NBTHK TOKEN BIJUTSU JOURNAL
ISSUE NUMBER 627
APRIL, 2009
Meito Kansho:
Examination
of Important Swords
Classification: Juyo Bunkazai
Blade type: Katana
Mei: Nakasone Okisato nyudo Kotetsu
Dimensions:
Length: 2 shaku
3 sun 5 bu (slightly over 71.2 cm)
Sori : 4 bu
6 rin (1.4 cm)
Motohaba (width
at the machi): 9 bu 9 rin (3.0 cm)
Sakihaba
(width at the point): 6 bu 6 rin (2.0 cm)
Motokasane
(thickness at the machi): 2 bu 3 rin
(0.7cm)
Sakikasane (thickness
at the point): slightly less than 1
bu 5 rin (0.45 cm)
Kissaki length:
1 sun 9 rin (3.3 cm)
Nakago
length: 6 sun 8 bu (20.6 cm)
Nakago
sori: very slight
This is a shinogi-zukuri style sword
with an ihorimune (and the mune angle is sharp). The saki-haba is narrow relative to the
motohaba ; there is shallow sori, and a chu-kissaki.The jihada is a tight ko-itame,
and around the machi there is a nagare ohada mixed with the ko-itame hada. The
entire sword has fine ji-nie, a slight amount of chikei, and a beautiful bright
hada. The hamon has a short yakidashi, and from there, the yakiba is a shallow
notare mixed with gunome, frequent thick ashi, and here and there, yo, dense
nioi, frequent konie, some sunagashi, and a bright clear nioiguchi. The boshi just
under the yokote has a deep yakikomi, and the omote is straight with a shallow
komaru return. The ura side is komaru with a slightly deep return. The nakago
is ubu, and the nakago jiri (tip) is kurijiri. The yasurime on both the omote
and ura sides are kattesagari. There are two mekugi ana, the omote mune side
has fine tagane and elegant style Ioki Nyudo Hakotora signature (this means
that the bottom part of the “Oki” kanji has strokes which resemble the “I” in
hira kana).
Nakasone Okisato nyudo Kotetsu was a very
famous smith who is representative of Eastern Japan in Edo, and even today many
sword collectors greatly appreciate his swords. Studies of Kotetsu’s work began
in Taisho 15 with Sugihara Shozou who published “Naksone Kotetsu Kenkyu (study)’’.
The book showed his nakago mei with photos and this was revolutionary. After
this, in Showa 30, Honma Junji and Sato Kanzan wrote the ”Kotetsu Taikan”(which
was revised and republished in Showa 49 ) and in Showa 47, Ogasawara Nobuo
published ”Nakasone Kotetsu Shinkou”. As a result of these books` publication, the
studies of Kotestu’s work was greatly advanced. The place of his birth and date
are not certain, even today, but before he become a sword smith, he definitely was
a katchushi (armor maker). His swords` signatures show dates from Meireki 2 to
Empo 5, Feburary, and he died around Empo 6. Today he has 5 bunkazai swords,
included this sword, and one of these is owned by the Wakayama Toshougu Museum,
and 4 of them are owned by individuals. One blade has a date of Kanbun 11, and rest of them have no
date, but these were made around Kanbun 11 to Empo 12. This sword was made
around Empo 2, and the ji and ha are very well made, and the whole yakiba shows
a leisurely smooth appearance, and there is dense nioi and frequent ko-nie. This sword was made during the peak of
his work, and the condition is very good. The sword produces an impression of
having a large volume, and this is typical of his swords.
Kotetsu is representative of the Edo smiths, but the most of the collectors
who possess his swords are in the Kansai (Osaka) area, which is surprising.
This explanation
was provided by Hiyama Masanori, and the oshigata was made by Ishii Akira.
*Note: the
answer for Shijo Kantei To No. 626 (in the March issue) is a katana by Soshu
Tsunahiro.
