（Token Bijutsu No.587）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (33)

 

(P.33)

7. 2nd Kaneuji, Naoe-Shizu and Other Mino Smiths

 

It is said that master smiths had lived in Mino Province since the age of the battle between the Minamoto and the Taira clans (at the end of the Heian Period, (the so-called Age of Genpei’). Smith names of Sensui, Tofuji, Nagamoto, Jumyo and Muneyoshi are listed in the Heian and the Kamakura Period of ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’, though, none of their extant works has been confirmed. Sizu Saburo Kaneuji of the end of the Kamakura Period is the earliest smith who left extant works in Mino Province. He is early smith name is Kaneuji (‘Kane’ is a different character) and belongs to the Tegai school of Yamato Province. He then moved from Yamato province to a place called ‘Shizu’ in Mino Province as described in the chapter of ‘Masamune Juttetsu’. The smith name of Kaneuji had been succeeded through up to the Muromachi Period. Meanwhile, there are his students who lived in Naoe of Mino Province in the Nambokucho Period and they are called ‘Naoe-Shizu’. Naoe-Shizu includes Kanetomo, Kanetsugu and Kanetoshi. There are extant tanto of Kanetomo and Kanetsugu (there is an extant tanto by him with a production date of the Kan-o as described before).

 

The classification of 1st and 2nd Kaneuji is not certain yet, but it is said that a part of the character of ‘Kane’ by the first generation is squarish and one by the second generation is roundish. Early Kaneuji (before the Muromachi Period) tempers hamon in large pattern, occasionally the hamon is based on ko-gunome and his jigane is clear without shirake-utsuri and the nie of the ji and the ha is emphasised. Kanetsugu and Kanetomo of Naoe-Shizu temper the hamon in a small pattern and their jigane is a little whitish but Kanetsugu occasionally forges clear jigane. There are many mumei swords attributed to smiths of the Shizu school. Swordsmith directories list about ten smiths of the school in the Kenmu and the Meitoku Eras of the Nambokucho Period.

 

Kinju has been counted amongst ten students of Masamune or Masamune Juttetsu since old days as well as Kaneuji. It is said that Kinju was born in Tsuruga of Echizen province and his monk name was Doami. He later moved to Seki in Mino Province and became the founder of Seki smiths. There is no extant work of Kinju before the Nambokucho Period. Old book lists an oshigata of his tanto with a production date of the Joji 2 and the book says that the tanto is a work of the second generation. I have seen many fakes of Kinju with mei in thick characters. I have seen only a few works of Kinju with genuine mei. All of them are tanto that have wide mi-haba and sori. He tempers midare-ba based on ko-gunome in ko-nie-deki or gentle o-notare in thick nie-deki. It is said that the latter is the work of the first generation and the former is the one of the second generation.

 

(Reference oshigata)

“KANEUJI”

“KANETOMO”

 

                “KINJU”

 

(P.34)

‘Kiya Oshigata’ lists a tachi with a production date of the Oan period by Kaneyuki who is said to have been a son of Kinju and the hamon is gentle ko-notare. ‘Seki Kaji Shichiryu Ryakuki’ says that Kanenaga was a son-in-low of Kinju and he is the same smith as Tegai Kanenaga of Yamato province and his son, Kanemitsu is the founder of ‘Seki Shichiryu’ or the major seven Seki schools. This theory needs more consideration but there is no doubt that smiths of the Tegai school had a close relationship with Shizu and Seki smiths also smiths of the Senjuin school with those of the Mino-Senjuin school.

 

It is said that Tametsugu, who was a son of Go Yoshihiro of Etchu Province and a student of Norishige, moved to Fuwa-gun in Mino Province. There are a few extant works of Tametsugu with mei including a wakizashi with the mei of ‘Noshu Ju Fujiwara no Tametsugu’ and a production date of the Oan Era. After a close look at the extant works, I am very negative of the above theory from the point of view of his active age and workmanship. Tametsugu tempers midare-ba based on o-notare and ko-gunome-midare with subdued nioi-guchi and forges standing-out jihada and black jigane which shows a local characteristic of his native province.

 

(Reference oshigata and photos)

“NOSHU JU FUJIWARA (NO) TAMETSUGU”

“OAN ? DOSHI 8 GATSU HI”

 

                  Juyo Bijutsu Hin : Tanto Mei “KANETOMO”

                  (Owned by the NBTHK)

 

(P.35)

‘Heiji Monogatari’ (Story of the Eiji Era) says that a smith called ‘Sensui’ from Mino Province made a copy of a tachi nicknamed ‘Higekiri-maru’ and it became an heirloom of the Minamoto family. Books written after the Muromachi Period say that Tofuji of Mino Province made the copy. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ says, “Sensui and Tofuji are the smiths of Yamato Province. Tofuji is the ancestor of Jumyo and Sensui is a smith of the Senjuin school. Sensui is the founder of the Akasaka-Senjuin school of Mino Province.” It says that swords by Jumyo of the Kamakura period exist but no extant work of Jumyo of the Kamakura Period has been confirmed. I have seen a tachi of Tofuji attributed to the late Nambokucho Period and his katana attributed to the Muromachi Period.

 

‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ says, “A smith called Kuninaga existed after Sensui. He was active around the Bunryaku Era and the smith name had been succeeded for generations.” Though, I have never seen extant work of 1st Kuninaga. ‘Kozan oshigata’ lists a tachi with the mei of ‘Noshu Ju Fujiwara no Kuninaga’ and a production date of the Eitoku period. Also there is a sword with the mei of Kuniyuki in the same chiselling style as that of Kuninaga and with a production date of the Oan Era, though, I have not seen these swords yet. It is said that Kuninaga was the ancestor of Echizen-Shimosaka smiths of shinto times.

 

(Reference oshigata)

“FUJIWARA (NO) TAMETSUG”

                                  Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “KINJU”

“TOFUJI SAKU”