（Token Bijutsu No.604）

 

Nihon Koto Shi

(History of Koto)”

 

By Dr. Honma Junji

 

 (48)

 

(P.20)

I have already described that there are extant works of Kunifusa of the Uda school, who was active in the Nambokucho Period in Etchu Province. This smith was the first generation and there is a tanto with a production date of the Oei Era by Kunifusa, who was supposed to be the second generation. There is no extant work of 1st Kunimune who is said to be a younger brother of 1st Kunifusa. Though, ‘Meikan’ says that there were several generations of Kunimune from the Oei to the Tenbun Era. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ lists Kunitsugu and Kunihisa who were the brothers of Kunifusa and their tanto actually exist, meanwhile ‘Meikan’ lists Kunihisa of the Hotoku, Bunmei and Koji Eras. All of these Uda smiths were skilful and left quality tanto and their workmanship with fine ko-itame-hada is similar to that of Go Yoshihiro. There are also extant works by them of which workmanship belongs to that of Norishige (itame-hada then sugu-ha or gunome-midare). Tomohisa who is believed to have been a student of Kunitomo (a student of 1st Kunimune) was active around the Oei Era and left quality works. Uda smiths who were active between the mid and the end of the Muromachi Period forged a prominent itame-hada and the jigane is powerful. They tempered gunome-midare with nie-kuzure that is similar to Fujishima at the end of the Muromachi Period. Also there are extant works by Sanekuni. I already described that Yamamura Masanobu lived in Echigo Province and is related to the Nobukuni school of Yamashiro Province. I have seen a tanto with midare-ba by the 2nd Masanobu and its workmanship reminds one of Oei Nobukuni. I have seen a tanto and two wakizashi by Yasunobu who is said to have  been a son of Masanobu. One of the wakizashi is in shobu-zukuri with the Horimono of bonji and ken, and the other is in hira-zukuri with a horimono like ‘Kanzan Juttoku’ inside the groove. The hamon of the three swords is gunome-midare. Their workmanship is similar to that of Nobukuni, but the former is superior to the latter in quality. The hamon of the tanto is sugu-ha and a bonji and ken are carved on the omote, and bonji and a pair of incense chopsticks on the ura.

 

(Oshigata)

“UDA KUNIMUNE”

 

                               KUNINOBU”

 

“UDA KUNIFUSA”

 

(P.21)

Koto Mei Zukushi’ says that the 2nd Masanobu also signed Yasunobu, but it is very difficult to conclude that the tanto by Masanobu mentioned above and the wakizashi in shobu-zukuri by Yasunobu are the works of the same smith. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ lists Nobushige as a younger brother of 2nd Masanobu (Yasunobu), Shigenobu who was a son of Nobushige and Masashige, a grandson of Nobushige. Mr. Takahashi Yoshihiko, who was the author of ‘Etsu Sa Shiryo’, considers Yamamura Ukyo no Suke Shigenobu,  who was the lord of the Aoki Castle, was the swordsmith named Shigenobu. Incidentally there is a tachi with the mei of ‘Yamamura Ju Nobukuni’ but no inscription of ‘Aoki Ju’.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “UDA KUNIHISA”

 

“YASUNOBU”

 

(P.22)

It is speculated that the Yamamura family lived in Yamamura before they moved to Aoki. There is a possibility that they used Aoki as their family name when they lived in Aoki. The hamon of this tachi is koshi-no-hiraita-gunome in tight nioi-deki and has no resemblance to Kyo Nobukuni. Hata-hoko is carved on the haki-omote of the tachi then bonji and sanko-zuka on the haki-ura. These horimono look a bit like Kyo Nobukuni, but his carving skill is inferior to that of Nobukuni. This tachi is speculated to be a work of the beginning of the Muromachi Period. ‘Kokon mei Zukushi’ says that Yasunobu and Shigenobu also signed Nobukuni.

It is too early to conclude who is the maker of the tachi with the mei of ‘Yamamura Ju Nobukuni’ amongst the smiths of the Yamamura school. Though, this tachi shows a different workmanship from that of Yasunobu, which I have seen before. ‘Kokon Mei Zukushi’ and other swordsmith directories say that Kyo Nobukuni, who was invited by the Yamamura family to Echigo, was the 2nd Nobukuni but ‘Tensho Bon Mei Zukushi’ states another theory that Nobukuni Gengoro Ryoichi was a son of Sadakuni. He changed his smith name to Nobukuni later and moved to Echigo Province then took Yamamura Masanobu as student. Ryoichi was a smith active around the Meitoku Era. Masanobu was a student of this Nobukuni and his son also used the smith name of Masanobu. There is a theory that the son of Masanobu used another smith name of Yasunobu.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “UDA KUNIHISA”

 

(P.22)

There are at least two generations of Momokawa Nagayoshi. I described that the 2nd generation was active at the end of the Nambokucho Period or around the Oei Era. There is a small tanto with the mei of ‘Momo Mitsunobu’ and the hamon is hoso-sugu-ha. I have seen oshigata of ’Esshu Momokawa Ju Tsuguyoshi Saku’ and Momokawa Ju Tsuguyoshi’.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Wakizashi Mei “UDA HIRAKUNI”

 

(P.23)

Additionally,  some smiths of Mino and Kaga Provinces, moved to Echigo Province and I have seen the oshigata of ‘Echigo no Kuni Kanesada’, ‘Echigo no Kuni Kasugayama Ju Kanenori’ and ‘Echigo no Kuni Fujiwara no Yukimitsu’. The smiths who lived in Kasugayama are said to have been retained by Uesugi Kenshin. The Yahiko Shrine has collected Echigo swords mentioned above with the good offices of Mr. Takahashi Yoshihiko.

 

(Oshigata)

Juyo Token : Tanto Mei “MASANOBU (Yamamura)”