（Token Bijutsu No.602）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

(46)

 

(P.22)

11. Hoju and Gassan

(Succeeded from the previous period)

 

Hoju lived in the Kanto region in the previous period. There are extant works of Hoju with a production date of the Oei Era and attributed to one of the end of Muromachi Period. The one of the Oei Era shows the same workmanship as that of the previous period, that is to say; standing-out itame-hada, unclear jigane, and ko-midare and sugu-ha accompanied by a weak nioi-guchi occasionally su-ken is carved, but the workmanship looks unrefined on the whole. The one of the end of the Muromachi Period with gentle notare looks like Sue-Seki-mono (swords) and does not show conspicuous characteristics.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Wakizashi Mei “USHU JUNIN GASSAN CHIKANORI”

                           “EISHO 9 NEN 2 GATSU KICHI JITSU”

 

(P.23)

Gassan smiths had been active since very old days, but few extant works before the Muromachi Period have been confirmed. There seem to be several smiths active in the Muromachi Period. Excluding Gassan Toshiyoshi and Gassan Chikanori, they normally sign simply “Gassan”. There was a smith who signs ‘Gunsho’ and who belonged to the Gassan school. It is speculated that he was a descendant of Gunsho who was active in the Joji Era of the Nambokucho Period. Except for Gassan Chikanori, they forged ayasugi-hada and tempered sugu-ha and ko-notare. Their jigane is unclear and the hamon is not bright and their workmanship resembles that of Hoju. Gassan Chikanori forged ko-itame-hada and powerful jigane, then tempered gunome-midare and sugu-ha in tight nioi-deki that reminds one of Sue-Bizen. It is not certain in which part of Dewa Province they lived, but there is an extant work of Gassan with an inscription of his address ‘Yaji Ju’. Gassan Toshiyoshi left his work with the inscription of ‘Dewa no Kuni Murayama no Gori Kita Samukawa Go Yaji Junin ……….’ There is a theory that Gassan is the same smith as Yamamura Masanobu of Echigo Province. I have seen a katana collaborated by Gassan (signed on the omote) and Masanobu (signed on the ura) and the blade looks like one from the late Muromachi Period. This Masanobu should not be a student of Nobukuni of Yamashiro Province but his workmanship is somewhat different from that of the Gassan school. He may be a descendant of Yamamura Masanobu.

 

12. Hokkoku-mono

(Succeeded from the previous period)

 

As described before, two great smiths Norishige and Yoshihiro lived in this region in the previous period then Uda smiths and Sanekage succeeded to their working style. Apart from them, Uda and Fujishima smiths, who were related to Yamato smiths and Chiyozuru and Yamamura smiths, who were related to Yamashiro smiths, were active in the region. Also Munenaga, who is said to be a descendant of Nakajima-Rai, was active in the Oei Era, Fuyuhiro who was a son of Soshu Hirotsugu in the Kosho Era, Nobunaga of the Asako school, who was related to the Taima school, moved from Yamato to Echizen Province. They demonstrated a workmanship which was somewhat different from that of their original provinces and show local characteristics of the Hokuriku region. Therefore later generations show more conspicuous characteristics of the region.

 

(Oshigata)

“USHU JUNIN GASSAN CHIKANORI” 

    “EISHO 9 NEN 2 GATSU HI”

 

“GASSAN” 

 

                          “FUJISHIMA TOMOSHIGE”

                                “OEI 18 NEN U ZUKI 19 NICHI”

 

                          “NOBUNAGA”

 

Fujishima is the name of a place in Echizen Province and it is said that the first generation of Tomoshige lived here first then moved to Kaga Province later. There is an extant wakizashi with the mei of ‘Gashu Fujishima Tomoshige’ and the production date of Oei 16. Therefore, it becomes clear that Tomoshige already lived in Kaga Province at the beginning of the Muromachi Period. The smith name of Tomoshige had been succeeded to, up to shinto times. In addition, there is a smith called Yukimitsu who is believed to have been a younger brother of the 1st Tomoshige and moved from Echizen Province. The smith name of Yukimitsu had been also been inherited for many generations. Swordsmith directories list an oshigata of ‘Kashu Sengo Yukimitsu’ with a production date of the Bunmei era. The ancestor of Kashu Kiyomitsu of shinto times was a younger brother of Yukimitsu and he had been active since the Meio Era. There is an interesting fact that ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ and ‘Meikan’ (swordsmith directory) list the smith names of Fujishima Tomoshige and Yukimitsu in the same age in Echizen and Kaga Provinces. I speculate that this description means that some of their descendants stayed in Echizen Province, though, I have never seen their works with their address such as ‘Echizen Ju’. The swordsmith directories also say that Nobunaga who is called ‘Asako-Taima’ exists for a few generations in Echizen and Kaga Provinces. They list oshigata of ‘Etsushu Ju Nobunaga’ with a production date of the Choroku Era and ‘Kashu Junin Nobunaga’. There may have been two families of Nobunaga who lived in each province. Tomoshige, Yukimitsu and Kiyomitsu made a unique nakago with ha-agari-kuri-jiri or ha-agari-kiri.

 

Tomoshige and Nobunaga tempered gunome-midare with sunagashi in nie-deki which reminds one of Sue-Bizen smiths and Nobukuni of Yamashiro Province. I have seen sugu-ha of Tomoshige and gentle notare of Nobunaga with hotsure and sunagashi. They normally forged ko-itame-hada or ko-itame-hada combined with masame. I have seen pure masame-hada by Nobunaga. Tomoshige occasionally makes wakizashi and tanto in kanmuri-otoshi-zukuri that was favoured by Yamato smiths. There are some extant works with the mei of ‘Fujishima Yukimitsu’. Yukimitsu tempered notare-midare and Kiyomitsu favour tempering chu-sugu-ha and hiro-sugu-ha, rather than gunome-midare. The production age of the extant works by Kiyomitsu is limited to the Genki and Tensho Eras.

 

(Oshigata)

“FUJISHIMA YUKIMITSU”

 

“FUJISHIMA”

 

Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “NOBUNAGA”