0-timeline - size 24 Late KamakuraThe red circle above indicates the time we discuss in this section

17 Soshu Tanto

Sugata (Style 姿)—-Three types of Tanto appeared (as below)

  1. Takenoko-Zori —– Approximately 10 inches long.  However, during the middle Kamakura period, they were slightly longer than 10 inches.  Hirazukuri shape.  The width is a little wider than that of the mid-Kamakura period.  Refer Chapter 12|  Middle Kamakura Period: Tanto (Dagger: 鎌倉中期短刀） (dagger, knife).
  2. Chukan-Zori—–Mune side is straight.  Hirazukuri.  Wide mihaba (width).  Slightly thick body.  Fukura Kareru, see below.
  3. Saki-Zori —–bend outward at the top, hirazukuri, fukura kareru. (illustration below)

16 Three Tanto

9 Boshi Fukura

Hi (樋: Grooves) and Horimono (彫り物: Engravings)————-Often, hi (groove) is shown on the mune side.  Sometimes, ken (dagger) and Bonji (Sanskrit) are curved inside the wide hi.  Refer to Chapter 12, Middle Kamakura Period: Tanto,  for hi.

17 Bonji Suken          17 Gomabashi Hi

Hamon (刃文: tempered line) ————- Hamon closely resembles that of the Late Kamakura period.  Refer to Chapter 14, Late Kamakura Period Sword.   Some tanto may have a wide hamon, while others may have a narrow one.  Often, a narrow hamon appears at the lower part,  followed by a wider hamon at the top.  The hamon work around the fukura area is the widest and most showy.

15 Late Kamakura Soshu Hamon         17 Masamune Hamon

 

 Ji-hada (地肌: the area between hamon and shinogi)  ——-Ji-hada is excellent, showing a lot of ji-nie (nie work on ji-hada).  Yubashiri and chikei  (clusters of nie) are shown.

17 Yubashiri, Chikei

Yubashiri, Chikei both are created by the collection of Nie

Early Soshu Den (school) swordsmiths at the late Kamakura Period

Soshu den (school) —————–Yukimitsu (行光), Masamune (正宗), Sadamune (貞宗)  Yamashiro Den (school)———————-Rai Kunitsugu (来国次), Rai Kunimitsu (来国光) Yamato Den (shool) —————————————————-Taema Kuniyuki (当麻国行) Ettchu Province ———————————————————-Ettsu Norishige (越中則重) Chikuzen province—————————————————Chikuzen Samoji (筑前左文字)

                                                                Enju Kuniyoshi (延寿国吉) once family sword

                                             

                         Goro-Nyudo Masamune (Sano Museum catalog permission granted)  This Tanto shape is rare for Masamune.

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Published by Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江

I was born and raised in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, and then moved to Kamakura. Now I live in Los Angeles. I graduated from Meiji University and received a degree in literature and curatorship. I hold a curatorship license. I also graduated from California State University, Northridge, and earned an Economics degree. My father owned a manufacturing company related to metal. As his hobby, he had been collecting Japanese swords and other types of Japanese art objects. He was one of the administrators of Nihon Bijutu Token Hozon Kyokai(日本美術刀剣保存協会), which is a sword museum located in Tokyo. One of his friends (Mori Sensei), who was also the main administrator, used to hold a Japanese sword study group in his house. I joined his study group. Mori sensei’s group was very rare and valuable because he could bring top-quality swords as our study materials, due to his position in the museum. The kind of swords we could study were top-quality museum swords. Those are the kind of swords people could only see through the glass display cases. Also, I studied swords with my father since he kept many swords in our house. This is how I started to study Japanese swords.

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