iToken Bijutsu No.580j

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (30)

 

(P.32)

4. Nambokucho Period

 

1. Outline

 

The Nambokucho Period is highlighted as period that produced a peculiar workmanship. It also produced many good smiths, but they are not equal in skill to those of the Kamakura period. That is to say, they started making tachi and tanto that have wide mi-haba and extended kissaki so-called eDabira-zukurif at the end of the Kamakura Period, then this sugata became to be more emphasised entering the Nambokucho period. No-dachi is also called eSeoi-dachif that was in fashion in the period and has long ha-watari ranging from 90 cm to 120 cm. Choji-midare was in fashion in the Kamakura Period but they started tempering gunome and notare at the end of the Kamakura Period and these hamon became the main stream entering the Nambokucho Period. Also hitatsura was a new hamon developed in this period but its indication like yubashiri had already been seen in the late Kamakura Period. Their workmanship, especially in sugata, was most exaggerated in the Enbun, the Koan, the Joji and the Oan Eras, though, it gradually came back to normal toward the Muromachi Period. Entering the Muromachi period, tachi was superseded by uchigatana but the former is not equal to the latter in the beauty of sugata. Generally speaking, uchigatana are superior to tachi that have been made since the Muromachi Period.

 

The distribution map of swordsmiths in the Nambokucho Period is not basically different from that in the Kamakura Period. Bizen was still the most thriving province whilst other provinces such as Yamashiro, Yamato, Sagami, Mino, Etchu, Kaga, Bitchu, Bingo, Suo, Satsuma, Chikuzen, Echigo, Omi and Iwami Provinces, also produced skilful smiths.

 

2. Yamashiro-mono

 (Succeeding to the previous period)

 

It is speculated that there was a second generation of Kunimitsu, Kuninaga, Tomokuni and Kunizane of the Rai school who were active at the end of the Kamakura Period. There is an extant tanto with the production dates of the Jowa and the Kan-o Eras. The tanto is a little inferior to that of 1st Rai Kunimitsu in quality and its mei is done in a slightly different style. There is also the possibility that it is a very late work of Rai Kunimitsu. It is said that 1st Kuninaga was a son of Rai Kunitoshi and moved to Nakajima of Setsu Province from Kyoto after which he is generally called eNakajima-Raif. There is his extant tanto with hoso-sugu-ha. Also a tanto with wide mi-haba and sori exists and the hamon is midare-ba and looks like a work of Nobukuni, but this is a work of his second generation who was active around the O-an Era. It is very rare to see extant work of Tomokuni with mei. I have seen two tanto by him. I remember that the blades had narrow mi-haba and their hamon was ko-midare, and showed a similar workmanship to that of Rai Kunitoshi on the whole. I occasionally see mumei tanto with ubu-nakago attributed to Rai Tomokuni. They have wide mi-haba, their jihada is ko-itame-hada and jigane looks powerful, and hamon is ko-notare then horimono of kurikara and ken in the style of Nobukuni are carved on them. I believe that they are the second generation of Tomokuni who was active around the Bunwa Era.

 

(Reference oshigata)

gRAI KUNIZANEh     gRAI TOMOKUNIh       gRAI KUNINAGAh

                        (1st Tomokuni)            (1st Kuninaga)

 

                                               ghRAI KUNINAGAh

 

(P.33)

(Reference photos)

Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Wakizashi Mei gRAI KUNINAGAh

 

(P.34)

There are also very few extant works of Kunizane and I have seen only two tanto by him with mei. Their hamon of hitatsura look like that of the Hasebe school at a glace. Old swordsmith directories including eKokon Mei Zukushif say that Kunizane was a student of Rai Kunitoshi but I believe that the two tanto are the works of 2nd Kunizane inferring from the workmanship. Differing from 2nd Hasebe Kunishige and Kuninobu, the jihada of the two tanto is dense ko-itame-hada peculiar to the Rai school. I speculate they were made in the early Nambokucho Period but the circumstances of how the workmanship of the two tanto occurred, has yet to be studied.

 

(Reference oshigata)

Juyo Token : Wakizashi Mei gRAI KUNIZANEh