Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 63❘Part 2 of --- 27 |Overview of Shin-To (新刀）, Uncategorized

60|Part 2 of – – 26 Overview of Shin-To　(新刀概要）

Chapter 60 is a detailed part of Chapter 26, Overview of Shinto (新刀概要).  Please read Chapter 26 before reading this section.

0-timeline - size 24 edo Period

                  　The red circle above indicates the time we discuss in this section    

The difficulty of Shin-to Kantei

Regarding swords from the ko-to period, you can estimate when they were made by analyzing their style and shape.  Several factors indicate which period and which Gokaden (五ヶ伝) created the sword by examining several points, such as the appearance of the hamon or the appearance of the ji-gane.  However, swords from the shin-to period do not follow this method.     

Although there are differences among shin-to swords made during the early Edo period, around the Keicho (慶長: 1596 ~) era, the middle Edo period, that is around the Kanbun (寛文: 1661 ~) era, and the late Edo period, that is the Genroku era (元禄: 1688 ~), these differences are not much. 

The same applies to the Gokaden (五ヶ伝) during the shin-to period.  In the ko-to time, Bizen swordsmiths forged swords with Bizen characteristics.  Swords made by Yamato swordsmiths usually showed the Yamato-den features.  However, during the shin-to period, a swordsmith from one specific den sometimes forged blades in the style of another den’s features.  As a result, it is difficult to determine the maker of a particular sword. 

For shin-to, we will study the characteristics of the seven main locations, which will be discussed in the following chapters.

Picturesque Hamon

During and after the Genroku era (元禄1688 – 1704), some picturesque hamon style became trendy.  Several swordsmiths created picturesque hamon on wakizashi and short swords.  As it gained popularity, especially among foreigners, most of these swords were exported from Japan during the Meiji Restoration.  Today, very few remain in Japan.

The swordsmiths who made picturesque  Hamon 

Yamashiro (山城) area ———————————-Iga-no-kami Kinmichi (伊賀守金道),                                                                                       Omi-no-kami Hisamichi (近江守久道)

Settsu (摂津) area ———————————Tanba-no-Kami Yoshimichi  (丹波守吉道)                                                                                 Yamato-no-Kami Yoshimichi (大和守吉道)

Below are examples.  Fuji is the Mount Fuji design.  Kikusui is a chrysanthemum in the water.

63 fuji sakura hamon

　　　　　　　　Fuji                                　     Kikusui

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 11| «Part 2» Jyokyu-no-Hen (1221) and Gotoba-Joko, Uncategorized

43 | Part 2 of –10 Jyokyu-no-Ran and Gotoba-joko (承久の乱)

This chapter is a detailed part of Chapter 10, Jyokyu-no-Ran (承久の乱 ) 1221.  Please read Chapter 10 before reading this section.

0-timeline - size 24 jyokyuu no ran

                            The red circle above indicates the time we discuss in this chapter.

Chapter 10 explained how Jokyu-no-ran (承久の乱) started.  In the end, Emperor Gotoba (or Gotoba Joko) was exiled to Oki Island (隠岐の島). 

Emperor Gotoba was a highly talented individual in many fields.  He was good at waka (和歌), a Japanese short poem.   To compose a waka requires including several elements, such as scenery, the season, personal feelings expressed with refined sentiment, or the surrounding environment, all within a very limited number of words.  It requires literary talent.  He was also proficient in equestrianism, kemari (a ball game played by the upper class at that time), swimming, sumo wrestling, music, archery, swordsmanship, calligraphy, painting, and even sword-making.  His contributions to the sword field led to the golden age of sword-making during the middle Kamakura period.  Surprisingly, Gotoba Joko was not only talented in many different arts but also mastered them at the highest level.  His waka (poetry) was particularly highly regarded.  He edited the Shin- Kokin- wakashu (新古今集), a collection of 1980 waka poems.                                                                          

Emperor Gotoba, Enthroned at the Age Four

Emperor Gotoba was enthroned at the age of four (some say three).  The problem was that Emperor Antoku was already on the throne.  They were both about the same age.  Having two emperors simultaneously creates a problem.  How did this happen? 

