War at home and trade abroad made Muromachi Bizen the busiest forge region in Japan: a century of Sengoku demand after the Ōnin War, and export missions to Ming China carrying blades by the tens of thousands.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThis blade bears the signature “Bishu Osafune Sukesada” (備州長船祐定) and was forged in the 10th year of the Eiroku era (1567), during the late Muromachi period. “Bishu” refers to the old Bizen province, located in today’s Okayama Prefecture, and “Osafune” designates one of its most prosperous sword-making schools. “Sukesada” is the smith’s name. The reverse side of the tang (nakago) bears the inscription of the year. During the late Muromachi period (Sengoku era, or Warring States period), Japan was marked by continuous warfare and political unrest. Samurai demanded highly reliable weapons for battle, which drove swordsmiths like Sukesada to produce large numbers of refined and functional blades. Swordsmiths working in Bizen at the end of the Muromachi period (approximately 1492–1569 A.D.) are collectively referred to as “Matsu-Bizen” (“matsu” meaning “late” or “end”). Among them, the Sukesada school was one of the most renowned and long-lasting lineages of the Osafune tradition. Over sixty swordsmiths are known to have used the name “Sukesada,” making it a prestigious brand-like name that symbolized the craftsmanship and reputation of Bizen blades. Because this sword was produced during an age of near-constant warfare, it is possible that it was commissioned by a samurai and carried on the battlefield. This History of Bizen Osafune School It is said that Osafune school was founded by Mitsutada (光忠), who was active during the mid-Kamakura period. Bizen Osafune school was the biggest one of all other schools in Bizen province, and they received many orders from feudal lords or renowned Samurai. They were called Osafunemono and were beloved by Samurai warriors. Among the swordsmiths who belonged to this school, Nagamitsu, Sanenaga, and Kagemitsu are known as Osafune Sansaku, the three renowned Osafune swordsmiths. There are also four other prominent swordsmiths who were from Bizen Osafune school. They are called Osafune Shiten-no, the four masters of Osafune school. Their names are Nagamitsu, Kanemitsu, Nagayoshi, and Motoshige. BIZEN is located near the Chugoku Mountains, where iron sands, one of the essential materials for making Japanese swords, were abundant. Furthermore, BIZEN swordsmiths had close access to the Yoshi River, where they could find water and charcoal. This geological location contributed to the swordsmiths forging high-quality refined blades. We presume BIZEN was quite active in sword-forging from ancient times. It is said that BIZEN DEN was created by groups of swordsmiths there during the late Heian era (Late 12th century). These ancient swordsmiths in Bizen province are called Ko-Bizen (Old Bizen) swordsmiths. By inheriting the sword forging techniques from Ko-Bizen swordsmiths, the Bizen Osafune school flourished from the mid-Kamakura period. It is appraised as a Hozon Token (保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai: 日本美術刀剣保存協会). *Please keep in mind that there are a few Kitae Kizu on this blade. Fuchi-Kashira This Fuchi-Kashira is adorned with a family crest (家紋, kamon) along the rim, specifically the Katabami mon. The Katabami crest is derived from the leaves of the katabami plant (oxalis), a perennial herb written in Japanese as 酢漿草. The name “katabami” comes from the plant’s characteristic of folding its leaves at night, making them appear as though they have been partially eaten. Despite being easily stepped on, the plant grows back quickly, and for this reason it came to symbolize strong vitality, resilience, and endurance. Owing to these associations, the katabami motif was adopted as a family crest and is regarded as one of the oldest and most historically significant kamon in Japan. The head portion of the Fuchi-Kashira is further decorated with a dragon motif, accompanied by a stylized wave design (波濤図, hatō-zu) that expresses the dynamic movement of water. As with the tsuba, this combination of the dragon and waves symbolizes power, protection, and the ever-flowing forces of nature. Tsuka and Menuki The theme of this Menuki seems to be a dragon (龍, Ryu). Initially, the dragon is an imaginary creature found in ancient Chinese traditions or myths. Furthermore, it is regarded as a symbolic beast of auspicious signs. Its body is likened to nine animals: antlers are deer, the head is a camel, eyes are demons, the neck is a snake, belly is Mizuchi (蛟, mythical animal in Japan which looks like a snake and have a horn and four legs), scales are fish, claws are falcons, palms are tigers, and ears are cows. It was thought that the dragon would reign at the top of all animals because of its odd-looking appearance. In ancient China, the dragon pattern was used for emperors’ clothing so that people strictly defined its shape or even the number of nails. On the other hand, the dragon pattern does not have detailed rules to represent classes in Japan. However, still, it maintains its meaning as the all-purpose auspicious pattern. Also, in Japan, there is a belief that worships dragon as a water god and is called Ryujin Shinkou (竜神信仰). Since rice cultivation flourished in this country, water is always an essential resource. Therefore, the dragon motif has been familiar to Japanese people since a long time ago. Tsuba and Habaki This tsuba is crafted in the mokko-gata (木瓜型, quatrefoil) shape. On the reverse side, it depicts what appears to be a woman holding both ends of a long, band-like textile, likely a bolt of cloth or fabric. The scene is thought to represent an aspect of everyday life from the period, rather than a heroic or mythological subject. Such depictions of ordinary activities were occasionally used in Japanese sword fittings, offering a glimpse into the customs and aesthetics of daily life at the time. Saya This saya features raden(螺鈿) craftsmanship, a traditional Japanese decorative technique. Raden involves inlaying or embedding thin pieces of shell, such as mother-of-pearl or abalone, into lacquer or other materials. The shimmering, iridescent quality of the shells creates a striking visual effect, reflecting light in a play of colors that range from soft pastels to vivid hues. This technique has been used in Japan for centuries, adorning everything from furniture to accessories and weapons, showcasing the skill and artistry of the craftsman. *This saya is much larger than the blade it houses. Authentication Paper They authenticated the blade on August 23rd in the 6th year of Reiwa (2024). They appraised it as Hozon Touken, the blade worth preserving for Japanese society.
