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Koto (c1362-1368) Yoroi Doshi Tanto by (Chôgi) Bizen Osafune No Ju Nagayoshi (備前長船長義) in Full Koshirae.

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Description

A superb Koto Bizen-Den (Osafune Branch) Tanto of very large and powerful proportions dating c1362-1368. Early Muramachi Ashikaga (1337-1573) period and an Echigo province piece. This firmly places this Tanto in the Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代) 1336-1392.

Nagasa: 32cm/ 12.6 inches

Blade Overall (including Nakago): 42.5cm/ 16.7 inches

Overall (in Koshirae): 50cm/ 19.7 inches

備前長船長義
Bizen Osafune Nagayoshi 
The Soden School of Chogi 

A Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代) 1336-1392 Yoroi-Doshi (armour piecing) Tanto. 

A variety of highly refined forging methods were used to make these tremendous weapons. Bizen Osafune Ju Nagayoshi (備州長船住長義) and his group members produced an excellent itame and mokume hada covered with fine quality nie and large pattern chikei. Yubashiri and tobiyaki can be seen on these works, and especially on tanto.  The grain will stand out clearly within the tempered area of the blade. A distinctive hamon was often done in large patterns of gunome midare/notare mixed with choji and wide valley midare. It still has a clearly defined nioi-line but there is much nie clustered all around it and they will form ashi and yo. Doubled gunome and mimi-gata [ear shaped] and yama-gata [mountain shapes] are peculiar to Chogi and much nie and sunagashi is worked in. Kinsuji, and inazuma are often seen. The boshi is straight or in a subtle midare and flame shaped or pointed with a long kaeri that runs down the mune. When seen in ubu condition, the nakago inscriptions are long. Some examples of signatures include:


Bizen (No) Kuni Osafune Ju Nagayoshi (備前国長船住長義)

Bizen Osafune Ju Nagayoshi (備州長船住長義)


Over the years, Nagayoshi's swords have held a great reputation for sharpness, and were given a ryowazamono rating. A number of his works as well as those of his students have been designated Juyo Token or better. At least four of Chogi's swords are scheduled as Kokuho. A masterpiece called the "Osaka Chogi" was one of the prized possessions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Nagayoshi (長義) (herein referred to as Chôgi (長義)) and Kanemitsu (兼光) are the two renown smiths of Bizen Province who, during the Nanbokuchô Era, have been traditionally thought to have been two of Masamune’s (正宗) ten great students (Masamune Jitetsu-正宗十哲).  They were the first major Bizen (備前) smiths to break from the traditional forms of Bizen (備前) sword structure and create swords with a strong Sôshû (相州) influence in their works.  In fact, it is generally considered that of the two, Chogi (長義) shows the most distinct features of the Sôshû (相州) school in his works.  These new works are categorized as the Sôden-Bizen (相伝備前) tradition.  This was a major break from the Bizen (備前) tradition that went back to the Ko-Bizen (古備前) tradition that started in the Heian Era.

During the Nanbokuchô Era, the Sôshû (相州) tradition spread everywhere with swords becoming wider, and longer, a thick kasane, little change in width from the hamachi to the kissaki, and kissaki becoming longer.  In general swords became more flamboyant with profuse nie structuring in and on the hamon and in the ji.  The Sôden-Bizen (相伝備前) style developed because of these changes, even in Bizen (備前), the “capital” of Japanese sword-making.  We should note that in general Bizen (備前) swords had a soft steel that was very difficult to work in nie, however, Chogi (長義) and his students like Kanenaga (兼長) succeeded in combining this profuse nie structuring in conjunction with their nioi based hamon which tells us of the skill they possessed.

 Chôgi (長義) worked in the middle of the 14th century and the earliest dated example of his work is dated in Shohei (正平) 15 or 1360.  His latest dated work was done in Kôreki (廉暦) 2 or 1380.  He was the son of Mitsunaga (光長) and was the younger brother of Bizen Nagashige (備前長重).  Some of his better-known students were Kaneshige (兼重), Nagatsuna (長綱), Nagamori (長守), and, of course, Kanenaga (兼長).  One side note of these dated works is the fact that since we know that Masamune (正宗) died in the year 1343, we can be fairly certain that Chogi (長義) could not have been a direct student of Masamune (正宗).  There is no doubt, however, that he came under the strong influence of the Sôshû (相州) school through Kanemitsu (兼光) or possibly other Masamune (正宗) students. Kanenaga (兼長) is generally considered to be the son of Kaneshige (兼重).  Just as Nagayoshi (長義) is usually referred to as Chôgi (長義), Kanenaga (兼長) is often referred to as Kenchô (兼長) (the Chinese reading of his name).  The fact that he was in the Chôgi Kei (長義系) and was one of his top students is undisputed.  While I was unable to find any examples of signed tachi, several signed tantô of Kanenaga (兼長) remain today.  One was made in Teiji 5 (貞治五年) (1366) and is very thick with a length of one shaku, 1 sun.  It has a gunome-chôji midare hamon.  The “kane” kanji is very like the early signature of Kanemitsu (兼光).  Another tantô was made in the Ka-kei Era (嘉慶) (1387-1388).

According to the book, Ojakusho, Kanenaga (兼長) was still living during the Meitoku (明徳) Era (1390-1393).  Kanenaga’s (兼長) signatures from Shitoku (至徳) to Ka-kei (嘉慶) (1384-1388) are somewhat rough, indicating that he must have been working until very late in his life. One interesting side note about Kanenaga (兼長) is that his workmanship is very close to that of Chôgi’s (長義).  Many of the mumei blades that are now attributed to Kanenaga (兼長) were, in the past, attributed to Chôgi (長義).

A very rare example here.

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