SWORD (BLADE) JAPANESE KATANA - NO FITTINGS
W1970.933
W1970.933
Cool Collection
Blade
Type: DAITO
Mei: BISHU OSAFUNE SUKE…/EI ROKU (unclear)
Nagasa: 62.6 cm
Sori: 2.2 cm, koshi
Sugata: shinogi tsukuri, iori mune
Nakago: 19.2 cm, two mekugi ana, suriage
Kissaki: o
Hada: masame/itame
Hamon: gonome/itame
Date: 1558-70
This is a typical example of workmanship from the town of Osafune, in Bizen Province. Osafune was perhaps the most prolific source of sword blades in the whole of Japan. The Osafune Bizen group lasted from 1360 to 1850, and the name Sukesada appears frequently. It is very difficult to differentiate between both the work and the signatures of swordsmiths of the same name. The date on this katana, Ei Roku era, is not a definite marker without the exact year and a clear signature style. The signature is very faint and, as the tang has been shortened by approximately 9 cm, some of the characters have been cut off. A small portion of the top of the character ‘Sada’ remains. This blade can be attributed to one of the many Sukesadas of the Ei Roku era. The signature reads: ‘Suke… (sada) of Osafune Village in Bizen Province, made (this)’.
Koshirae
none
Department:
History DepartmentCollection
| Accession Number: | W1970.933 |
|---|---|
| Accession Date: | 19 Apr 1967 |
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Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/content/W1970.933
Accessed 7 Nov 2025
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