To establish a new emperor, the head of the imperial family must appoint the next emperor.  While Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇) was imprisoned, Emperor Antoku was appointed by Taira-no-Kiyomori (平清盛).  Although Kiyomori was the head of the Heishi, the most powerful samurai group, he was not a member of the imperial family.  That went against tradition.  This was unacceptable to Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇).  Emperor Go-Shirakawa was furious at Taira-no-Kiyomori; he chose Emperor Gotoba and enthroned him.  This is why the two emperors coexisted.  

There was one more thing.  To be an emperor, one must possess the Sanshu-no-jingi (三種の神器: Three imperial regalia). These are the three items an emperor needs to have to be a legitimate emperor.  They are a mirror, a sacred sword, and a magatama (jewelry)*.   

However, the Sanshu-no-jingi were taken by the Heike family along with Emperor Antoku when they fled from the Genji.  The Heike clan was chased by the Genji all the way to Dan-no-ura (壇ノ浦), where they were defeated.   Dan-no-ura is a sea located between Kyushu (九州) and Honshu (本州).  When it became clear to the Heike family that they had been defeated, all of the Heike people, including the young Emperor Antoku, jumped into the sea and drowned.  They took the Sanshu-no-jingi with them into the sea.  

Later, people frantically searched for the Sanshu-no-jingi; however, they only recovered the jewelry and the mirror, not the sword.  Because of tradition, the emperor must possess the Sanshu-no-jingi; otherwise, he would not be recognized as a legitimate emperor.  Gotoba Joko was tormented for a long time for not having all three. 

Today, the jewelry is with the current emperor’s family, and the mirror is at the Ise Jingu Shrine (伊勢神宮).  The sword is still missing somewhere in the ocean.  Some say that the sword that fell into the sea was a replica, and the one kept at Atsuta Jingu Shrine (熱田神宮) is the real one.                                                                                                                                                 * Sanshu-no-Jingi (三種の神器) ————- 1. The sword; Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (草薙の剣)   2. The mirror; Yata-no-kagami (八咫の鏡),   3. The magatama (Jewelry); Yasakani-no-magatama (八尺瓊勾玉) by Token World: www.touken-world.jp/tips/32747/

Politics by Emperor Gotoba

Emperor Gotoba sought to regain political power from the Kamakura bakufu.  He was impulsive, passionate, unpredictable, and quick-tempered.  He tried to revive the Chotei (朝廷) power.  The Chotei is the central government controlled by the emperor and aristocrats.  Emperor Gotoba decided to rely on the armed forces to achieve this goal and established the Saimen no Bushi (armed forces directly under the emperor).

Upon seeing Minamoto-no-Sanetomo dead, he realized that the Kamakura bakufu was in turmoil.  Recognizing this as a good chance, he sent out the emperor’s order to all the daimyo to fight against the Kamakura bakufu.  He expected an easy victory, but the Kamakura bushi remained strongly united and fought well under Hojo Masako’s leadership, the “Nun Shogun.”   She organized a strongly united armed force, while Emperor Gotoba’s side was disorganized.  They were not accustomed to fighting.   

In the end, Emperor Gotoba’s side lost.  When he realized he had lost, he claimed it was not he but his men who had acted independently.  He insisted that it had nothing to do with him.  Therefore, it was wrong to punish him.  But of course, Hojo Masako and the Kamakura bakufu did not believe Emperor Gotoba and exiled him to Oki Island.  Emperor Gotoba ended his life there.  Although he was intelligent and accomplished in many areas, he could not defeat the grandma, “Nun Shogun,” Hojo Masako.

