（Token Bijutsu No.599）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (44)

 

(P.25)

6. Shimada School

 

The Shimada school, founded by Yoshisuke, thrived in Shimada of Suruga Province from the middle of the Muromachi Period and the smith name of Yoshisuke was succeeded to until the Edo Period. ‘Koto Mei Zukushi’ says that the first generation of Yoshisuke was active in the Kosho Era and the second generation in the Meio Era. As far as I know, the Eisho is the earliest production date of Yoshisuke. Sukemune was a son of 1st Yoshisuke and it is believed that there were two or three generations. Hirosuke was a student of 3rd Yoshisuke. The Shimada school includes many smiths. Amongst them, Yoshisuke, Sukemune and Hirosuke are the representative smiths of the school and we can see many extant works of them today. Yoshisuke tempers notare mixed with gunome, o-notare, gunome-midare, ko-midare and sugu-ha (tanto). His workmanship resembles to that of the Sue-Seki and the Sengo schools. The Shimada school also tempers hitatsura similar to that of Sue-Soshu smiths. 1st Yoshisuke was the most skilful smith of the school, followed by Hirosuke. Hirosuke makes sugata with wide mi-haba and extended kissaki then tempers o-midare, which looks like sugata of the Nambokucho Period. Sukemune was inferior to Hirosuke in skill. Some smiths of the school were retained by the Takeda family of Kai Province (one of the most powerful warlords in the Sengoku Period). There is an extant work of Yoshisuke with the production date of Eisho 3 and the inscription of ‘Takeda Iau no Kami Ason’ (‘Shoji-mei’ or the name of owner) also of Hirosuke with the production date of Eiroku 2 and the inscription of ‘Taira no Ason Hara Mino Nyudo Shoji Kore’. There is a famous tanto nicknamed ‘Osoraku-zukuri’ by Sukemune and owned by Katagiri Katsumno. Four hiragana of ‘O So Ra Ku’ are carved on the tanto and it means ‘Perhaps’ (Perhaps, no tanto in this shape could exist.). Nagasone Kotetsu copied this osoraku-zukuri (wakizashi).

 

(Oshigata)

HIROSUKE”

 

“YOSHISUKE”                        “SUKEMUNE”

 

(P.26)

7. Sue-Soshu School

 

Entering the Muromachi Period, Soshu smiths who were descendants of Masamune, who is one of the greatest smiths in the history, camee to lose their brilliance and their forging skill declined. They made tanto and wakizashi with wide mi-haba and saki-zori that had not been seen before. Sue-Soshu smiths temper hitatsura in nioi-deki like Shimada smiths. Hamon consisting of brilliant nie by the great Soshu smiths of the Kamakura and Nambokucho Periods are not seen anymore in this period. The smith names of Hiromitsu, Akihiro, Masahiro and Hiromasa are succeeded up to in this period. In addition, Hirotsugu, Fuyuhiro, Sukehiro and Takahiro are active in this period. There appear to be a few generations of these smiths except Takahiro. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ says that Hirotsugu and Sukehiro are related to a smith named Yoshihiro who moved from Yamato Province in the late Nambokucho Period, but I think it is too early to confirm their lineage. Tsunahiro who is said to have been a student of Tsunaie, who was himself a student of the 1st Shimada Yoshisuke, was a skilful smith amongst them and demonstrates a Soshu-den that reminds one somewhat of the workmanship of old Soshu smiths. Sue-Soshu smiths liked to carve horimono on their tanto and wakizashi. Tsunahiro was the most skilful engraver and the smith name is succeeded up to the Edo Period. There are three smiths called Yasukuni, Yasuharu and Yasuharu who were active around the same time and are related to the Shimada school. Yasuharu favours to make small tanto with horimono. They were retained by the Go-Hojo family and lived in Odawara which was the castle town of the Go-Hojo family, and so were called ‘Odawara-Soshu’. Horimono is often seen on the blades of Sue-Soshu smiths Amongst them, Fusamune was good at elaborate horimono and it is said that he collaborated with Tsunaie. Sue-Soshu smiths normally tempered midare-ba but Kunitsugu who was active around the Eisho Era tempered sugu-ha and also hoso-sugu-ha on his tanto. The lineage of Kunitsugu is uncertain.

 

(Oshigata)

“SOSHU JU TSUNAHIRO”

Juyo Bijutsu Hin : Katana Mei “SHIMADA HIROSUKE OITE KOSHU SAKU KORE”

                              “EIROKU 2 NENKI 2 GATSU KICHI JUTSU  TAIRA

                                       ASON HARA MINO NYUDO SHOJI KORE”

 

(P.27)

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : wakizashi Mei : “SOSHU JU TSUNAHIRO”

 

(P.28)

8. Shitahara-mono

(Shitahara Swords)

 

Swordsmiths had lived in Shitahara of Musashi Province from the Kyoroku Era to the Edo Period. Chikashige founded the school and his sons or students were Terushige and Yasushige. Several smiths of the school are listed in swordsmith directories but I have see no extant work of other smiths. They demonstrate a workmanship similar to that of the Sue-Soshu or the Sengo school, but it not so refined. They temper gunome-midare, notare and hiro-sugu-ha but it is very rare to see hitatsura. Horimono is often seen on their works but they are inferior to Sue-Soshu smiths in skill. Their jihada is itame and stands out and the jigane looks black. Generally speaking, the Kanabo, the Shitahara and the Dotanuki schools made very practical swords but their artistic value is not so highly estimated.

 

(Oshigata)

“BUSHU JU TERUSHIGE”                        “KANENOBU”

 

“BUSHU JU CHIKASHIGE SAKU”

 

Juyo Token : Katana Mei “BUSHU SHITAHARA JU YASUSHIGE”

                        “YAMAMOTO YOGORO UTSU KORE”

 

(P.29)

9. Smiths of the Tokaido District Related to the Sue-Seki School

 

As described before, Muramasa of Ise Province is a smith related to the Sue-Seki school. There are more smiths who are related to them in the Tokaido District. It is quite natural that there was a technical exchange between smiths of Mino and Owari provinces geographically. Swordsmith directories say that there was a smith called Shiga-Seki Kanenobu who was a student of Shizu Saburo Kaneuji. Kaneshige was a son and Kanetsugu a student of Kanenobu. No work by Kanenobu that proves this theory exists, but there are extant works by those who were active in the middle of the Muromachi Period, and they show the same workmanship as that of Sue-Seki smiths. Swordsmith directories list a smith called Kunitsugu of the Yamada-Seki but no extant work has been confirmed. Hida no Kami Ujifusa, who was a student of Wakasa no Kami Ushifusa, a son of Seki Kanefusa, lived in Owari Province and he appears to be the founder of the Owari-Seki school of shinto times (they use a character of ‘Uji’ in their smith names).

 

It is said that Seki Kaneharu moved to Yakuoji of Mikawa Province and there is a katana of by son Yakuoji Suketsugu. Also there are katana with the mei of ‘Yakuoji’ and they look older than Suketsugu. In addition, Seki Kaneaki moved to Takatenjin of Totomi Province and swordsmith directories say that there were three generation of Kaneaki.  It is said that 3rd Kaneaki was retained by Takeda Nobutora and changed his smith name to Toraaki. There is a big naginata, a collaboration by 3rd Kanemoto and Toraaki with the production date of Tenbun 2. They demonstrate the same workmanship as that of Sue-Seki smiths.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Katana Mei “KANENOBU”

 

“KANEAKI”  “TAKATENJIN”

 

“SANSHU YAKUOJI SUKETSUGU SAKU”