:

長船 - OSAFUNE

 

A rough dating by feel, shape and characeristics would be between 1300-1400 and to be more precise it leans towards MUROMACHI. Only an early guess.

 

Kissaki: KO/IKUBI

Sori: 1.4cm as SURIAGE/at least 2.1 in its original form

Tachi Mei: 長船

Naga: 54.5cm/at least 61cm

 

I'm trying to determine:

1. age of the blade

2. possible maker

 

Initial questions:

A. Are the known swords that was signed only with 長船?

B. I have consulted books and internet. Does anyone here have some more input?

 

I will post some pictures later.

 

/Martin

[cabowen]

My first guess would be kazuuchi mono.

[Gunome]

Hello,

 

Maybe reading of second kanji is not correct ?

Can it be "Naga + something" such as Nagakatsu, Nagayoshi, ...

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

Without pictures, i's impossible saying something. However the tachi mei is interesting. That would make the blade more or less near Nanbokucho.

[NihontoEurope]

Thanks for the comments!

 

Sebastien,

 

Handed in for papering - Let's see what will come out of that. I hope it doesn't say Osafune : )

 

Chris,

 

A very good guess. Did not think of that at all. Good input.

 

Jacques,

 

No pictures yet. As I don't have the sword here. I also think it is an interesting object to study.

 

 

/Martin

[NihontoEurope]

Ok guys,

 

I got the paperwork and the attribution was:

 

吉井

 

Does it make any sense?

 

Any known documentation of signing only Osafune of Yoshii?

 

/Martin

[Marius]

[NihontoEurope]

Thanks for the comments!

 

No pictures yet. As I don't have the sword here. I also think it is an interesting object to study.

 

/Martin

 

I know, but I'm sorry. The blade is in Japan for Kanteisho. It was released today. Next issue for me is to decide whether I will have it polished or not.

 

/Martin

[Curran]

Can't see the papers to interpret. Think Yoshii is the school attribution.

I thought of Yoshii school as decent made koto Bizen blades, but it is unclear if Dr. Honma is deriding them. Go pop open Nagayama and see what is said there.

 

On the web with a Yoshii search:

 

"By Dr. Honma Junji

(50)

(P.18)

14. Osafune-mono (Sequel) & Yoshii-mono (Sequel)

 

There are the terms ‘Oei-Bizen’ and ‘Sue-Bizen’. The former is a favourable naming and the latter is somehow a derogatory one. Most of Bizen smiths who had been active in the Muromachi Period belong to the Osafune school and others to the Yoshii school."

[NihontoEurope]

Curran,

 

According to the papers it is an attribution.

 

Thanks for the hints!

 

/Martin

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

Yoshii smiths were active from around Kenmu (1334/1336) to around Chôroku (1457/1460) . They used the ji Nori 則 in second place of their art name (Kagenori, Naganori etc.)

[NihontoEurope]

Hello again,

 

I read the paper now.

It is attributed to Naganori@Eikyō 1429-1441.

 

http://nihontoclub.com/smiths/NAG83

 

Nori it was, Jacques.

 

/Martin

[Curran]

Post a picture someday near or far.

I'm a bit more familiar with Oei and Omiya Bizen, but would like to see a Yoshii example.

[NihontoEurope]

I will post some pictures as soon as I get it safely home.

 

There will be a polish and I don't know the time window for that.

 

Thx for all the responses and help here.

 

/Martin

[NihontoEurope]

Adding images...

[attachment=5]OSAFUNE 001.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=4]OSAFUNE 006.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=3]OSAFUNE 009.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=2]OSAFUNE 016.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=1]OSAFUNE 021.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=0]OSAFUNE 031.jpg[/attachment]

 

/Martin

[NihontoEurope]

continues...

 

[attachment=1]OSAFUNE 032.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]OSAFUNE 033.jpg[/attachment]

 

This swords is of high quality. No forging flaws at all. The hada is consistent all over.

 

Thanks

 

/Martin

[cabowen]

The hada looks pretty rough; has it been polished down quite a bit?

[NihontoEurope]

Chris,

 

Perhaps the photos are a bit deceiving, but the hada looks pretty nice when in hand.

 

I can take some new photos later on tomorrow.

 

/Martin

[cabowen]

Hmmm, all those black line in the kissaki sure look like a sword that has been polished a lot and is starting to show some signs of fatigue.....It also looks to have lost a bit off the end and been reshaped. That is hardly unusual though in a sword of that age.

 

 

 

 

Here is what I would call a healthy kissaki:

[NihontoEurope]

Chris,

 

Yes, I guess there has been a few polishes and mending to the sword during the years.

 

 

What is the age on the Munekage? Very nice quality and polish.

 

 

/Martin

[cabowen]

Chris,

 

Yes, I guess there has been a few polishes and mending to the sword during the years.

 

 

What is the age on the Munekage? Very nice quality and polish.

 

 

/Martin

 

 

Munekage is a shinshinto smith, so it is just a youngster....

 

From the photos the polish looks good but without being able to see the quality of the foundation work, who knows for certain.....

[NihontoEurope]

Yes, I thought it was Shin-shinto.

 

I don't know what experience you have on older blades. I have many and most of them actually have a more faint hamon at the kissaki when comparing hamon at the Ha. Talking about not-recently-polished-blades now.

 

I would say that most of them have 40-60% faint on the Kissaki.

 

Perhaps this has do do with the technique of the polishing when they "whiten" the kissaki.

 

Comments?

 

/Martin

[Marius]

Martin

 

Chris is one of the most experienced nihonto guys.

 

If you want to look at the nioiguchi, try to look at it under a halogen lamp, or pointing towards alight source. You will see the real boshi (hamon in the kissaki) and not the hazuya finish.

 

Here: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/appreciate.html

[cabowen]

Yes, I thought it was Shin-shinto.

 

I don't know what experience you have on older blades. I have many and most of them actually have a more faint hamon at the kissaki when comparing hamon at the Ha. Talking about not-recently-polished-blades now.

 

I would say that most of them have 40-60% faint on the Kissaki.

 

Perhaps this has do do with the technique of the polishing when they "whiten" the kissaki.

 

Comments?

 

/Martin

 

Living in Japan for ~14 years, I actually handled quite a few older blades at the monthly kantei meetings I attended, at shops, and at collector's homes...Whether at kantei, in shops, or at friend's homes, they were nearly always in top polish. One rarely sees out of polish blades in Japan unless you hang around the import shinsa or at a polisher's place of business...

 

It may be that the polishing technique has something to do with the appearance, or it may be wear from repeated polishes and/or damage. Then again, it may just be weak from the start. There are many possibilities so it is difficult to say for certain in a general case.

[Jim P]

I don't know what experience you have on older blades. I have many and most of them actually have a more faint hamon at the kissaki when comparing hamon at the Ha. Talking about not-recently-polished-blades now.

 

I would say that most of them have 40-60% faint on the Kissaki.

 

Perhaps this has do do with the technique of the polishing when they "whiten" the kissaki.

 

Comments?

Or Perhaps the many blades are out of polish and you can not see much, I think Chris right.

[NihontoEurope]

I think so too!

 

/Martin