Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 10 |Middle Kamakura Period ---Bizen School, Uncategorized

9 | Middle Kamakura Period: Bizen Den (鎌倉中期備前伝)

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

Many swordsmiths worked in the Bizen (備前) school during the early Kamakura period.  However, their sword style is generally somewhat similar to the Yamashiro style.  Therefore, they are called Ko-bizen (古備前), meaning old Bizen.

The true Bizen school style appeared during the Middle Kamakura period.  Bizen Province had many advantages for producing great swords.  The area produced high-quality iron and abundant firewood.  Also, its location was conveniently located for people to travel from different regions.  As a result, many swordsmiths gathered there and produced large quantities of swords.  Due to competition among these smiths, the quality of Bizen swords is generally higher than that of other schools.  Therefore, it is often difficult to appraise Bizen swords because of the many subtle differences among the different swordsmiths.

The following three features are the most distinctive characteristics of the Bizen school.  

1.   Nioi-base tempered line.  The Nioi-base tempered line has finer dots than the Nie-base.   These dots are so small that they almost appear as a line. Technically, the tempering processes of these two are identical.  See the illustration below.                        2.   Ji-hada (surface of the body) appears soft.                                                                  3.  Reflection (utsuri) appears on the surface.

10 Nie & Nioi

Sugata (shape) —The length is approximately 33 inches ± a few inches. The blade is slightly wide and appears sturdy. The curvature of the blade is koshizori (腰反), meaning the deepest curve is at the lower part.  The body has an average thickness, and the kissaki is small.

 10 Middle Kamakura ---備前刀姿

Horimono (engraving) ——Engravings are rare.  The tip of the hi extends all the way to ko-shinogi, filling the entire area.

8 Hi

Nakago ——– Long and thin with a curve. The end of the nakago is rounded and resembles the bottom of a chestnut (kuri).  This shape is called kurijiri.   Refer to the illustration of the sword above.

Hamon (tempered area pattern)—— Nioi base. The tempered area is wide and consistent width.  The size of the midare (irregular wavy tempered pattern) is uniform.

Boshi ——– The same tempered pattern continues upward to the boshi area, and it often shows choji- midare (clove-shaped wavy pattern) or yakizume.

10 Boshi --- Bizen

Ji-hada ———— Fine and well forged.  The steel appears soft.  On the steel surface,  small and large wood-grain patterns are mixed.  Chikei (condensation of nie) and utsuri (cloud-like reflection) appear.

Bizen School Sword Smiths during Middle Kamakura Period

  • Fukuoka Ichimonji (福岡一文字) group ————-Norimune (則宗)  Sukemune (助宗) 
  • Yoshioka Ichimonji (吉岡一文字) group ——–Sukeyoshi (助吉) Sukemitsu (助光)        
  • Sho-chu Ichimonji (正中一文字) group —————Yoshiuji (吉氏)   Yoshimori (吉守)     
  • Osafune (長船) group ———–Mitsutada (光忠)  Nagamitsu (長光) Kagemitsu (景光)   
  • Hatakeda(畠田) group ————————————-Moriie (守家)  Sanemori (真守)  
  • Ugai (鵜飼) group ————————————————- Unsho (雲生) Unji (雲次)

              9 Middle Kamakura Bizen Fukuoka ichimonji 

Fukuoka Ichimonji (一文字) from “Nippon-to Art Swords of Japan”                                     The Walter A. Compton Collection

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 Uncategorized

5 |Heian Period Swords 　(平安時代太刀)

0-timeline - size 24 Heian

                       
                                      The circle indicates the time we discuss in this section

The Heian period is when the sword shape changed to the current curved form.  Before that, swords were straight.  It is widely accepted that the study of Japanese swords begins in the Heian period.   Swords made before the Heian period are considered archaeological artifacts.  The main reason is that sword-making techniques improved significantly after the start of the Heian period.

The elegant and graceful lifestyle of Heian culture is reflected in the style of swords.  A group of swordsmiths in the Kyoto region developed a specific sword style called Yamashiro-den (Yamashiro School).  The shape of their swords exhibits a graceful line.  The most famous sword of this period is Sanjo-Munechika (三条宗近 page 20), a national treasure today.  The Yamashiro-den represents the swords of the Heian period.                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                      6a Heian period sword style

General Heian period sword style

The shape —————The length of a sword is about 30 inches ± a few inches.  It has an elegant, graceful shape, with a narrow blade and a small kissaki (小切先).  The curvature is deep.  This style is called Kyo-zori (京反り) or Torii-zori (鳥居ぞり).  In the Kyo-zori style, the deepest part of the curvature is near the middle of the blade.  The lower part of the sword flares out, creating an A-line shape similar to the lower part of the Eiffel Tower.  This flared shape is called funbari （踏ん張り).                                                                      

6b A line bottom

Hamon(刃文)———- Hamon is the line formed during the process of tempering.  The hamon on Heian period swords is narrow and usually suguha (直刃).  Suguha means a straight line.  The hamon is also Nie-based.  Nie(沸) are tiny particles in the hamon.   As shown below, if you look closely, you can see fine sand-like particles within the hamon line.

6 Straigh tempered line(Suguha)

10 Nie & Nioi

Ji-hada (地肌) ——–Fine wood-grained pattern.  The location of ji-hada (or ji-tetsu) is between the hamon and shinogi (see Chapter 3 |Names of Parts).

Nakago (中心)——– The nakago is the hilt area.  Sword makers inscribed their names there. During the Heian period, the nakago was often shaped like a kijimomo (雉腿), meaning a pheasant’s thigh.

6 Kijimomo-nakago

Hi and engrave ———- Hi (樋) means an engraved straight line.  Hi and other engraved designs were rare during the Heian period.  These became more common later on.

Kissaki (切先) ———– The shape of kissaki on a Heian sword is ko-gissaki, meaning small kissaki. The hamon line at the kissaki is called boshi.  During this period, the type of boshi design is called komaru, meaning small, round, and wrapping around the tip.

Names of the Heian period swordsmiths

  • Yamashiro School——–  Sanjo Munechika(三条宗近) Sanjo Yoshiie(三条吉家）                                                 Gojo Kanenaga(五条兼長) Gojo Kuninaga (五条国永)
  • Yamato School ————-Senju-in (千手院)
  • Bizen School ————— Bizen Tomonari(備前友成) Bizen Masatsune(備前正恒)                                                  Bizen Kanehira (備前包平)
  • Hoki (伯耆) —————–  Yasutsuna (安綱) Sanemori (真守)
  • Buzen (豊前) ————–   Cho-en (長円) Sinsoku (神息)
  • Satsuma (薩摩) ———— Naminohira (波平)