Sanemitsu Tachi
S0219
SOLD
An elegant Kamakura Yamato Senjuen tachi signed niji mei, Sanemitsu. Shinogizukure, iroi mune, koshizori, ko kissaki, suriage, machiokure. Hawatare 2 shaku 2 sun 6 bu 3 rin (68.58 cm, 27"). Motohaba: 2.58 cm. Sakihaba: 1.34 cm. Kasane: at mune: 4.1 mm, at shinogi: 6.4 mm. Nie deki notare midare, choji, wide brilliant habuchi, ha nie, sunagashi, long and short kinsuji, inazuma, hataraki, nado. Masame with mokume mixed in, ji nie chikei, expansive nie midare nie utsure dominating the ji. Unfortunately, I have not been able to photograph the exuberant hataraki, or some of the most florid utsure. There are three poor pictures of the hataraki, but they only hint at the activity. In hand, this is a wonderfully exciting blade. Unfortunately, the sword was allowed to seriously rust and a few pits remain (note the condition of the nakago). With polishing a 5.5" tateware appeared, opening and disappearing, worse in some areas than others (see the last two images). So juyo is never going to happen. However, I do remember seeing a juyo Bizen Nagamitsu on display at the NBTHK, thirty years ago, that had a tateware about 25% as large as this one, but more open, in the hamon. NBTHK Hozon kanteisho (not yet received). This was fitted into a two hundred year old black saya, with an not very impressive habaki, in order to get it into Japan in time for shinsa. Were I keeping this, I would have shirasaya made, and perhaps replace the tsuka and tsuba.
Long Kinsuji & Nie Utsure