* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Bizen traditionKotō (Old Swords)
Osafune Masamitsu
長船政光
Description
Lineage
Osafune Masamitsu was a Bizen swordsmith of Osafune active from the Nanboku-cho period into the early Muromachi period.
Career
Dated works spanning about 40 years are known, from Koan 1 (1361) to Oei 5 (1398). A tachi dated the second month of Oei 5, held by the Kyushu National Museum, ranks among his later works and is extremely rare as an unaltered, signed example with an original (ubu) tang.
Style
His style is said to resemble that of Osafune Kanemitsu. The tachi shows strong curvature at the base and a woodgrain-flowing steel surface.