Sword-Making by Gotoba Joko

Gotoba Joko had an exceptional ability to evaluate swords, and he became a great swordsmith himself.   He invited many top-level swordsmiths from various groups to his court, gave them titles, and treated them with respect.  He also appointed them as his instructors and assistants.  Gotoba Joko brought in skilled swordsmiths from various places in rotation.  Those who were invited to the palace were called gobankaji (御番鍛冶), an honorary title.  On the sword he created, he inscribed a chrysanthemum with 16 petals.  The current emperor still uses this design as his imperial crest.  The sword with the chrysanthemum design is called Kikugosaku (菊御作).                                                                                                

Today, you can visit the Emperor Gotoba Museum on Oki Island, where some sites are believed to be the emperor’s sword-making site.  Some people say it is debatable whether these sites are real.  Today, Oki Island is a beautiful resort destination.  It can be reached by ferry from Shimane Prefecture, which takes about two hours.  It can also be reached by airplane directly from Osaka.

11 «part 2» Gotoba Joko photo

          Gotoba Joko, owned by Minase Shrine (This picture is in the public domain)

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 8 Kamakura period

7| Overview of the Kamakura Period Swords (鎌倉時代刀概要)

 
 

0-timeline - size 24 Kamakura Period

The circle above indicates the time we discuss in this section

Introduction of the Five Main Sword Schools (Den)

There are five major sword schools (den): Yamashiro-den (山城), Bizen-den (備前), Soshu-den (相州), Yamato-den (大和), and Mino-den (美濃).  During the Heian period, Yamashiro-den was the main and most active school.  A school called Ko-bizen (meaning old Bizen) during the Heian period is part of the Bizen-den.  However, we treat Ko-bizen separately because its style is slightly different from the later Bizen-den, yet it is somewhat similar to Yamashiro-den, as seen later.

During the Heian period, the swordsmiths of Yamashiro-den lived around Kyoto, which was Japan’s capital at the time.  In the early Kamakura period, Yamashiro-den maintained a sword style similar to the one they had created during the Heian period.  Bizen-den emerged in the middle Kamakura period.  Soshu-den appeared in the late Kamakura period in the Kamakura area.  Mino-den appeared later during the Muromachi period, which came much later.

The Early Kamakura Period (鎌倉) (1184-1218)

We divide the Kamakura period into three stages: Early, Middle, and Late Kamakura periods. The sword style during the early Kamakura period was almost the same as in the previous Heian period.  Yamashiro-den remained the most active school throughout the early Kamakura period.

The Middle Kamakura Period (1219-1277)

During the middle Kamakura period, there were three main sword styles to discuss: the Yamashiro-den style, the Bizen-den style, and the Ikubi-kissaki (猪首切先) style, which was a new development at the time. We can say that among Ikubi-kissaki swords, it is rare to find a mediocre one.

The previous section explained how the Kamakura Bakufu (鎌倉幕府: government) held political and military power, but the emperor remained on the throne in Kyoto.  Emperor Gotoba raised an army and attacked the Kamakura government to regain political control.  This war (1221) is known as Jyokyu-no-ran (承久の乱).  The war led to a change in sword shape to a sturdier form.  This style is what we now call the Ikubi-kissaki.

The Late Kamakura Period (1278-1333  after the Mongolian Invasion)

During the late Kamakura Period, the Soshu-den emerged alongside Yamashiro-den and Bizen-den.  After the two Mongolian invasions known as the Genko (元寇) in 1274 and 1281, swords with longer, wider blades and extended kissaki began to appear.  The Soshu-den swordsmiths forged this type of sword

Engravings on a Sword     

Engravings on swords from the Ko-to era (Heian to Keicho era) serve three purposes.  One is to reduce the weight of the sword, such as hi, bohi, and gomabashi (wide, narrow, short, or long grooves), for example.  The second is for religious reasons, as swordsmiths often carved Buddhist figures.  The third is for decoration.  In the shin-to era (from Keicho time onward), engraving primarily became decorative purposes.    

 

The figures below illustrate examples of the engravings.

8 Hi, Suken, Bonji                    8 gomabashi            8 Hi

Suken                           Bonji (Sanskrit)             Gomabashi                          Hi