OSAFUNE NAGAMITSU and his SAN-SAKU "The Three Makers"

           NAGAMITSU - KAGEMITSU - SANENAGA - CHIKAKAGE

         -Showing NAGAMITSU "SAN-SAKU" BOSHI 
         -Showing OSAFUNE MONOUCHI - CHU-width of less pattern 
         -Showing CHOJI-UTSURI - may be spotty

NAGAMITSU - GUNOME-CHOJI MIDARE BA with NIOI "Smoke" TOGARI
            Pattern has gentle undulations of height.

KAGEMITSU - Leaning "Stooped Shoulders" GUNOME with SAKA-ASHI
            The pattern is somewhat even in height.

CHIKAKAGE - Gently undulating KO-GUNOME with ASHI or CHOJI BA

SANENAGA  - Tight NIOI SUGUHA of KO-MIDARE or KO-CHOJI SAKA-ASHI

_________
MITSUTADA RYAKU-NIN 1238
   |______________________ _____________________
___|_____              ___|____              ___|____
NAGAMITSU SHO-O 1288   KAGEYASU SHO-O 1288   SANENAGA KA-GEN 1303
   |___________________ _____________ _______________ __________
___|_____           ___|____      ___|_____       ___|______    |
KAGEMITSU(1)        MORITADA      SANEMITSU(1)    SHIGEMITSU(1) |
   | GEN-KYO 1321   GEN-KO 1331      | SHO-O 1288 ___|_____     |
   |       _____________ ____________|            NAGAMITSU(3)  |
   |  ____|_____     ___|_____    ___|_____                     |
   |  TOSHIMITSU     MITSUNAGA    SANEMITSU(2) SHO-KEI 1332     |
   |  GEN-KYO 1321   EN-BUN 1356  ___|_____                     |
   |  See following               SANEMITSU(3) MEI-TOKU 1390    |
   |               _______________________ _________________ ___|
   |           ___|____                ___|_____    ________|____
   |           KAGEMASA BUN-PO 1317    NAGACHIKA    RAI MITSUKANE
   |           ___|_____               GEN-KYO 1321       See OMI
   |           CHIKAKAGE(1) GEN-O 1319
   |     _________|______________ __________
   | ___|____  ___|_____     ____|____  ____|____ 
   | HIDEKAGE  CHIKAKAGE(2)  CHIKAMUNE  YOSHIKAGE(1) KEM-MU 1334
   | ___|_____  - TEI-WA 1345 -             |_________________
   | SHIGEHIDE                    __________|____        _____|___
   | MEI-TOKU 1390                KOZORI IYESHIGE        YOSHIKANE
   |_________________________       KO-RYAKU 1379    MEI-TOKU 1390
___|_______               ___|_____               
O-KANEMITSU KEM-MU 1334   KAGEMITSU(2) KEM-MU 1334
___|_____                 ___|_____                
YOSHIKAGE(2) O-AN 1368    KAGEMITSU(3) O-AN 1368  
                          ________ _________    ________ ________     
NAGAMITSU Students:       NAGAMOTO YOSHIMOTO    NAGAMOTO NAGAKAGE     
                            - KO-AN 1278 -       - SHO-AN 1299 -      
_________ _________    ________ _________ ________   _________  
HISAMITSU MUNEMITSU(1) IYEMITSU NORIMITSU NAGAMUNE   YOSHITADA  
                   - SHO-WA 1312 -                 (f: TADASADA)
________ ________   _________
MUNENAGA NAGAMORI   TOSHIMUNE
 - BUN-PO 1317 -    SHO-CHU 1324

NAGAMITSU(1) KEN-CHO (f: MITSUTADA): Often recorded working dates
        give: BUN-EI 1264, KO-AN 1278 and SHO-O 1288. Most 
        NAGAMITSU MEI appear from BUN-EI 1264 to GEN-O 1319.

        NAGAMITSU(1): Born: TEI-O 1222, Died EI-NIN 5, 1297 with
        following work belonging to coming generations. SAEMON-JO.
        His fame and reputation earned SAKON SHOGEN and he is 
        thought to have signed JUNKEI in retirement. 

Early work resembles father, MITSUTADA with large patterned 
        O-CHOJI MIDARE BA on mid-KAMAKURA wide upper and full 
        IKUBI-KISSAKI. 

Later: NAGAMITSU blades lose their powerful KEN-CHO upper for the
        graceful FUNBARI of the mid/late KAMAKURA SUGATA 
        transition.

        Time lessens his emphasis from MITSUTADA-style YAKIBA 
        undulation to a more subtle variation in height. GUNOME
        makes its KO-AN 1278 appearance, interdicting the 
        mid-KAMAKURA O-CHOJI patterns popular of the ICHIMONJI 
        and MITSUTADA's KAWAZU. 
        Note: The OSAFUNE, KO-AN GUNOME style-innovation became
        vogue throughout the country, spreading to SOSHU with 
        popularists such as SABURO KUNIMUNE. Mark: GUNOME juts 
        and boulders push through KO-CHOJI. 

SUGATA: Raised SHINOGI TACHI are most encountered. Mid-KAMAKURA
        strength resolves to the graceful transition-period 
        FUNBARI. KO-DACHI and KEN are rare. MU-SORI TANTO are 
        attributed as late work. 

