Bizen Osafune Tomomitsu tanto in koshirae

TOMOMITSU (倫光), Enbun (延文, 1356-1361), Bizen – “Bishū Osafune Tomomitsu” (備州長船倫光), “Bishū Osafune-jū Tomomitsu” (備州長船住倫光), according to tradition the youngest son of Kagemitsu (景光), he is also listed as younger brother of Kanemitsu (兼光) or as student of Kagemitsu, we know date signatures from the third year of Jōwa (貞和, 1347) to the second year of Eiwa (永和, 1376), because the character (倫) for “Tomo” is read “Rin” in its Sino-Japanese reading, he is also referred to as “Rin-Tomomitsu” or just “Rinmitsu,” there are tachi and tantō extant, the former have mostly a wide mihaba, a think kasane, and an elongated kissaki, i.e. they show the typical shape of the Nanbokuchō period, the jigane is a dense itame mixed with mokume, ji-nie and chikei, also midare-utsuri appears, the hamon is a gunome mixed with chōj which tends altogether to notare, some blades show a large and somewhat slanted kataochi-gunome that reminds of the 2nd gen. Kanemitsu, in addition also ashi, yō and ko-nie appear, the bōshi is a pointed midare-komi with hakikake, mostly a hi or horimono are added, Tomomitsu engraved a peculiar ken-maki-ryū which is also called karakusa-bori (唐草彫) due to its tendril-like runners, jōjō-saku ⦿

Osafune Tomomitsu from Bizen Province
[This blade] bears a six-character signature and dates around Enbun (1356–1361). This blade is of an Enbun-Jōji shape and is hardened in a calm and gently undulating notare that is in harmony with the sugata. A sugu-utsuri appears, and the bōshi features a somewhat later starting and pointed kaeri. All that combined, it can be said that we have here a masterwork that aims at the style of Kanemitsu, who is traditionally regarded as Tomomitsu’s older brother. Incidentally, it should be pointed out that there exists a tantō by Kanemitsu dated Enbun six (1361), that is also interpreted in notareba and that bears the exact same horimono.

Examined and written by Tanzan [Tanobe Michihiro] on a lucky day in March of Reiwa five (2023) + monogram.

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備前國⻑船倫光