（Token Bijutsu No.573）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (25)

 

(P.17)

20. Omiya School

 

‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ says that a swordsmith called Kunimori lived in Bizen Province around Bun-o Era and smiths of this school had been active though up to Muromachi Period and they are Omiya smiths or the smiths of the Omiya school. The school name of ‘Omiya comes from a place where Kunimori lived, ‘Omiya of Inokuma in Yamashiro Province’. There is a mumei tachi inherited by the Tokugawa shogun family and attributed to Ko-Bizen Tomonari. After the sword left the Tokugawa family, a new owner cleaned the nakago then a mei in two large characters ‘Kunimori’ emerged. It is speculated this is a work of the founder of the Omiya school but it has yet to be studied. I have seen a tachi signed ‘Morikage’ in two large characters. Its workmanship reminds of smiths of the Ukai school and the production age is no later than the Kamakura Period. This is to be a work of the earliest Morikage. Meanwhile, there are a certain number of extant works of Morikage who was active in the Nambokucho Period. In addition, I have seen two swords signed ‘Moritsugu’ in two large characters. Inferring from the mei, this is a smith of the Omiya school who had been active between the end of the Kamakura and the Nambokucho Periods.

 

21. Ko-Yoshii School

 

There are smiths who lived in Yoshii of Bizen Province and Tamenori who was active at the end of the Kamakura Period is the founder of this school that had thrived though up to the Muromachi Period. Though, it is very rare to see their extant works (with signature) of the Kamakura Period. ‘Kozan Oshigata’ lists a tanto with a long mei ‘Bizen no Kuni Yoshii Ju Tamenori’ and a date of the Showa Era but no extant work of Tamenori has been confirmed by today. There is a tachi with a long mei ‘Bizen no Kuni Yoshii Shi (the following characters are missing)’. The blade has normal tachi-sugata with plenty of hira-niku, the jihada is dense ko-itame-hada and the jigane is clear, and the hamon is continuous ko-gunome with bright nioi-guchi then sunagashi are seen inside the hamon and hakikake is seen in the boshi. It reminds of Shikkake of Yamato Province at a glance and it appears to be a work between the Showa and Rekio Eras. This tanto may be a work of Tamenori or 1st Kagenori of which extant tachi had been owned by a direct retainer of the Tokugawa shogun, Jinbo Mimasaka no Kami (signed ‘Bizen no Kuni Yoshii Ju Kagenori’) and the hamon is gunome in ko-nie-deki then a few sunagashi are seen inside the hamon). They had maintained a peculiar workmanship during koto times.

 

(Reference oshigata)

“MORIKAGE”                 “BIZEN (NO) KUNI YOSHII SHIN”

 

              “MORITSUGU”

 

(P.18)

I would like to refer three examples of Kagenori here. The first two tachi with dates of Koan 2 (1279) and 4 (1281) are the works of the first generation. Their hamon is ko-midare mixed with ko-gunome, of which manner is different from that of Nagamitsu and Moriie. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ lists Kagenori who was active around the Koan Era as a son of Kagehide and the founder of the Yoshii school. There is another tachi signed Kagenori and inherited by the Date family of the Sendai clan. It has slender tachi-sugata and the hamon is sugu-ha mixed with ko-midare in ko-nie-deki. The tachi was attributed to ‘Ko-Bizen’ (Kamakura Period) in the past and I agree on the old attribution and this Kagenori has nothing to do with Ko-Yoshii Kagenori.

 

(Reference oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tachi Mei “MORIKAGE”

 

(P.19)

(Reference oshigata and photo)

Juyo Bijutsu Hin : Naginata-naoshi-katana Mei “MORITSUGU”

(Owned by the Sano Art Museum)

 

There is a tachi signed ‘Naganori’ in two characters and inherited by the Uesugi family. It has ubu nakago and the production age is no later than Kamakura Period. The workmanship has a close resemblance to that of Fukuoka-Ichimonji Naganori (or Osafune Naganori). The hamon is continuous and middle-sized gunome in nioi-deki. ‘Haya Midashi’ says that the second generation of the Fukuoka-Ichimonji school was active around the Bunpo Era and lived in Yoshii then moved to Izumo Province and became the founder of the Doei school there.

 

(P.20)

(Reference photos)

Juyo Bijutsu Hin : Tachi Mei “MORITSUGU”

 

(P.21)

22. Wake no Sho, Nitta no Sho and Others

 

There are two smiths called Shigesuke who lived in Wake no Sho and Chikayori who lived in Nitta no Sho, and were active at the end of the Kamakura Period but their lineages are uncertain. Shigesuke tempers choji mixed with gunome and is equal to Osafune Kagemitsu in skill. Chikayori tempers sugu-ha in tight nioi-deki and is inferior to Osafune Kagemitsu. Also there are extant works of Yukihide, one is tachi with its production date (Hoji Era) and the other is naginata signed ‘Bizen no Kuni Hikasa no Sho Junin Yukihide’. They remind of Ko-Bizen of the Kamakura Period.

 

(Reference oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tachi Mei “KAGENORI”  “KOAN 4 NEN TSUKURU KORE”

 

             “BIZEN (NO) KUNI WAKE (NO) SHO JUNIN SHIGESUKE”

             “KAREKI 3 NEN 1 GATSU HI”

 

(P.22)

(Reference oshigata)

“BIZEN (NO) KUNI HAJI ( ? ) JU”

“HOJI 3 NEN KINOE INU 8”

 

            Juyo Bijutsu Hin : Tachi Mei “BISHU WAKE (NO) SHO JU SHIGESUKE”

                                        “KAREKI 3 NEN 1 GATSU HI”

 

(P.23)

(Reference photos)

Juyo Bijutsu Hin : Tachi Mei “BIZEN (NO) KUNI NITTA (NO) SHO JU UEMON (NO)

JO CHIKAYORI ZO”

                            “GEN-O 2 NEN 2 GATS HI”