Bizen Narie (Osafune Narie)
成家
Description
Lineage
Narie was a swordsmith active in Osafune, Bizen Province (present-day Osafune-chō, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture), during the Nanboku-chō period. He is said to have been a grandson of Osafune Kagehide, the smith credited with forging "Kuronbo-giri," a blade famously owned by Date Masamune.
School
Within the broader Osafune lineage, Narie is associated with the group known as Kogaeshi Bizen ("small reverse Bizen"), a body of Nanboku-chō-era Osafune smiths who developed a style distinct from that of the mainline masters Kanemitsu and Chōgi.
Style
His work makes extensive use of gunome and chōji-midare tempering patterns, with a nioi-deki finish in which nie appears along the entire edge. He signed his blades "Bishū Osafune Narie" or "Bishū Osafune-jū Narie."
Representative Work
A tachi signed "Bishū Osafune-jū Narie," measuring 78.8 cm in blade length, has been designated an Important Cultural Property and survives today as evidence of his skill.
Reputation
Though often overshadowed by the mainline Osafune masters, Narie is recognized as a smith of the Kogaeshi Bizen group whose surviving Important Cultural Property blade attests to his genuine craftsmanship.
Famous Works
- 太刀 銘 備州長船住成家（重要文化財）