Deadline for the
submission of answers for the No. 627 Shijo Kantei To in this issue is May 5,
2009
Instructions for
submitting an answer:
Please submit only one answer for the maker of this sword, and include your
name and address. Send answers to the NBTKH Shijo Kantei. You can use the Shijo
Kantei To card which is attached in this issue. We will accept cards with
answers for this issue’s kantei which are postmarked on or before May 5, 2009.
If the suggested sword smith has a
name which appears in more than one school, please write the school or province
your sword smith comes from, and if there are several generations for this
smith, please indicate a specific generation.
Hints for Quiz No. 627:
Blade
type: katana
Description:
Length: 2 shaku
3 sun 5 bu (69.84 cm)
Sori: 5 bu (1.52
cm)
Motohaba:
1sun 2 rin (3.1 cm)
Sakihaba: 6
bu 4 rin (1.52 cm)
Motokasane:
2 bu 3 rin ( 0.7 cm)
Sakikasane:
1bu 3 rin ( 0.4 cm)
Kissaki
length: 1 sun 9 rin (3.3 cm)
Nakago
length: 7 sun 1.5 bu (21.66 cm)
Nakago
sori: very slight
The sword
is a shinogi-zukuri katana with an ihorimune, a slightly wide mihaba, and a
difference in width between the moto and saki areas. There is a slightly large sori and a chu-kissaki.
The jitetsu shows a tight ko-itame hada, and the hada is visible. There are frequent
ji-nie and fine chikei, and midare utsuri, The hamon and boshi have frequent
ashi, dense nioi, thick nie mixed with rough (ara) nie, kinsuji, sunagashi, and
nie suji. The nakago is ubu, there is one mekugiana, and the omote side towards
the mune, there is a long signature, and the ura has a three line saidanmei.
Botan shishi zu fuchi kashira: a fuchi and
kashira with images of lions (shishi) and peonies (botan)
Mei: Toshinaga (kao)
After the Genroku
era, in Edo, in the toso and kinko world, the Yokoya and Nara schools were at the
center of this type of work, and they set a new tone and became very active. In
particular, Toshinaga was one the oldest artists among the Nara sansaku (three
best artists) who were Toshinaga, Yasuchika and Joui. Toshinaga was a pioneer in
the Yokoya school along with Somin who worked in the Edo machibori kinko style. Kano Natsuo wrote in his book, Chokindan,
about Toshinaga. He stated that his chisel strokes were sharp, clear,
magnificent, and natural. His style shows a quiet elegance, and he is the
number one master of the Nara sansaku. This is a very nice piece and supports
his reputation. This kashira has an unusually high shishi takabori. But the
main shishi or lion is small, and on the side, and besides that, a gently cut
botan (peony) is present, and this makes this novel style takabori work appear
pleasing and not excessive. The shishi is small and curved and formed with
sharp strokes, and is very dynamic and very elegant looking.
Explanation provided by by Iida Toshihisa.
March Kansho Kai:
March Sword Appreciation Meeting
Kantei To number 1:
Blade type:
wakizashi
mei: Omi daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro
length: 1
shaku 7 sun 4 bu
sori: 3 bu
This is a shinogi zukuri, ihorimune
wakizashi. The jihada is a tight ko-itame, with thick fine ji-nie, a fine rice
powder (konuku) hada, frequent fine chikei, and a clear hada. The hamon is chu-suguha,
with some shallow notare, many ko-nie, and the nioiguchi is clear and bright. The
boshi is straight and there is a komaru return.
This sword`s hada is a tight ko-itame,
there are many ji-nie, the hamon is a ko-nie style, and there is straight belt-like
suguha nioiguchi, and this is a very distinctive style, and many people voted for
this as a Hizen sword on the first vote, which is very good. Many of the Hizen
smiths’ hada are slightly dark, rough and visible, but this jigane is fine and shows
a well made suguha, and from this characteristic, this should be a main stream work
from the sandai smith. In comparing the sandai with others, the shodai
Tadayoshi has more ashi and yo in the hamon , and the widths are wide and
narrow. Nie appears in the ji and his work appears dynamic. After the nidai
smiths, the suguha become more orderly and smaller. If this is compared to the nidai
Tadahiro’s gentle suguha, the nie in the ji and ha are strong, and the jitetsu
has thick dense ji-nie, frequent fine chikei, and a strong kitae hada, more
than usual for his swords, and the ji and ha are bright and clear and not only
the signature, but also the style is slimmer , so a vote for either the nidai
or sandai is fine at this time.
