Hakikake – Study of Japanese Sword

This chapter is a detailed part of Chapter 15, Revival of Yamato Den. Please read Chapter 15 before reading this section.

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

At the end of the Kamakura period, powerful temples expanded their territories in the Yamato region. Refer to the map below for the location of the Yamato region. Several prominent temples, especially those with large territories, held political and military power to control the area at the end of the Kamakura period. These large territories were called shoen (荘園). They employed many monk soldiers known as so-hei. The demand for swords increased because of the rising number of Sohei (僧兵). This increased demand revived the Yamato–den.

Some prominent temples had their own swordsmiths within their territories. Todaiji Temple (東大寺) supported the Tegai (手掻) sword group. The Senjuin (千手院) sword group lived near Senju-do (千手堂), where Senju Kannon (千手観音) is enshrined. The Taima sword group originated from the Taima-ji Temple (当麻寺). The Shikkake group (尻懸) and the Hosho group (保昌) were also part of the Yamato-den sword groups. These five groups are known as Yamato Goha (the Yamato five groups).

51 Japan map Yamato

General Characteristic of Yamato Den

The Yamato-den (大和伝) sword always shows masame (柾目: straight grain-like pattern) somewhere on the ji-hada, ji-gane, or hamon. Refer to Chapter 15, Revival of Yamato Den. Masame is sometimes mixed with mokume (burl-like pattern) or itame (wood-grain-like pattern). Either way, Yamato-den always shows masame somewhere. Some swords display masame across the entire blade, while others show less. Because of the masame, the hamon often shows sunagashi (a brush stroke-like pattern) or a double line called niju-ha.

Taima (or Taema) group (当麻)

Shape ———————– Middle Kamakura period style and Ikubi-kissaki style
Hamon ———–Mainly medium Suguha. Double Hamon. Suguha mixed with Choji. Often shows Inazuma and Kinsuji, especially Inazuma appear under the Yokote line.
Boshi ————————- Often Yakizume. Refer Yakizume on 15| The Revival of Yamato Den（大和伝復活）
Ji-hada ——————– Small wood grain pattern and well-kneaded surface. At the top part of the sword, the wood grain pattern becomes Masame.

Shikkake Group (尻懸)

Shape —————- Late Kamakura period shape. Refer 14| Late Kamakura Period: Sword (鎌倉末太刀)
Hamon ————————- Mainly Nie (we say Nie-hon’i). Medium frayed Suguha, mixed with small irregular and Gunome (half-circle pattern). A double-lined, brush-stroke-like Pattern may appear. Small Inazuma and Kinsuji may also be shown.
Boshi ———————— Yakizume, Hakikake (bloom trace like pattern) and Ko-maru (small round)
Ji-hada ———- Small burl mixed with Masame. The Shikkake group sometimes shows Shikkake-hada (the Ha side shows Masame, and the mune side shows burl.)

Tegai Group ( 手掻 )

Shape —— Early Kamakura style with thick Kasane (body). High Shinogi. Koshizori.
Hamon ————- Narrow tempered line with medium Suguha hotsure (frayed Suguha). Mainly Nie. Double tempered line. Inazuma and Kinsuji may show.
Boshi ————————————— Yakizume (no turn back), Kaen (flame-like).
Ji-Hada ————————————————— Fine burl mixed with Masame.

Tegai Kanenaga of Yamato. From the Sano Museum Catalogue (permission granted). The illustration (called Oshigata) shows notare (wave-like hamon) and suguha-hotsure (frayed suguha pattern) with kinsuji.

My Yamato sword： Acquired at the Annual San Francisco Swords Show.

Characteristics: Munei (shortened and without signature). Yamato-den, Tegai-ha (Yamato school Tegai group). Length is two shaku, two sun, eight &1/2 bu (27 1/4 inches), small kissaki and funbari. Hamon： Niju-ba, Sunagashi. Boshi: Yakizume. Ji-hada: Itame with masame, Nie-hon’i .

My Yamato sword

The full view of the sword and Kantei-sho (NBTHK Certification). “Tokubetsu Hozon Token”.

