Important Japanese Swords and Armour from the Paul L. Davidson Collection

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 712. A tanto | Signed Bishu Osafune Tomomitsu (Tomomitsu from Osafune in Bizen Province) | Nambokucho period, dated Oan… nen hachigatsu hi (a day in the eight month of the Oan era [1368-1375] year...).

A tanto | Signed Bishu Osafune Tomomitsu (Tomomitsu from Osafune in Bizen Province) | Nambokucho period, dated Oan… nen hachigatsu hi (a day in the eight month of the Oan era [1368-1375] year...)

Lot closes

05:48:27

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March 25, 03:12 PM GMT

Estimate

30,000 - 40,000 USD

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30,000 USD

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Lot Details

Description

A tanto

Signed Bishu Osafune Tomomitsu (Tomomitsu from Osafune in Bizen Province)

Nambokucho period, dated Oan… nen hachigatsu hi (a day in the eight month of the Oan era [1368-1375] year...)

Sugata [configuration]: hira-zukrui, mitsu-mune, rather wide mihaba, thin kasane only very little curvature

Kitae [forging pattern]: itame mixed with mokume, in addition plenty of ji-nie, much chikei, and a relatively wide and clearly visible bo-utsuri

Hamon [tempering pattern]: ko-notare in ko-nie deki that is mixed with ko-gunome, some togariba, ashi and a fine tobiyaki that appear as a kind of yubashiri along the yakigashira, the elements of the ha are overall rather small

Boshi [tip]: midare-komi with a ko-maru kaeri with yubashiri, the kaeri of the ura side is somewhat pointed

Nakago [tang]: ubu, shallow ha-agari kurijiri, sujikai-yasurime, three mekugi-ana, only a hint of curvature in the tang

Habaki [collar]: double clad, gold on copper

In shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]

Koshirae [mount]: black lacquer saya mounted with gold and nanako fittings, decorated with triple aoi mon [leaves of wild ginger crests]

Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 27.2 cm., 10¾ in.

Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 2.7 cm., 1⅛ in.

Nakago length: 9.1 cm., 3⅝ in.

Accompanied by a certificate of registration as Juyo Token [Important Sword], no. 13418 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword], dated Heisei 25 (2013); with further papers and a fitted wood storage box with Hon’ami Nishu attestation

Art of the Samurai: The Paul L. Davidson Collection (New York, 2023), p. 33 and 82.

Tomimitsu was a smith of the Bizen Osafune school and a student of Kanemitsu, perhaps even his younger brother. Extant dated blades range from 1345-1379. Tomomitsu focused on a gently undulating (notare) tempering pattern and is regarded as approaching closest to Kanemitsu's workmanship, with some works deemed to be equal in quality.

This tanto has a wide blade width (mihaba), a thin kasane, and has sun-nobi features, all typical with the dominant style of Nambokucho period (1336-1392) tanto. The pattern in the forging is a wood grain (itame) mixed with wood burl (mokume). There is much ji-nie, chikei, and a prominent bo-utsuri. The tempering pattern shows small undulations (ko-notare) mixed with ko-gunome, or small invected patterns. The elements of the cutting edge are considered comparatively small in dimension. The notare-based cutting edge reveals the characteristic workmanship of Tomomitsu.

The sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro has been translated as:

Osafune Tomomitsu of Bizen Province

This blade bears a six-character signature and a date of the Oan era (1368-1375).

It is said that this smith was a near relative of Kanemitsu, probably either his son or his younger brother. This blade shows very much the characteristic workmanship of the smith.

Examined and written by Tanzan Hendo in March 2013, the Year of the Water Snake according to 30th term of the sexagenary cycle and kao [cursive monogram].