Kantei To Number 2:
Tanto
Mei:
Sadaoki
Length:
slightly less than 8 sun 6 bu
Sori:
uchisori
This blade is hirazukuri with
ihorimune, and the ji is masame hada. In places there are kitae-ware, thick
ji-nie, fine chikei, and a clear hada. The hamon is a narrow suguha, mixed with
ko-gunome and ko-notare, and the entire hamon is in nie, with occasional rough
nie, and kuichigaiba. There is a short straight tobiyaki, and around the
monouchi area the hamon becomes
wider. There are frequent ko-nie and sunagashi, and around the machi there is
yakikomi. The boshi has frequent hakikake, and the hamon stops at the tip.
The mihaba and kasane are normal,
and from the uchizori style tanto shape, we could judge this as a late Kamakura
blade. The entire jihada is masame hada, and has fine thick ji-nie and chikei,
and the hamon is suguha, with frequent ko-nie, and the habuchi has fine
hotsure, sunagashi mixed with
kuichigaiba, and there are short
lines of tobiyaki along the hamon. Around the monouchi area, the yakiba is
wider and the boshi has frequent hakikake, and these characteristics are from
the Hosho-ha ( school) in Yamato den. The school`s kitae is masame hada with
fine thick jinie, and from the monouchi to the boshi, there are nagare
hada and in places the masame hada
is open, and this is characteristic for this school. From these
characteristics, most people voted for Hosho-ha smiths, such as Sadaoki,
Sadamune, Sadakiyo, and Sadayoshi.
The school`s smiths do not have individual styles, and it is difficult to judge the
individual smith`s work, so it is acceptable if you judge this as Hosho-ha work
the late Kamakura period. But
because we do not Hosho Sadamune ‘s signature on any swords today, it is better
not vote for this name. Among the school`s smiths, Sadayoshi has many large
swords, and Sadaoki and Sadakiyo have smaller normal sized swords. There are
tanto which have yakikomi around the machi from this school, and besides here,
this style is seen a few times in the work of Rai Kunitoshi and Shintogo Kunimitsu.
Kantei To 3:
Katana
Mei: Izumi
no kami Kunisada
Banji 2 nen 2 gatsuhi nidaime saku kore
Length: 1
shaku 7 sun 4.5 bu
Sori:
slightly over 3 bu
This sword is shinogi zukuri and
has an ihorimune. The jihada is a
tight itame, with thick ji-nie, and there are chikei. The hamon has a straight
yakidashi, and the bottom half is choji mixed with gumome, and the upper half
is notare, and has ashi, sunagashi, rough nie, and the nioiguchi is bright and
clear. The boshi is straight and there is a komaru return.
This sword is a little narrow, and
the width between moto and saki are slightly different, the tip is narrow,
there is a shallow sori, a short chu-kissaki, and this shape is a Kanbun Shinto
style. This is a Nidai Kunisada ( Shinkai) sword, and has a Banji 2 nen date,
but the style is different from his usual work. This has a straight yakidashi
(the middle of this area swells,
and is a so-called Kyo-yakidashi),
and above it there is a choji hamon mixed with gunome, and this becomes a
somewhat small midareba hamon. The upper half is a notare hamon, and the around
monouchi, the yakiba is narrow and becomes a suguha style. The boshi is
straight with a round return, and this is just like the Shin Kunisada style.