Steel: Refined KO-ITAME has O-HADA. NAGAMITSU and his school, 
       KAGEMITSU, SANENAGA and CHIKAKAGE, etc. will show standing
       MIDARE-UTSURI, the OSAFUNE special mark. UTSURI may spot 
       in BOTAN "Peony" UTSURI or join and dance as CHOJI-UTSURI.
       CHOJI-UTSURI? - Think NAGAMITSU.

OSAFUNE MONOUCHI: YAKIBA line descends from pattern to a fairly
       deserted KO-MIDARE or KO-CHOJI defined of ASHI where the
       tops hold together on a slightly varying CHU-width. 

BOSHI: Early: CHOJI-MIDARE or MIDARE-KOMI.
       Later: SAN-SAKU BOSHI, a style seen in and named for his
              "Three Makers." The SAN-SAKU: YAKIBA dips toward 
              the edge just above the YOKOTE, then widens in a 
              bump which thins and may take a smaller, second 
              bump before a small KO-MARU.

MEI:   NAGAMITSU 
       OSAFUNE NAGAMITSU  
       BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU NAGAMITSU 
       BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JUNIN SAKON NAGAMITSU TSUKURU 
       BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU SAKON SHOGEN NAGAMITSU TSUKURU

NAGAMITSU Recap:
Early: Strong, mid-KAMAKURA SUGATA. Undulating O-CHOJI MIDARE BA.
Later: Graceful mid/late KAMAKURA transition FUNBARI SUGATA. Less
       undulation to GUNOME-CHOJI BA.

NAGAMITSU also seen in KEM-MU 1334, SHO-HEI 1346, O-EI 1394, 
BUN-MEI 1469, EI-SHO 1504, EI-ROKU 1558 and BUN-ROKU 1592.

Signed in reverence of NAGAMITSU's religious affiliation, akin to his Guardian Deity, the KUMANO SHINKO. The three KUMANO-no-SANZAN, HONGU, SHINGU and NACHI, along the KUMANO River in KII, are the most sacred SHINTO Shrines devoted to the Creation Mysteries.

SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, KOSHIZORI. FUNBARI TACHI slopes to a KO-KISSAKI. 

Tight KO-ITAME HADA has standing MIDARE-UTSURI. A defined NIOI-GUCHI draws the refined CHOJI-MIDARE with GUNOME of ASHI and YO of his late period work. 

NOTARE-KOMI BOSHI finds KO-MARU at the head. 

Falling UBU-NAKAGO resolves in a slightly HA-AGARI KURI-JIRI. Two MEKUGI-ANA. 

Signed TACHI-MEI in the SHINOGI-JI:
     KUMANO SANSHO GONGEN   -  NAGAMITSU

JUNKEI KO-AN: To EI-NIN 1293. Traditionally this was NAGAMITSU's 
           priest or retirement name. The evidence is similarity 
           of GUNOME within CHOJI showing TOGARI in the tops and 
           a vividly clear MIDARE-UTSURI. The signatures, however,
           differ in style, among other documented doubts. In 
           any event, NAGAMITSU and JUNKEI are closely akinned. 
           JUNKEI: Made TACHI SUGATA. KO-ITAME has a thin JI-NIE 
           veil and standing MIDARE-UTSURI. CHOJI-MIDARE or 
           KO-MIDARE of KO-GUNOME with TOGARI in KO-NIE. BOSHI is
           CHU-MARU HAKIKAKE or YAKIZUME.

NAGAMOTO SHO-AN (t: NAGAMITSU): Helped his master in NAGAMITSU's
        declining years. HADA with MIDARE-UTSURI. KO-CHOJI 
        MIDARE - GUNOME mix. SAN-SAKU BOSHI.
     NAGAMOTO
     OSAFUNE JU NAGAMOTO SAKU
     BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU NAGAMOTO

TAMEMUNE(1) GEN-KYO (f: NAGAMOTO): MOKUME HADA. CHOJI BA. 2nd to
        KOZORI. See KOZORI
     BISHU OSAFUNE TAMEMUNE

NAGAMITSU(2) KO-AN (f: NAGAMITSU): SAKON SHOGEN. The title is
        synonymous for NAGAMITSU(2) with many statements that (1)
        did not use it. Born: KEN-CHO 1249, Died: SHO-WA 5, 1316.
        MOKUME. NIOI-DEKI MIDARE and CHOJI-MIDARE BA. 
        OSAFUNE MONOUCHI: KO-MIDARE or KO-CHOJI defined of 
        ASHI-IRI.
     BIZEN-no-KUNI SAKON SHOGEN NAGAMITSU TSUKURU

SHIGEMITSU(1) O-CHO (f: NAGAMITSU): Considered with KAGEMITSU. 
           See KAGEMITSU School

NAGAMITSU(3) SHO-HEI (f: SHIGEMITSU): BIZEN-no-KUNI NAGAMITSU


KAGEMASA BUN-PO (f: NAGAMITSU, br: KAGEMITSU): SHINSHI-ZABURO.
        UEMONnoJO. Swords much like his brother, KAGEMITSU. 
        See KAGEMITSU School