（Token Bijutsu No.598）

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

By Dr. Honma Junji

(43)

(P.33)

‘Koto Mei Zukushi’ states that Sadamitsu who was a son of the 3rd Nobukuni, moved to Buzen Province then they added the name of Nobukuni to his mei and Chikuzen Nobukuni of shinto times were his descendants. Also ‘Koto Mei Zukushi’ says that Nobukuni Yoshihisa, Nobukuni Yoshiyasu, Nobukuni Yoshisuke, Nobukuni Yoshimoto were still smiths of Yamashiro Province after 3rd Nobukuni, but their lineages have yet to be studied. There are a few extant works with the smith name of Shigekuni and he is speculated to belong to the Nobukuni school and to have been active after Oei Nobukuni. There is an extant work of Nobukuni with the production date of Seika 1, which is a Chinese Eras and correspondent to Kansho 6 (1465).There is a speculation that many swords by Nobukuni who were active around the Choroku and Bunsei Eras were exported to China. It is also speculated that there are several generations of Ryokai. I have seen a tanto with wide mi-haba and sugu-ha and its mei was done in thicker chiselling and larger characters than that of early generations from the Kamakura Period. I suppose that this Ryokai is one who was active in the Eitoku Era. The later generation of Ryokai moved to Bungo Province in the Muromachi Period and thrived there. They add the name of Ryokai to their mei (Ryokai Sadayuki, Ryokai Yoshizane and Ryokai Naoyoshi) as the smiths of Tsukushi Nobukuni do. They temper sugu-ha with hotsure and occasionally gunome-midare.

Swordsmith directories say that a smith called Heianjo Nagayoshi had lived since the former period. There are extant works of Heianjo Nagayoshi with the production dates of the Bunmei, Meio, Bunki and Eisho Eras. There are two generations of Nagayoshi between the Bunmei and Eisho Eras. Koizumi Hisao listed an oshigata of Heianjo Nagayoshi with the production date of Oei 4 (sai-ha or re-tempered) but I am a little doubtful of the authenticity of the mei. The re-tempered blade might cause my suspicion. Nagayoshi after the Bunmei Era demonstrates two different workmanships. One is hoso-sugu-ha, dense ko-itame-hada and whitish jigane. The other is hitatsura, o-midare based on gunome and o-notare. The latter appears to be indirectly influenced by the Hasebe school. His hamon of o-notare has a close resemblance to that of Muramasa of Ise Province and I speculate that there was a technical exchange between them. ‘Kozan Oshigata’ lists an oshigata of Nagayoshi with the mei of ‘Sanshu Ju Heianjo Nagayoshi’. Swordsmith directories say that Nagayoshi of the Bunki Era lived in Ise and Mikawa provinces. Also they list a mei of ‘Soshu Ju Nagayoshi Saku’. He carves so-no-kurikara and shin-no-kurikara on occasion.

(Oshigata)

“SHIGEKUNI”

(P.34)

It is said that there are a few generation of Sanjo Yoshinori and they left works with the production dates of the Oei, Hotoku, Bunmei and Eisho Eras. Swordsmith directories list the mei of ‘Sanjo Yoshinori Izumi no Kuni’ and Sanshu Ju Yoshinori’. They temper sugu-ha and o-midare based on gunome. They also made slender tanto with elaborate horimono of shin-no-kurikara. As swordsmith directories describe, Heianjo Nagayoshi and Sanjo Yoshinori belonged to the same school. There is an extant work by Nagayoshi with the mei of ‘Sanjo Nagayoshi’ and the school includes Yoshifusa who signs ‘Sanjo Yoshifusa’ and ‘Heianjo Yoshifusa’, also one of his extant works adds ‘Izumi no Kuni’ to his mei. He occasionally carves Chinese characters like ‘Kimi Ban Zai’ and ‘Heshite Heshite’ on his blades. It is very rare to see the horimono of Chinese characters on koto blades. I have seen a katana with the mei of ‘Kurama Ju Yoshitsugu’ and a tanto with the mei of ‘Kurama Ju Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu Yoshisada’ (collaboration of the two smiths) and a production date of the Meio Era. It is said that they are related to the Sue-Seki school and called ‘Kurama-Seki’. The school also includes Yoshinaga, Yoshishige and Shigetsugu. Their extant works have production dates of the Daiei, Eikyo, Kansho and Meio Eras. It is said that they belong to the Heianjo school or the Nobukuni school. They temper o-notare with yaki-kuzure (deformed midare) and it reminds one of the Heianjo and the Mihara schools. They occasionally carve shin-no-kurikara inside koshi-bi.

