Samurai Blade by: Sukesada of Osafune in Bizen Province.

Samurai Blade by Sukesada of Osafune (Bizen Province) – A Sharp Snapshot

1. Roots & Reputation

Sukesada (祐定) wasn’t just one dude—it’s a name carried by a bloodline of skilled swordsmiths in Osafune village, Bizen Province (today’s Okayama Prefecture). The Osafune school, part of the illustrious Bizen tradition—renowned for quality iron, pure water, and charcoal—cranked out masterpieces from the Heian through the Shin-Shinto period SamuraiSword.comWikipedia.

2. Craftsmanship & Style

These blades were typically uchigatana, a more nimble, one-handed predecessor to the later katana. Perfect for quick draws and up-close combat mandarinmansion.com. Sukesada’s work generally features a dense itame (wood-grain) jigane, bold gunome-chōji or chōji-midare hamon in nioi-deki, with plenty of utsuri (cloud-like temper patterns) and nie and ashi—basically, sweet visual flair alongside killer performance Swords of Japanmandarinmansion.com.

3. Masters of the Lineage

The top-tier Sukesadas? That’d be Hikobei-no-Jō Sukesada and his son Yosōzaemon Sukesada—tagged as “sai jō saku” (supreme works) by Fujishiro Matsuo and rated ō-wazamono (extremely sharp) by Yamada Asaemon V mandarinmansion.com.

4. Historic Highlights

• One remarkable wakizashi from 1549 (Tenbun 18) bears the inscription “Masse-musō no ken”—“Unrivalled sword for the end of days.” It’s certified by NBTHK Hozon and even includes a multi-body cutting test, slicing through a body and then through two bodies in a row—mad respect for its lethal rep SamuraiSword.com.

• Other surviving blades from the Daiei era (circa 1521) show vivid utsuri and fine itame grain, attesting to the early Sukesada quality Swords of Japan.

5. Tragedy & Revival

Unfortunately, a catastrophic flood in 1590/91 wiped out Osafune and neighboring sword-making villages, putting an abrupt end to the local forge tradition mandarinmansion.com. But don’t count them out—during the Genna era (early 1600s), a revival blossomed. Shichibei-no-Jō Sukesada (1577–1674) carried on the torch through much of the Edo period, followed by his son Kōzuke no Daijō Sukesada, who became one of the most celebrated Shinto-period Bizen smiths NIHONTO.

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Summary Blitz

• Where: Osafune, Bizen Province—no question the Samurai HQ for epic sword-making.

• What: Uchigatana blades with dense jigane, elaborate hamon, utsuri, and a reputation for sharpness.

• When: Prime era from late Muromachi (1400s–1500s), with a revival in Edo period.

• Who: Elite smiths like Hikobei and Yosōzaemon Sukesada, followed by Edo revivalists like Shichibei and Kōzuke no Daijō Sukesada.

• Why It Matters: These were samurai-grade blades, both beautiful and deadly, with historical significance that survived natural disaster and the test of time.