（Token Bijutsu No.589）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (35)

 

(P.32)

There was a smith named Kagemitsu, of which smith’s name was succeeded to for several generations. He tempered gunome in a regular pattern which looks like the hamon of Bizen Osafune Kagemitsu at a glance. (Kokon Mei Zukushi’ says that Kagemitsu, Tomoshige and Yukimitsu were the students of Sanekage). Tomoshige and Yukimitsu belong to the Fujishima school, but the lineage of Kagemitsu has yet to be studied.

 

Swordsmith directories including ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ say that Ko-nyudo Kunimitsu moved from Uda County of Yamato Province, to Etchu Province, around the Bunpo Era and he became the founder of the Uda school. Kunifusa and Kunimune were his sons and their descendants thrived. It is speculated that there are also several generations of Kunimitsu. I have seen one of his works that looks older than the oldest work of Kunifusa. It shows conspicuous Yamato-den and is a work no later than the Nambokucho Period. There is an extant work of Kunifusa, with a production date of the Oei Era, and extant works that look older than the one with the production date. The latter signed in a different style and is the first generation. The one with the production date of the Oei Era is a work of the second generation. Kunifusa demonstrates two different workmanships; one is in Yamato-den and the other is in Soshu-den, with ko-itame-hada and midare-ba in nie-deki, similar to Go Yoshihiro. A theory says that Kunifusa was a student of Norishige. I have a negative feeling about the theory that Kunifusa  had a direct relation with Norishige and Go Yoshihiro, inferring from their active ages. There are three interesting tanto that show a different workmanship with mei in a different style and look like Kunifusa. They are his later works or the works of the second generation. The second generation of Norishige could be connected with Kunifusa directly, if they are the works of 2nd Norishige. I have never seen extant work of Kunimune that is as old as Kunifusa’s, then the one who was active around the Oei Era is the first generation and the smith name was succeeded to up to shinto times. Incidentally, Kunimune forges a jihada that stands out and looks like Norishige.

 

(Reference oshigata)

“UDA KUNIFUSA”

 

             “UDA KUNIMITSU”

 

                         “KAGEMITSU”

 

(P.33)

Fairly skilful smiths like Yamamura Masanobu, Momokawa Nagayoshi and Hata Chogi (or Nagayoshi) also existed in Echigo Province in this period. Yamamura and Momokawa are the names of the places where they lived. The Yamamura family was originally Bushi and invited Nobukuni of Kyoto, they then learnt sword forging from him. There is an extant tanto with hoso-sugu-ha, which is believed to have been made by 1st Masanobu in the Nambokucho Period. Also there are some extant tanto and wakizashi by 2nd Masanobu and Yasunobu who is said to be a son of 2nd Masanobu. They show a workmanship that resembles to that of Oei Nobukuni. In addition, there is an extant tachi, with the mei of ‘Yamamura Ju Nobukuni’, that is attributed to a work of the Oei Era and the research of the relationship between this smith and Masanobu is under way. It is said that there are a few generations of Momokawa Nagayoshi and the first generation was a student of Kanro Toshinaga. There is an extant tachi with the mei of ‘Momokawa Nagayoshi’, which is attributed to the first generation and of which  the hamon is ko-midare with yaki-kuzure and sunagashi, and the boshi has a long kaeri with hakikake. The workmanship of the tachi does not resemble to that of Kanro Toshinaga so much, but it is a work of the same period as that of Toshinaga. A tanto by Nagayoshi, which is attributed to the second generation, shows ayasugi-hada with few ji-nie. The character of ‘Naga’ of their mei is chiselled in a unique style. I have seen only two tanto by Hata Chogi with the mei of ‘Echigo no Kuni Ju Hata Chogi’ and ‘Hata Chogi’. The hamon of the latter is gunome-midare with sunagashi in ko-nie-deki and the jihada is itame-hada, that slightly stands out. The former is sai-ha or re-tempered, and the blade has narrow mi-haba and furisode-nakago and can be attributed to having been made between the end of the Kamakura and the Nambokucho Periods. A theory says that Hata Chogi is a son of Bizen Osafune Chogi, but I don’t accept this.

 

(Reference oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tachi Mei “UDA KUNIFUSA”

 

(P.34)

10. Naginata of Hojoji

 

Hojoji has been well known as a master naginata maker since olden times. Hojoji is the name of a place in Tajima Province and a smith called Kunimitsu lived there in the Nambokucho Period. This Kunimitsu is in fact a master naginata maker. Swordsmith directories list an oshigata of his sword with a production date of the Joji Era Also an oshigata of 2nd Kunimitsu with the mei of ‘Tajima Ju Hayato no Suke Kunimitsu Saku’ and the production date of Oei 5 is listed in ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’. It is also well known that he was one of three students of Sadamune (Sadamune Santetsu) as well as Nobukuni of Yamashiro Province and Osafune Motoshige. Though, this theory should be denied excluding Nobukuni. There are few tachi and naginata with mei by him but many tanto. The hamon of his tanto is sugu-ha or ko-midare in nie-deki, but it is a kind of gorgeous choji-midare in the case of naginata and has a resembles that of Bizen swords in a sense. Most of his naginata are o-suriage and were reformed into naginata-naoshi. Here, I question whether  his tanto and naginata are the works of the same smith. There is an extant naginata with mei by 2nd Kunimitsu. It is inferior to that of the first generation in quality, but shows a similar workmanship to naginata by the first generation. There is only one extant naginata with mei and ubu-nakago, which had been inherited by the Kuroda family.

 

(Reference oshigata and photos)

“ECHIGO (NO) KUNI JU HATA NAGAYOSHI”

“BUNWA 5 HINOE SARU 3 GATSU HI”

 

      “MOMOKAWA JU NAGAYOSHI”

 

           “MASANOBU”

 

                 Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Tanto Mei : “HATA CHOGI”

 

(P.35”

11. Sekishu-mono

(Sekishu Swords)

 

There are several generations of Naotsuna who lived in Dewa of Iwami Province. It is said that the first generation was one of ten students of Masamune or Masamune Juttetsu. There are extant tanto with a production date of Eiwa Era by 2nd Naotsuna and tanto with a production date of Oan by Naoshige, who is said to have been a student of the 1st Naotsuna.

 

(Reference photos and oshigata)

Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “TANSHU JU KUNIMITSU”

 

         “TANSHU JU KUNIITSU”

 

(P.35)

1st Naotsuna tempers gunome mixed with togari-ba and ko-notare in nie-deki which looks like Shizu and Samonji at a glance. His jihada is itame-hada and jigane looks a little black.

 

(Reference oshigata and photos)

“NAOTSUNA”

 

          Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Tachi Mei “NAOTSUNA”