Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 51| Part 2 of ----- 16 The Revival of Yamato-Den, Uncategorized

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

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. 

51 Kanenaga photo Yamato51 Kanenaga ilustration Yamato

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

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 50| Part 2 of -----15| Late Kamakura Period Sword, Uncategorized

48|Part 2 of — 14|Late Kamakura Period Sword : Early Soshu Den (鎌倉末刀）

This is a detailed section of Chapter 14| Late Kamakura Period Sword.  Please read Chapter 14 before this part.

0-timeline - size 24 Late Kamakura

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

14 Ikubi kissaki Damadge

In Chapter 14, “Late Kamakura Period Sword (鎌倉末太刀),” the ikubi-kissaki sword is explained.  The illustration above shows a flaw caused when the damaged area was repaired.  To compensate for this flaw, swordsmiths developed a new sword style during the late Kamakura period.  They forged swords with a longer kissaki and lowered the tip of the hi below the yokote line.   This way, if the yokote line were lowered during repairs, the tip of the hi would remain below the yokote line.

15 Masamune (Sano)   15 Masamune hamon (Sano)

The above photo shows a sword by Goro Nyudo Masamune (五郎入道正宗).  Please observe the size and shape of the kissaki.  This differs from the previous ikubi-kissaki and ko-gissaki styles.  This style represents a typical late Kamakura period kissaki style.  It is o-suriage (a largely shortened form). 

Under the Kamakura Bakufu, many swordsmiths moved to Kamakura.  They were Toroku Sakon Kunituna (藤六左近国綱) of the Yamashiro Awataguchi group (山城粟田口), Fukuoka Ichimonji Sukezane (福岡一文字助真), and Kunimune (国宗) from the Bizen area.  They were the origin of Soshu-den (相州伝).  Eventually, Tosaburo Yukimitsu (藤三郎行光) and his famous son, Masamune (正宗), emerged.  In the drawing above, kinsuji and inazuma are shown within the hamon.  The shining lines inside the hamon are inazuma and kinsuji.  Inazuma and kinsuji are collections of nie.  Masamune is well-known for his inazuma and kinsuji.  He lived in Kamakura, a seaside town, and his hamon resembles ocean waves when viewed from the side.

50 part 2 of 15 吉岡.photo 50 part 2 of 15 吉岡

The picture above shows a sword made by the swordsmith Yoshioka Ichimonji group (吉岡一文字).  The kissaki resembles one of Masamune’s swords.  It is longer than the previous ikubi-kissaki or ko-gissaki.  This is chu-gissaki.  The kissaki, like this, is one of the key points in determining the period when the sword was made.  The hamon has choji, gunome, togariba (pointed tip), and very tight nie.

50 part 2 of 15 運生 photo 50 part 2 of 15 運生　

The photo above shows a sword by Ukai Unsho (鵜飼雲生) from Bizen-den.  This sword is also from the late Kamakura period, but it has a ko-gissaki.  This sword does not have the late Kamakura period chu-gissaki style.  Narrow hoso-suguha are more characteristic of an earlier time than the late Kamakura period.  This sword indicates that swords do not always exhibit the style of their period.  To kantei*: first examine the style and shape, then give yourself an idea of the period it was made in.  However, the kissaki in this case does not indicate the late Kamakura period.  The next step is to look at the various characteristics of the sword one by one, such as the hamon, nie or nioi, ji-hada, etc., to determine the period, the den, and the province, and then come up with the name. This process is called kantei.

*Kantei – the process of identifying a swordsmith’s name by analyzing the sword’s characteristics without seeing the mei (the inscribed smith’s name).  The mei might be gone if it has been shortened.   All the photos above are from the Sano Museum Catalogue.  Permission to use them is granted.