
Jeff Olson
Director
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US$80,000 - US$120,000
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Provenance
Fujii Manabu Collection, Hokkaido
Yukimitsu was active during in the latter part of the Kamakura period (from circa 1300-1333). He is thought to have been the student of Shintōgo Kunimitsu (born 1294), from whom he took the tō character in his name Tōsaburō. Together with Kunimitsu, he is recognized as one of the founders of the Sōshū tradition of sword making. Yukimitsu is also believed to have been the son of Bungo Yukihira (see lot 142), but perhaps more significantly, he was the father of Masamune (1264–1343), arguably Japan's greatest swordsmith.
Among Yukimitsu's surviving swords, only tantō bear his signature. The long swords attributed to him have all been shortened and have lost their signatures, like the present lot. Several of his swords have been designated as National Treasures.