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Bizen-den · Bizen · around 1532-1555
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Bizen-den · Bizen
Phase: Sue-Bizen末備前· 1441–1596
54 pieces on the market now
The last great chapter of Osafune unfolds in the Eisho and Tenbun years of the late Muromachi, when the riverside workshop turned its accumulated craft toward an age of constant war. Where Oei-Bizen had looked backward, reviving the tachi shape and the choji temper of the Kamakura masters under Yasumitsu and Morimitsu, Sue-Bizen faces forward into Sengoku demand. The leading hands carry the same family characters one generation further: the Sukesada group, headed by Yosazaemon-no-jo Sukesada and the Hikobee-jo Sukesada said to be his father, alongside Katsumitsu (often Jirozaemon-no-jo), Munemitsu, Tadamitsu of the Heiroemon-jo line, and the Kiyomitsu smiths Magoemon-no-jo and Gorozaemon-no-jo. The setsumei draw a sharp line through their output. Commissioned blades, chumon-uchi, were signed with full zokumyo, dated, and frequently inscribed with the name of the ordering party, as on the Katsumitsu and Sadamitsu naginata of Meio 8 made for the Miyake of Kojima, a house that fed into the Ukita. Below them ran the bulk trade of kazu-uchimono, the arms that supplied the warring provinces, and it is the chumon-uchi masters that the designations preserve. What the steel does in this window is distinct from every earlier Osafune register. The shape is the uchigatana: wide mihaba with thick kasane, pronounced sakizori, an extended chu-kissaki or o-kissaki, and a short nakago suited to the katate-uchi one-handed draw, a body unlike the koshizori tachi of Ko-Osafune or the broad Nanbokucho profile of Soden-Bizen. The forging tightens into ko-itame over which a midare-utsuri stands faintly rather than vividly, weaker than the bright reflection of the founding generation.
The signature temper is the open-waisted koshi-no-hiraita gunome, splitting at the heads into fukushiki compound midare and mixed with togariba and choji; it is nioi-based with ko-nie and a bright nioiguchi, with ashi, yo, kinsuji and small tobiyaki worked through. Against this, Soden-Bizen had pushed Soshu nie and notare, while the founders had tempered flamboyant choji over a vivid utsuri. Two specialties branch off the gunome base: the Kiyomitsu and Tadamitsu suguha, calm and tightly forged, and the hitatsura of high-tempered pieces with long muneyaki and yubashiri, seen in the warlord-smiths Akamatsu Masanori and Ishikawa Yukihisa. To kantei a Sue-Bizen blade is to read the body first and the temper second. The compact uchigatana sugata with thick kasane and a short tang fixes the late-Muromachi date; the faint utsuri over dense ko-itame keeps it in Bizen; the open-waisted compound gunome names the group. The masters then separate by hand: Katsumitsu is set apart by the abundant choji he folds into the gunome, yielding a more florid, brilliant dekiguchi than his peers; Tadamitsu and the Kiyomitsu smiths are read out by their suguha, with Magoemon-no-jo's itame standing in mokume to distinguish his ground. The cutting reputation is documented directly, as on the Hikobee-jo Sukesada katana of Keicho 5 carrying a tameshi inscription naming the tester Ichihara Hachibee. Provenance threads through the supplementary signatures: Masanori's reward blades cut for his retainers, the Miyake names tying the workshop to the Ukita, and the Shinjuro Sukesada whose few large works may have ended in the Tensho flood. The horimono carried from the mainline, bonji with rendai, Fudo Myoo, and shrine dedications, persist on these blades as a final mark of the line. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sukesada祐定 | 1504-1551 | 72 |
| Sukesada祐定 | 1532-1583 | 18 |
| Sukesada祐定 | 1547-1592 | 8 |
| Sukesada祐定 | 1487-1521 | 5 |
| Sukesada祐定 | 1532-1573 | 3 |
Bizen in the Muromachi period
War at home and trade abroad made Muromachi Bizen the busiest forge region in Japan: a century of Sengoku demand after the Ōnin War, and export missions to Ming China carrying blades by the tens of thousands.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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 siteReturns/exchanges limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
Certificate reading — 銘 備州長船祐定作 永禄十年二月日