* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Bizen traditionKotō (Old Swords)
Osafune Yukimitsu
長船幸光
Description
Lineage
Several smiths named Yukimitsu are recorded as having worked in the Osafune district of Bizen Province from the Nanboku-cho period through the Sengoku period.
Representative work
The sword signed "Bishu Osafune Yukimitsu" at Kushihiki Hachiman Shrine in Hachinohe, Aomori, is a Prefectural Treasure (designated 6 September 1971). It was dedicated in Oei 18 (1411) by Nanbu Mitsutsune of Negijo in thanks for a military victory and answered prayers. From the date on its reverse inscription it is considered the work of the oldest, Nanboku-cho-period Yukimitsu.
Style
A shinogi-zukuri blade of dignified, large-scale design with a large-pattern hamon interspersed with choji, and a marked difference in width between base and tip, typical of its era.