So, most people voted for this as a Shin Kunisada, and from the style, we
considered this to be a correct answer. A very few times, the Nidai Kunisada’s
early works were in the same style as Shin Kunisada`s, and this is a good
example of this. This is late Izumi no kami Kunisada signature which
Shinkai signed as a daimei, and this is a very important reference
item. There are dated swords from Keian 1, 8 gatsu kichijitsu (1648), Shoo
3(1654), Banji 2 nen 2 gatsu (1659) and Banji 2 nen in August.
Kantei To Number 4:
Katana
Mei:
Kanemoto
Length: 2
shaku 1 sun 8.5 bu
Sori: 3.5
bu
This is shinogi zukuri sword
with an ihorimune. The jihada is itame
mixed with mokume, there are occasional rough appearing areas. The hada is
visible, has ji-nie, and the entire blade has white utsuri. The hamon has a
short yakidashi, gunome mixed with togari-gunome, sanbonsugi type gunome, ashi,
a tight nioiguchi, and frequent ko-nie. The boshi omote is notare, and there is
large round return with hakikake, and the ura is midare-komi, the tip has
hakikake, and this becomes a togari type hamon with a shallow return.
This is a slightly short sword,
and has sakizori; the fukura is straighter than usual and has less hiraniku,
and from this shape, we can judge this as a late Muromachi period sue-koto
sword. The jihada is visible and flowing, and white utsuri is visible, the
hamon is gunome mixed with
togariba, and is a sanbonsugi style, and from these characteristics, it is
possible to judge this as a sue-koto Seki blade, and most people voted for
Kanemoto and Kanesada (Nosada).
There are two different opinions
as to whether the person who made this sword is the same person as Magoroku
Kanemoto, or was a different parson. Some opinions are that he was Akasaka
Kanemoto’s father, or the Shodai Kanemoto’s older brother, or Magoroku
Kanemoto’s student, and as of today we do not a clear decision about this. But
judging from the swords, Kanemoto is a contemporary smith working at the same
time as Magoroku Kanemoto, whose active period was around the Eisho, Daiei, and
Tenbun eras. Their hamon, nakago, and signatures are similar to each other, and
we can see that they are very closely related smiths. That why it is difficult
to judge which Kanemoto made this sword and pinpoint a specific individual’s
name. If you voted for Kanemoto (Magoroku or others, it is acceptable. There
are many people who voted for Nosada, and this is understandable, but his hamon
show more rounded gunome, have larger hamon, and the jihada is different from
other sue-seki smiths, with a smoother finer jihada. In addition, their hamon
do not use a sanbonsugi style, but a more changeable togariba -gunome, and gunome-choji
hamon, often with sunagashi.
Kantei To Number 5:
Katana
Mei: Banji
3 kanoene Yamato no kami Yasusada
12 gatsu 3 nichi tounotoki
wakige-otoshi 12 gatsu (December) 27 nichi
mitsudou-otoshi
Kinzouganmei:
Kanbun gannen (first year) 6 gatsu 19 nichi
Saidan kore Yamano Kaemonjo Nagahisa (kao) futatsu(2) dou-otoshi
Length: 2
shaku 1.5 bu
Sori:
slightly less than 3 bu
This is a shinogi zukuri katana
with an ihorimune. The jihada is a tight itame, and has thick ji-nie and
chikei. The hamon is notare, mixed with gunome, and there are occasional square
gunome. There are nie ashi, dense nioi, frequent ko-nie, and the nioiguchi is
bright and clear. The boshi is straight with a komaru return.
