Mitsushige Tanto
KK0034
SOLD
An ubu sunobe tanto signed Bishu Osafune Mitsushige. Hawatare: 8 sun 2 bu 5 rin (25 cm / 9.84") Motohaba: 2.17 cm. Kasane: 4.48 mm. Ubu, hirazukure uchizori, iroi mune. Hosho suguba in nioi deki. Itame with some nagare toward the mune, bo utsure. Old high quality Japanese Shirasaya, niju gold foil habaki. In fresh polish by Woodrow Hall. Never submitted to shinsa.
The Meikan list two smiths who signed this way, one working in Enbun to Joji (1346 -1368) valued at 5,800,000 yen the other in Kosho jidai (1455-1457). Because the original mekugiana is in the lower third of the nakago, argues for the Nambokucho smith, when that was the way tanto were mounted. It was later that the megukiana moved toward the macho. The style of the kanji, especially the shige, look older, but that is speculation on my part. It is equally possible, that this is a smith, in the words of Dr. Sato, that has fallen out of the dictionary. $1,750
Bo Utsure
Bo Utsure
Nihon Toko Jiten - Koto Hen
Toko Taikan
Nihonto Meikan