（Token Bijutsu No.584）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (32)

 

(P.34)

4. Five Major Schools of Yamato Province

(Succeeding to the previous period)

 

Considerable numbers of swordsmiths of the major five schools of Yamato Province that thrived in the previous period are listed in the Nambokucho Period of swordsmith directories and many o-suriage mumei swords attributed to smiths of this period actually exist, but there are not many swords with signatures exist. The Hosho school still forges conspicuous masame-hada in this period but smiths of the other schools hardly show their own peculiarities after their second generation. I have seen a no-dachi by Senjuin Nagayoshi with a production date of the Joji Era and a tanto by Senjuin Yoshihiro with a production date of the Bunwa Era. The hamon of the no-dachi by Nagayoshi is midare-ba based on ko-gunome and the one by Yoshihiro is o-midare in hitatsura style. There is a theory that this Yoshihiro is the same smith as Yoshihiro who lived in Matsukura Go of Etchu Province. Though, they lived in different ages and their jihada and the manner of nioi and nie are totally different. There are a few extant tanto by 3rd Tegai Kanenaga with production dates of the Enbun and the Joji Eras, and a tachi by Kaneyoshi with a production date of the Koreki Era. The hamon of Kanenaga are ko-gunome and sugu-ha and that of Kaneyoshi is ko-gunome.

 

 (Reference photos and oshigata)

Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “KANEUJI” (nicknamed ‘Minemuri’)

 

              “YAMATO (NO) KUNI SOEGAMI GORI SENJUIN YOSHIHIRO”

                         “BUNWA 2 NEN 8 GATSU HI”

 

(P.35)

It is said that Kaneuji of the Tegai school moved to Mino Province after which he used the smith name of Kaneuji (‘Kane’ is a different character from the one of Tegai Kaneuji). He is the so-called ‘Shizu Saburo Kaneuji’ who is counted amongst the ten students of Masamune Juttetsu (Ten students of Masamune). Tegai Kaneuji left only tanto with production dates of the Kan-o and the Joji Ears and no extant work of tachi has been confirmed. Inferring from the production dates, they are not the early works of Shizu Saburo Kaneuji. It is speculated that they are the works of a later generation of other Kaneuji who stayed in Yamato province. One of them has a wide mi-haba and sori and the hamon is unusually hitatsura in nioi-hon-i. It reflects the trend of the period very well. There is an extant tanto by Shikkake Norinaga with a production date of the Rekio 3 and his age of 69. It is recognised as a work of his last years but the authenticity of the inscription has yet to be studied.

 

(Reference photos and oshigata)

Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “SADAKIYO”

 

           “YAMATO (NO) KUNI TAIMA TOMO (the last character is lost)”

 

                       “SADAKIYO”

                       “SADAOKI”

 

(P.36)

I have also seen a few extant tachi of Naganori with long mei, which are supposed to have been made between the Nambokucho and the beginning of the Muromachi Periods. There are extant works of the Hosho school of this period but they are inferior in skill to Sadakiyo, Sadaoki and Sadamitsu of the previous period. I have seen a tachi with the mei of ‘Yamato no Kuni Taima Tomo … (the last character is lost)’. Swordsmith directories list Tomonaga and Tomoyuki of the Taima school in the Nambokucho Period. The blades have high shinogi and the hamon are sugu-ha in tight nioi-deki. Their workmanship resembles that of the Tegai school of this period and they do not show so much peculiarity.

 

(Reference photos)

Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “FUJIWARA (NO) SADAKIYO”

 

(P.37)

5. Soshu-mono

(Succeeding to the previous period)

 

A workmanship that had been accomplished by Masamune in the previous period was succeeded by Sadamune. Sadamune tempered calmer midare-ba than Masamune. 1st Hiromitsu who is said to be a junior student of Sadamune and his second generation, and Akihiro who was a student of Sadamune tempered hitatsura. Amongst them, 1st Hiromitsu is the most skilful smith but inferior to Sadamune. There are people who believe that all Soshu smiths tempered hitatsura, though real hitatsura only came to be seen after Sadamune in the Nambokucho Period. Extant tachi by Hiromitsu with mei has not been confirmed but there are a few ko-dachi and uchigatana by Akihiro with mei, which have normal mi-haba. Inferring from extant wakizashi of Hiromitsu in dabira style, it is speculated that his tachi had wide mi-haba. There are few tanto by Hiromitsu of which ha-watari is under 30 cm. but Akihiro left some tanto. The production date of Hiromitsu ranges from the Kan-o to the Joji Era. Meanwhile, the production date of tanto and wakizashi by Akihiro ranges from the Joji to the Eiwa Era.

 

(Reference oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “DAI ? ? SHIKKAKE JU NORINAGA SAKU”

                      “REKIO 3 6 GATSU HI 69”

 

(P.38)

It is believed that 1st Hiromitsu signed his mei in two characters without a production date but there are some extant works of 2nd Hiromitsu also with mei in two characters. There is a tachi by Akihiro with a production date of the Meitoku Era and it is possibly a work of the second generation. Though, it is too early to conclude the classification of the works of their generations mentioned above.

 

There are only a few extant works of this period with mei apart from Hiromitsu and Akihiro in this province. Incidentally, I have seen a tanto by Masahiro, who was a son of 1st Hiromitsu and a wakizashi by Akiyoshi, who was a son of Akihiro.

 

(Reference oshigata and photos)

“SAGAMI (NO) KUNI JUNIN HIROMITSU”  “ENBUN 5 NEN 8 GATSU HI”

 

“SOSHU JU AKIHIRO”   “EIWA 2”

 

       Juyo Bunka Zai : Wakizashi Mei “UTSUNOMIYA DAIMYOJIN SAGAMI (NO)

KUNI JUNIN HIROMITSU

“HACHIMAN DAIBOSATSU  BUNWA 5

NEN U ZUKI HI”

 

(P.39)

6. The Kanro School and other Smiths

 

There is a swordsmith called Kanro Toshinaga who was a student of Takagi Sadamune of Omi Province and there are extant tachi and tanto of this smith. Though, the above theory is not acceptable considering his workmanship which shows a conspicuous Yamato-den. In his tanto, masame-hada is emphasised in the jihada, the hamon is gentle notare with sunagashi in nie-deki and many hakikake are seen in the boshi. His tachi has high shinogi, the jihada is dense ko-itame-hada and the hamon is sugu-ha in tight nioi-deki. His tachi with a production date of Enbun 5 is listed in ‘Kaji Biko’ and the blade shows a typical workmanship of the Nambokucho Period. ‘Noami Bon’ says, “The hamon is narrow, the shinogi is high and it looks like a work of the Mihara School.” There is an extant tachi with the mei of ‘Koshu Kanro Ju Akimitsu’ and a production date of the Meitoku Era. The blade reminds one of a work of the Fujishima school at a glance and the workmanship is based on Yamato-den. Old swordsmith directories say that he is called ‘Tenkuro’ and was a master yari maker, though I have never seen his extant yari.

 

Mitsukane is well known as ‘Chudo-Rai’ and is said to have been a student of Rai Kunitoshi and have lived at Totsu or Awatsu of Omi Province. ‘Kaji Biko’ and other swordsmith directories list other smiths who belong to this lineage such as Yoshikane and Rai Norikane, but I have not seen their extant work yet.

 

(Reference oshigata)

“SOSHU JU AKIYOSHI”            “SOSHU JU MASAHIRO”

“OAN 5 NEN”         

 

“TOSHINAGA”

“KOSHU KANRO”