The width of the blade at the moto
and saki is different. There is a chukissaki, a shallow sori, and from this
shape, we can judge this to be a Kanbun shinto sword. Because there is a strong masame hada on the shinogi ji, we
can judge this as being the work of an Edo smith. At this time, the Edo smiths
who made notare hamon mixed with gunome hamon and a high and low hamon areas are
seen on either Yasusada or Kotetsu’s early swords (Hanetora era). This has a good kitae hada, and the nioiguchi
is brighter than on Yasusada`s usual swords, so many people voted for this as
being a work by Kotetsu. But if you examine the nioiguchi, Kotetsu`s swords are better, and the
nioiguchi is not clear enough here. Kotetsu swords have a straight yakidashi,
and usually the yokote has yakikomi. Most of Yasusada`s swords do not have a yakidashi,
the hamon is composed of a square type of notare, and around the monouchi, the
yakiba is low and gentle. His boshi is slightly curved and follows the line of
the fukura, and has a round return. The ihorimune shape has a sharp angle, and
this sword has similar characteristics when compared to his swords, except for
the boshi and the ihorimune. Besides
Kotetsu, some people voted for Okimasa and Kaneshige among the Edo smiths, and Miyoshi Nagamichi who`s work is
similar to theirs, and a few people voted for Kashu Kanewaka. During the
Hanetora period, Kotetsu made mixed gunome hamon, but his gunome are bunched in
groups of two, there are thick ashi, a straight yakidashi, and on the boshi,
the yokote has a strong yakikomi, and usually the ji and ha are brighter and
clearer. Okimasa’s gunome hamon show two or three grouped gunome with a continuous
rhythm. Izumi no kami Kanesada swords have nie, a dense nioi suguha which is
Inoue Shinkai style, or are mostly shallow notare mixed with gunome, and with
ashi. Kazusa no kami Kaneshige has
mostly continuous gunome which
become juzuba, and they are made in a different style from this sword. Miyoshi
Nagamichi ‘s hamon have occasional irregular nie and strong sunagshi.
Kanewaka’s notare is square box style hamon, and it is understandable that some
voted for him, but the inside of the ha has irregular nie, and the jigane is
mixed with nagarehada.
Shijo Kanteitou No.625 (
February issue)
The answer for
Quiz No. 625 is a sword by the Nidai Hojoji Masahiro
This is common mihaba, and the width
at the moto and saki are different; there is a very shallow sori, a short chukissaki,
and from this shape, we can judge this as Kanbun Shinto work from an Edo smith.
In particular, in the Edo Hojoji school
the width between the moto and saki areas show big differences, there is a very
shallow sori and a stick-like shape, low shinogi suji, and an original tsukuri-komi,
and these are characteristics of their work, and often we see a long sword just
like this. Most of the school`s jitetsu are a tight ko-itame, there are thick
ji-nie, fine chikei , and the shinogi ji has a clear itame hada, and this is a characteristic
Edo smith style. Many of the Hojoji school hamon are a chu-suguha style mixed
with many ko-gunome, and the top of the gunome are straight lines, and there
are frequent ashi. But sometimes, just like on this sword, each gunome shape is
clear, and the hamon forms a juzuba style, and if either of these are compared
with a Kotetsu hamon, the entire hamon has a smaller size.
Sometimes, the top of the gunome
hamon has nijuba, and this is known as a characteristic of this school.
Many of the school`s boshi are
straight and have a komaru return, and sometimes there are frequent hakikake,
but very few of them are above the yokote, and they have yakikomi and a komaru
return which is called a Kotetsu boshi. The Hojoji school has few horimono, and
only bohi and soehi are seen. The school`s smiths (exept for Yoshitsugu) made
very similar styles, and it is a difficult to judge individual smiths` work.
However, the shijo-kantei description showed a nakago image, and it has a shallow
iriyamagata, and from this, it is possible to judge this as Omi no kami
Masahiro’s work. Most people voted for Masahiro. Many people voted for the
shodai Masahiro, and his style and nakago are similar to the nidai`s work, and we
accepted this as a correct answer. The shodai Masahiro signature’s tagane
tsukai has individual stresses, and a square type style, but the nidai
Masahiro’s mei have a more smooth tagane tsukai (chisel stroke style) and the whole
appearance is more gentle. Except for
this almost correct answer, a few people voted for Kotetsu. His individual
gunome hamon are bigger, have thick, long ashi, and have an original juzuba style. His ji and ha are brighter
and more clear, and most of these swords have a Kotetsu boshi style, and a
style similar to this sword from the Hakotora period, and the nakago are either
ha-agari kurijiri (slanted to the ha side) or kuriji
Explanation provided by Hinohara Dai.