（Token Bijutsu No.603）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

(47)

 

(P.23)

‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ says that Kagemitsu was a son of Sanekage, but it is very rare to see such old work by Kagemitsu. His extant works are seen from the middle of the Muromachi period and workmanship is similar to that of other smiths of the Fujishima school. There are tanto with ko-gunome and they remind one of the later generations of Osafune Kagemitsu in a sense. Ietsugu was a son of Kunitsugu, who was also a student of Sanekage. No extant work of Kunitsugu has been confirmed, but Ietsugu left a certain number of extant works and the smith name seems to have been succeeded to for generations. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ lists the names of Ietsugu in the Oei, Eikyo, Bunmei, Chokyo and Kyoroku Era. It says that Ietsugu also existed in Wakasa and Echizen Provinces. Ietsugu is called ‘Kaga-Aoe’ and demonstrates a workmanship with gunome-midare, which is similar to that of Tomoshige and looks like Bizen-mono. There is an extant tanto which is a collaboration by Ietsugu and Iemasa and the school includes Iemasa (‘Masa’ is a different character) and Ienaga. Swordsmith directories say that Ietsugu was active in the Oei, Bunmei and Tenbun Eras. Iemasa had been active in the Meio Era and an oshigata of Iemasa, with a production date of the Meio Era, is listed in the directories. It is said that Ienaga and Iemasa are the same smith and there is an extant work with the mei of ‘Kashu Chiyozuru Iemasa’ and a production date of the Genki Era. However, a tanto by Kashu Ienaga with ko-midare in nie-deki, which I have seen before, looks older than one with a production date of the Meio Era.

 

I described before that there is an extant tachi by Morihiro of the Nambokucho Period, who appears to belong the Chiyozuru school. I have seen a wakizashi in hira-zukuri with a production date of the Kakitsu and it is a work of the second generation of Morihiro. Also there is an extant wakizashi by Moriyasu who was active in the same period as 2nd Morihiro, but his name is not listed in swordsmith directories. Morihiro (‘Mori’ is a different character) is said to be a student of 2nd Morihiro and a tanto by him exists. There is an oshigata with the mei of ‘Etsushu Ju Chiyozuru Saku’ and the production date of Oei 1.This smith is the heir of the Chiyozuru Kuniyasu. There is an extant tachi with the mei of ‘— Etsushu Tsuruga Ju Morishige Saku’ and this smith correspondents to a smith who is listed in the Oei Era of swordsmith directories. I found a naginata with the mei of ‘— Wakasa no Kuni Ju Sadayoshi’ and the production date of February of Kan-o 2 amongst swords confiscated by the Allied Forces just after the last war. The workmanship of the naginata, of which hamon is o-midare and sunagashi are seen inside the hamon, looks like that of the Shizu school. It is too early to conclude to which school this smith belongs.

 

There are two schools of Munenaga and Fuyuhiro in Wakasa Province. I have seen no extant work of the Munenaga school with a production date. Swordsmith directories say that there are three generations of Munenaga, the first generation was active in the Meitoku and Oei Eras. There are extant works of his later generations with production dates of the Eikyo and Eisho Eras. No extant work of Munetsugu, Muneyoshi and Muneshige of the Munenaga school, earlier than the middle of the Muromachi Period, has yet been confirmed. Their workmanship shows no resemblance to the Rai school of Yamashiro Province, but reminds one of that of the Sue-Bizen school, with gunome-midare and occasionally mune-yaki is seen. It is said that Fuyuhiro was a descendant of Soshu Hirotsugu and ‘Koto Mei Zukushi’ says that the first generation was active around the Kosho Era. There were five generations. His extant works, with production dates of the Eisho, Tenbun and Tensho Eras have been confirmed. The smith name of Fuyuhiro had been succeeded through up to the end of the Edo Period. Swordsmith directories say that there were ten generations of Fuyuhiro.

 

(Oshigata)

“JAKUSHU ? ? MUNETSUGU”   “OEI 9 NEN 2 GATSU”

 

“JAKUSHU OBAMA JU TSUGUHIRO SAKU”

 

(P.24)

In addition, there is an extant work of Tsuguhiro, with the mei of ‘Jakushu Obama Ju Tsuguhiro’ and a production date of the Tenbun Era. He belongs to the Fuyuhiro school. Also Soshu Fuyuhiro moved to this province around the Eiroku Era. Fuyuhiro of koto times, tempers o-midare, sugu-ha and o-notare in Sue-Soshu style. His nakago is finished in Sue-Soshu style or the same shape as that of the Munenaga school.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tachi Mei “FUJISHIMA Tomoshige”

 

(P.25)

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tachi Mei “FUJISHIMA TOMOSHIGE”