Elegantly Mounted Japanese Samurai Sword Chisa Katana By Bizen Tadamitsu Circa 1540

21 inch cutting edge blade with finely cut hi (groove). Classic Bizen ko-choji hamon with ji-nie. Visible Bizen utusuri. Itame hada. Blade in nearly full old sashikomi polish with one small fukure on omote 5 and 1/4 inches forward of the ha-machi (an umegane will cure this defect if so desired).

Gilt “cat scratched” copper habaki, Ubu nakago with one mekugi-ana signed “Bishu Osafune Fujiwara Tadamitsu” and date. Nakago is untouched with nearly five centuries of lovely patination. Full copper nanako handachi mounts of very fine quality in excellent condition including matching kozuka and lovely katakiri-bori thin band extending from the band below the kozuka through the kojiri. Gold and shakudo floral menuki accent same of nearly presentation quality. The seppa consist of one of dark shakudo and the other copper.

Very old well executed tsuka-makie, Stone ground black lacquer saya of very fine quality in pristine condition. This chisa-katana embodied the very essence of shibui or quiet, restrained elegance. The overall condition is extraordinary and the original owner obviously prized the Tadamitsu very highly.

One of the best mounted samurai swords it has been the Collectors Armoury’s pleasure to offer.