備前長船長光——大般若長光を生んだ鎌倉後期最高峰の刀工

Master Craftsman Who Inherited the Osafune School

Nagamitsu was a sword smith who flourished in the late Kamakura period in Osafune, Bizen Province (present-day Osafune Town, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture). Said to be the son of Mitsutada, regarded as the founder of the Osafune school, he inherited his father's aesthetic appreciation for the choji hamon while developing a more diverse style of workmanship. Among sword smiths of the kotou period, his extant signed works are particularly numerous, and the breadth of his artistic range is highly valued even today.

Breadth of Artistic Style

The works of Nagamitsu are known for their remarkably broad artistic range, from vibrant midare hamon to serene suguha, so varied that they seem to come from multiple sword smiths. He left numerous examples of craftsmanship that embody the technical refinement of the Bizen tradition, such as hamon blending gently-curved gunome and choji with waist-opening, and beautifully compact koitame jihada with dense jigane.

Masterpiece: "Daihanjya Nagamitsu"

Nagamitsu's most celebrated work is the tachi "Daihanjya Nagamitsu," designated as a National Treasure. The name originates from a comparison made during the Muromachi period: its valuation of 600 kan corresponded to the 600 scrolls of the Daihanjya Kyou sutra. Originally treasured by the Ashikaga shogunal family, it later passed through the hands of unifiers Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is now housed in the Tokyo National Museum.

Learn Craftsmanship Online

The aesthetic principles of jigane and hamon cultivated by master craftsmen of the Osafune school remain an important guide in modern sword appreciation. Our site's online catalog showcases featured swords from the Bizen tradition and various other schools.