Tachi (Japanese sword) (engraved as “Bizen-no-Kuni Osafune Sakon Shogen Nagamitsu, 1289”)

This tachi (Japanese sword) was made by the swordsmith Nagamitsu in Osafune, Bizen Province (now Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture) in 1289. Nagamitsu is believed to be the son of Mitsutada, who founded the Osafune school of swordsmithing. Mitsutada is known to have been active in the Kamakura period and to have lived in Osafune, Bizen Province. Nagamitsu was the school’s second head. Engraved with the phrase “Sakon Shogen Nagamitsu,” it is a precious example of the many outstanding tachi crafted by Nagamitsu.