What a sword

[klee]

As a sue bizen lover , never seen anything like it come up anywhere

 

https://www.aoijapan.com/katana：bizen-kuni-ju-osafune-yosazaemon-no-jo-sukesada-dated-august-1522-daiei-2-juyo-token-63rd-designation/

[Mushin]

Yup, and it's priced that way. I haven't translated the sayagaki myself, but if as Tsuruta says that Tanobe thinks the blade is considered one of Shodai Yosozaemon's best works, that is saying something.

[Lewis B]

Gorgeous workmanship, and I don't consider myself typically an appreciator of Sue Bizen work. What I don't understand though is that Tanobe says the nakago is ubu but to my eye the last kanji is partially cut. Kiri nakagojiri isn't normal either. His tends to be ha agari kurijiri

 

[klee]

I was thinking the same as well . The last character def looks cut.

 

And wouldnt that disqualify from Juyo for muromachi blades ? Or would this be an exception due to name and quality

[Jussi Ekholm]

It is very nice sword.

 

Sometimes it can be tricky what is seen as ubu nakago. NBTHK states also in Jūyō that nakago is ubu.

 

In my understanding if machi is in original position the nakago end can be cut and sword is still seen as ubu. There are few extreme examples of this in naginata, where I believe the nakago is cut for 50cm and it is still seen as ubu.

 

Also sword can still be ubu even though there is machiokuri. In these cases I would assume that nakago needs to be original form other than machiokuri. Otherwise it will just fall under suriage.

[Lewis B]

Fascinating we know the exact age of the smith when the blade was made 500 years ago. 56 and likely near the peak of his sword making abilities. 

[eternal_newbie]

On 12/13/2025 at 3:58 AM, klee said:

As a sue bizen lover , never seen anything like it come up anywhere

 

Must be something in the water, because here's another

https://eirakudo.shop/648659

[eternal_newbie]

Also, I was doing some research in the Wayback Machine and this reminded me of something I saw there recently that I thought you might enjoy:

https://web.archive.org/web/20161025013333/http://nihonto.ca/yosozaemon-sukesada-3/

 

I was able to track down some images of it that are a higher resolution than what the WBM managed to archive: