A tachi | Signed Bizen Osafune ju Kage… (Kage… a resident of Osafune in Bizen Province) | Kamakura period, dated Shochu ninen kinoto ushi sangatsu (3rd month of the Wood Ox year 1325)

A tachi

Signed Bizen Osafune ju Kage… (Kage… a resident of Osafune in Bizen Province)

Kamakura period, dated Shochu ninen kinoto ushi sangatsu (3^rd month of the Wood Ox year 1325)

Sugata [configuration]: slender shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, deep koshi-zori, chu-kissaki

Kitae [forging pattern]: tightly packed itame with some mokume mixed in, ji-nie attached

Hamon [tempering pattern]: ko-choji hamon, plenty ashi and yo, some tobiyaki, the narrow nioguchi is subdued

Boshi [tip]: rounded maru-boshi with turnback

Horimono [carvings]: the omote with gomabashi, the ura with deep groove and parallel narrow groove

Habaki [collar]: single clad, gold on copper, chased and engraved

Nakago [tang]: o-suriage, machi-okuri, three mekugi-ana

In shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]

Koshirae [mount]: the later itomaki no tachi koshirae decorated in gold hiramaki-e, takamaki-e and keuchi with paulownia crests (kiri mon), on a densely sprinkled aogai ground, shakudo nanako fittings carved and engraved with further paulownia, Edo period (19^th century)

Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 72.7 cm., 28⅝ in.

Saki-haba [width at the yokote]: 2.1 cm., ¾ in.

Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 2.7 cm., 1 in.