Bizen Osafune Nihonto of all Ages

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, that is roughly what the title is in Japanese. 「古刀・新刀・新々刀から現代刀まで」　"From Koto, Shinto, Shinshinto to Gendaito".

 

Nothing on loan this time, they have gone through their vaults at the Sword Museum and dug out representative swords for an overview, but having seen them today I was quite impressed. Not stuffed with Kokuho, but good depth of quality throughout. If anyone is down in the west of Honshu it would definitely be worth swinging by, (and maybe catching the exhibit at the Fukuyama Castle Museum at the same time, which is stuffed with Kokuho, Jubun, Jubi, etc.).

 

My favourites today were a Norimitsu 法光, and a Yosozaemon Sukesada in the Koto section on the ground floor. Upstairs were some eye-openers, including two Takahira, a gorgeous katana of 1833 and a lovely wakizashi of 1836. The beauty of some of those end-of-Edo Shinshinto swords blew me away, such as an 87.9 cm Sukenaga of 1841. Even a couple from WWII were seriously impressive, including a stunner from Imaizumi Toshimitsu.

 

Naturally there were many Bizen swords, but the rest of the country was represented too. Musashi, Mino, Echizen, Shinano, Yamashiro, Higo, Bungo, etc.

[cabowen]

I have seen a few Imaizumi Toshimitsu blades for WWII and they were all excellent. He as a very good smith. Odd how, after being a center of sword production for so long, few top class smiths worked there during the Taisho/early Showa eras....

 

What other WWII era blades were on display?

 

Thanks for the report...

[Bugyotsuji]

Chris, a katana, Mino smith 1942, 月仙 'Gessen' I think it was written in English.

 

Katana, Noshu Seki Ju Kojima Katsumasa, 20th C.

 

And Tachi by Imaizumi Toshimitsu, 1944, whose son chopped off his fingers and runs the 'Meito' Udon shop nearby, (sadly closed on Sundays).

 

Otherwise at the end a Miya-iri Shohei Tachi of 1963,

 

and a modern 2007 Tanto utsushi of Kanenobu/Kagemitsu, by the present-day Kagemitsu.

[cabowen]

Thank you! I would bet the Miyairi blade was wonderful..

[Bugyotsuji]

If I get another chance I will try and sneak a shot of it.