(Oshigata)

“HEIANJO NAGAYOSHI SANSHU KOKU SAKU” “SANJO NAGAYOSHI SAKU”

“HEIANJO NAGAYOSHI”

“EISHO 1 NEN 3 GATSU”

Juyo Token : Katana Mei “HEIANJO NAGAYOSHI”

(P.35)

4. Other smiths of the Kinai District

As described before, Sanjo Yoshinori and Yoshifusa engaged in sword forging in Izumi Province. There was a school represented by Kaga Shiro Sukemasa in this province. It is said that the ancestor of Sukemasa was Mitsumasa of Kaga Province who was active in the Nambokucho Period. His son Yoshimasa, started calling himself ‘Kaga Shiro’ and lived in Sakai of Izumi Province and Echigo Province in the Oei Era. Sukemasa was a son of Yoshimasa. Suketsugu and Sukemitsu of this school were active around the Tenbun Era. I have not seen extant work of theirs except for Sukemasa. Sukemasa demonstrates a workmanship similar to the Fujishima school of Kaga Province.

A katana with the mei of ‘Kawachi no Kuni Shida Gun Deguchi Masashige Saku’ exists. Inferring from the workmanship and nakago, it appears to be a work of Masashige who was a student of Muramasa of Ise Province and was active at the end of the Muromachi Period, though, further study is needed. Swordsmith directories list Arikuni and Arishige, whose ancestor was Arinari of the Heian Period, but there are few extant works by them. The directories also list Munenaga and a few other smiths who are related to Nakajima-Rai, but I have seen no extant work by them.

(Oshigata)

“SUKEMASA SAKU”

Juyo Token : Wakizashi Mei “SANJO YOSHINORI SAKU”

(P.35)

Seishu-mono

(Swords of Ise Province)

Muramasa,who lived in Kuwana of Ise Province, is a well-known smith and one theory says that he was a student of Masamune, but today it is accepted that this is a groundless theory. His earliest production date is the Bunki Era, followed by the Eisho. It is speculated that there were three generation of Muramasa, inferring from the different workmanships. Masashige, Masazane and Fujimasa, who is believed to have been the students of Muramasa, were active in the same period. Muramasa and his school (Sengo) temper o-notare mixed with gunome which resembles that of Heianjo Nagayoshi. It reminds us of the close connection between Muramasa and Nagayoshi. Also Muramasa demonstrates a workmanship that has a close resemblance to No Sada (Izumi no Kami Kanesada) of the Sue-Seki school. There is an extant work of No Sada with the mei of ‘Oite Ise Yamada Kore Saku’ and a tanto that Muramasa make in Seki with Seki Kanenori. Muramasa makes a unique nakago called tanago-bara and the Shitahara school of Musashi province also show this. A theory says that Muramasa passed it on to Shitahara smiths. Shitahara smiths presented their swords to the Kuwana Shrine so it is speculated that the both schools had a close relationship.

Apart from the smiths of the Sengo school, a smith called Kanenaga lived around the Bunki and Tenbun Eras in Ujii of Ise Province. He demonstrates a workmanship similar to that of the Sue-Tegai school. I have seen a tanto with hitatsura based on gunome by him. Swordsmith directories list a smith called Masamori but I have seen no extant work by him.

(Oshigata)

“KAWACHI (NO) KUNI SHIDA GUN DEGUCHI MASASHIGE SAKU”

(P.37)

Tokubetsu Juyo Token : Katana Mei “SEISHU KUWANA JU MURAMASA SAKU”

“MASASHIGE”

“BUSHU JU YASUSHIGE”

“MURAMASA”

“FUJIMASA”

“SEISHU KUWANA JU UEMON (NO) JO FUJIWARA (NO) MURAMASA”

“BUNKI 1 NEN 10 GATSU HI”

“FUJIWARA (NO) MASAZANE SAKU”