My Yamato sword 5

My Yamato sword 4

My Yamato sword.jpg 2

My sword: acquired at Dai Token Ichi (大刀剣市)Bizen Osafune Tomomitsu (備前長船倫光) Length: 2 feet 4 inches, Shape: Shinogi zukuri, Hada:itame midare-utsuri, Hamon: konotare gunome choji

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

It is believed that sword-making first started in Yamato province (now Nara Prefecture) during the Nara period (710 to 794). In the early days of sword-making, the forging techniques were primitive. At that time, many swordsmiths lived in Yamato, but over time, sword-making in this region declined.

At the end of the Kamakura period, several powerful Buddhist temples emerged in the Yamato area, leading to conflicts among them. Temples held significant political and military power to control large territories called shoen (荘園) through their large numbers of warrior monks, known as sohei (僧兵). The most dominant group was Nanto Sohei (南都僧兵)*. These groups of sohei demanded more swords to arm themselves, which revitalized the Yamato-den (school) and increased the number of swordsmiths in the Yamato area. As a result, the Yamato-den group became active again. The Yamato-den style is somewhat similar to the Yamashiro-den.

*Nanto Sohei (南都僧兵)—————-Since around the 11th century, Buddhist temples grew powerful under the protection of the Joko (retired emperors). These temples had many sohei (low-level monks who also served as soldiers). When power struggles arose among the temples, sohei fought as their soldiers on the battlefields. Nanto Sohei were such soldiers at Kofuku-Ji Temple (興福寺). Several large temples, such as Todai-ji (東大寺) Temple, controlled the Yamato area.

Sugata (姿: Shape) —————- Not much difference in style during the early part of Yamato–den and Yamashiro-den. Shinogi is high. Mune is thin. Some Yamato-den have a shallow sori (curvature).

16 Yamato sword cross section

Hamon (刃文：Tempered line) ——————Narrow tempered line. Mainly nie (沸). Chu-suguha-hotsure (中直刃ほつれ: a medium straight line with a frayed pattern), ko-choji-midare (小丁子: a mixture of small clove-like patterns and irregular wavy lines), ko-midare (小乱: small irregular wavy lines), ko-gunome-komidare (小五の目小乱: small continuous half-circles mixed with wavy lines).

The main features of the Yamato–den style sword are masame (straight grain). Its tempered line often shows nijyu-ha (double straight lines), hakikake (brush mark trace), uchinoke (a crescent-shaped line), or a combination of these. See the illustration below.

Boshi (鋩子: Tempered line at Kissaki area) ———- In the boshi area, a straight grain hamon pattern appears. Yakizume or kaen. (Refer to Chapter 12, Middle Kamakura period: Tanto). O-maru, ko-maru, nie-kuzure. (Refer to Chapter 14, Late Kamakura Period Sword. See the illustration below.)

15 Omaru Komaru Niekuzure

Ji-hada (地肌)：Area between the shinogi and the tempered line)———— mostly masame-hada (straight grain pattern 柾目肌). Fine ji-nie, chikei, or yubashiri. (Refer to Chapter 14, Late Kamakura Period Sword (鎌倉末太刀). See below.)

16 Masame Hada

Nakago (Hilt) ———————– Often displays Higaki Yasuri (檜垣), the finishing file pattern, as illustrated below.

16 Higaki Yasuri

Names of the Yamato School Sword-smiths

Taema(当麻) Group————–Taema Kuniyuki(当麻国行)　Taema Tomokiyo(当麻友清) Shikkake (尻懸) Group———————————————-Shikkake Norinaga (尻懸則長) Tegai (手掻) group ——————Tegai Kanenaga (手掻包永) Tegai Kanekiyo(手掻包清) Hoshou (保昌) group———Hosho Sadayoshi ( 保昌貞吉) Hosho Sadamune (保昌貞宗)

Yamato Senjuin Saya Enso (大和千手院沙弥円宗) once my family sword

Tag: Hakikake

49| Part 2 of — 15 The Revival of Yamato Den (大和伝復活)

15| The Revival of Yamato Den（大和伝復活）