Katana sword, attributed to Kanemitsu

This katana, or a single-edged sword, has no inscription but it is attributed to Kanemitsu. Kanemitsu was a swordsmith of the Osafune school in Bizen Province (modern Okayama Prefecture). The Osafune school was well renowned for its excellent swords.

The blade shows the temper pattern of ‘kataochi-gunome midare’ along the cutting edge. This abrupt undulation pattern was introduced by Kanemitsu’s father, Kagemitsu, and continued by Kanemitsu.
According to a document of the Tachibana family, the first lord of the Yanagawa domain, Tachibana Muneshige, received this sword from his foster father, Dousetsu, and always carried it in battle.