This is a wakizashi signed by Bishu Osafune Tsuneie, dated Bun'an 3 (1446). The blade has a length of 51.4cm and comes with a kuro ishime-ji nuri saya Higo wakizashi koshirae and a shirasaya. It is certified as Tokubetsu Hozon.
NihontoWatchmei · Osafune · Muromachi · nagasa 51.4cm · sori 1.27cm
Bizen-den · Bizen · around 1429-1462
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 31%
1 piece on the market now
Tsuneie is transmitted as a swordsmith of the Hatakeda branch within the Osafune school of Bizen Province. Although the Meikan and related signature references place the first generation in the mid-Kamakura period around the Shoo era (1288-1293), and examples bearing Oan-era dates of the Nanbokucho period are also recorded, extant works that predate the Oei era are exceedingly rare. Tsuneie stands alongside Iesuke as one of the capable smiths of Oei-Bizen, coming after the foundational masters Morimitsu and Yasumitsu, and his workmanship closely resembles that of Yasumitsu from the same period. Despite being recorded as "Osafune" and transmitted as Hatakeda lineage, the NBTHK observes that there are no grounds — whether in workmanship, the character of the signature, or any other point — by which one could distinguish his production from Osafune work.
Tsuneie's forging characteristically shows ko-itame-hada closely worked, with ji-nie adhering and bo-utsuri clearly standing — hallmarks that plainly display the style of Oei-Bizen. His tempering frequently features gunome with opened bases into which choji is mixed, often with small ashi and yo, and a nioiguchi that tends toward tightness and is saeru — bright and clear. However, the NBTHK further notes that Tsuneie was also adept at producing quiet suguha tempers, demonstrating a versatility beyond his more florid work. Both tachi and wakizashi often show a build that is long in proportion to a standard mihaba, with notably thick kasane, lending a dignified and imposing presence.
The finest designated examples by Tsuneie are praised as especially well-executed works, excellent in both jigane and hamon, with a splendidly florid temper of gunome and choji. The NBTHK consistently commends those pieces in which both ji and ha are kenzen — sound and well-preserved — and in which the workmanship is well ordered. The well-refined jigane is described as bright and clear, and the dignified shape with its thick kasane is deemed particularly appealing. Tsuneie's position as a representative smith of Oei-era Bizen is firmly established, sharing common traits with his contemporaries while maintaining a workmanship of consistent refinement.
Where Tsuneie stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
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Years he was demonstrably active, proven by signed-and-dated blades
Bizen-den · Bizen
Phase: Ōei-Bizen応永備前· 1390–1441
20 pieces on the market now
The Oei-Bizen and Eikyo-Bizen smiths represent the resurgence of the Osafune school in Bizen Province during the early Muromachi period, an era in which a conscious revival of Kamakura-period aesthetics transformed the character of Bizen swordmaking after the bold, expansive forms of the Nanbokucho period. The school's foremost representatives are Yasumitsu and Morimitsu, described by the NBTHK as the "twin pillars" of Oei-Bizen, both active around the Oei era (1394--1428). Morimitsu is held by one tradition to have been the son of Moromitsu, a representative smith of the late Nanbokucho ko-zori group, and his earliest dated works bridge the transitional character of his father's generation and the fully developed Oei-Bizen idiom. The name Yasumitsu was successively inherited through as many as five generations, while the succeeding Eikyo-Bizen phase -- centered on the fourth-generation Norimitsu and his contemporary Sukemitsu -- carried the tradition forward into the mid-Muromachi period. Related smiths such as Tsuneie of the Hatakeda branch worked in a manner so closely aligned with Osafune production that the NBTHK observes there are "no grounds -- whether in workmanship, the character of the signature, or any other point" by which their work could be distinguished from the main line. Within the Oei-Bizen manner, two principal modes of tempering are recognized. " In both modes the school's identity is revealed through shared forging characteristics: itame-hada mixed with mokume in which the grain stands out conspicuously, with dark lines resembling chikei entering the jihada and midare-utsuri or bo-utsuri standing prominently in the ground. " The boshi assumes the idiosyncratic form popularly termed the "candlewick" (rosoku no shin), becoming pointed at the tip -- a diagnostic hallmark of the school.
A further point of connoisseurship is the finishing of bo-hi with rounded ends (maru-dome) above the machi. The transition from Oei-Bizen to Eikyo-Bizen is marked by Norimitsu's development of a somewhat intermediary character, retaining the koshi-biraki gunome and bright nioiguchi of the earlier masters while introducing tighter grain and elements that point toward the eventual Sue-Bizen style. Moromitsu's earlier production establishes the bridge from the opposite direction, his ko-zori period works showing "signs foreshadowing the style of Oei-Bizen" in their more flamboyant midare passages. The ideal pursued by the Oei-Bizen and Eikyo-Bizen smiths "appears to have been a revival of the Kamakura period," visible in their elegant tachi proportions and in the deliberate re-creation of choji tempering that had fallen out of favour during the Nanbokucho period. Yet the NBTHK consistently emphasizes that the school's own distinctive character is always discernible beneath this revivalist surface. " Both masters' works are consistently described as kenzen -- sound and well-preserved -- with a jigane of superior quality possessing an urumi richness. The school's influence pervaded early Muromachi sword production, and the Eikyo-Bizen continuation through Norimitsu ensured that the Osafune tradition maintained vitality and refinement well into the fifteenth century. Whether in the commanding vigour of the large-pattern choji-midare or in the quiet classical elegance of the suguha mode, the Oei-Bizen and Eikyo-Bizen smiths collectively represent one of the most accomplished chapters in the long history of Bizen swordsmithing. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Yasumitsu康光 | 1394-1428 | 49 |
| Morimitsu盛光 | 1394-1428 | 61 |
| Yasumitsu康光 | 1424-1443 | 6 |
| Sanemitsu實光 | 1394-1428 | 4 |
| Tsuneie經家 | 1429-1462 | 6 |
Bizen in the Muromachi period
Muromachi Osafune was an export industry: the Ming tally trade carried some 128,000 Japanese blades abroad, and Sengoku armies bought at home. Custom orders, often inscribed with the patron’s own name, were forged beside the bundle swords of the ranks.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
