Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 65 | Part 2 of --- 29 | Main 7 Area Among Shin-To Sword (part B), Uncategorized

62|Part 2 of — 28 Shin-To Main 7 Region (part B)

This chapter is a detailed part of Chapter 28, Shin-t Main 7 Regions (part B).  Please read Chapter 28 before reading this chapter.  Below are regions 3 and 7.

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

29 Map with number 7

3.Musashi (Edo)

We also find many famous swordsmiths in Edo.  They were Yasutsugu (康継), Kotetsu (虎徹), Noda Hankei (野田繁慶), Hojoji Masahiro (法成寺正弘), and their followers.

Two photos below are swordsmiths from Musashi (武蔵: Tokyo).  

                       Yasutsugu  From the Sano Museum Catalogue.  (Permission to use granted)

Characteristics of Yasutusgu (康継) ——Shallow curvature; chu-gissaki (medium kissaki); a wide notare hamon, midare, or o-gunome (occasionally double gunome); traces of Soshu-den and Mino-den; a wood-grain pattern mixed with masame on the shinogi-ji.

 

              Kotetsu (虎徹) from Sano Museum Catalogue, (permission to use granted)

Here is the famous Kotetsu.  His formal name was Nagasone Okisato Nyudo Kotetsu (長曽祢興里入道虎徹).   Kotetsu started making swords after turning 50.  Before that, he was an armor maker.  

The characteristics of Kotetsu ———————— A shallow curvature and wide width, a wide tempered line with nie.  A small irregular hamon surrounds the machi area, transitioning into a wide suguha-like notare in the upper area.  Fine nie, komaru–boshi with a short turn back.  The ji-hada is a fine-grained wood with burl.  Occasionally, o-hada (black core iron shows through) appears in the lower part above the machi area.  The illustration above shows a thick-tempered line with nie, a typical feature of Kotetsu. Once you see it, you will remember it.   The next region is 7 (skip 4, 5, and 6)

 

  1. Satsuma (Kyushu) 

  Miyahara Mondonosho Masakiyo (宮原主水正正清) from Sano Museum Catalogue (permission to use granted).

Miyahara Mondonosho Masakiyo was highly respected by the Shimazu family of Satsuma- han (the Satsuma domain in Kyushu).  Later, he was chosen to travel to Edo to forge swords for Shogun Yoshimune. 

Mondonosho Masakiyo’s characteristics————- Well-balanced sword shape, shallow curvature, and wide and narrow hamon mixed with squarish hamon and pointed hamon as shown in the photo above.  He engraved the Tokugawa family’s Aoi crest (the hollyhock crest) on the nakago.

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 29| Main Seven Area of Shinto Sword (part2), Uncategorized

28|Shin-to Sword — Main Seven Regions (part B 主要７刀匠地)

 
 
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 The red circle indicates the subject of this chapter

64Map with number with 8

3．Musashi ( 武蔵 ) in Edo ( 江戸 )

The katana and wakizashi made in the Musashi area have a shallow sori (curvature).  Often, the width of the blade’s upper part is narrow.  Usually, the hamon begins with a slight irregular pattern, then gradually shifts to a larger irregular pattern, and a few inches below the yokote line, it becomes a small irregular pattern again.  The boshi is usually a komaru-boshi.  The ji-hada may be rough.  Masame-hada shows on shinogi-ji.

Well-known swordsmiths in Musashi ———————————-Noda Hannkei (野田繁慶)                                                      Nagasone Okisato Nyudo Kotetsu (長曽根興里入道虎徹)

Nagasone Okisato Nyudo Kotetsu                        Noda Hankei (野田繫慶)                                   (長曽根興里入道虎徹)                                   from Compton’s collection “Nippon-to”    Once, my family sword                                                                                                               

4. Echizen ( 越前 ) and 5. Kaga (加賀 )

Many swordsmiths from the Mino (美濃) area moved to the Echizen and Kaga areas (#4  & #5 on the map above).  Therefore, swords made in these areas are called Echizen-seki and Kaga-seki.  Refer to Chapter 23 Sengoku Period (戦国) Sword for Mino-den.             The style of Echizen Yasutsugu (越前康継) is similar to that of Mino-den.

Well-known swordsmith in Echizen ————————-—Echizen Yasutsugu (越前康継 )

6. Hizen (肥前)

Both the katana and wakizashi from Hizen have well-balanced shapes.  The Hizen region tends to produce swords with a chu-suguha-hotsure (a medium-width straight hamon resembling frayed fabric) with fine nie (沸).  The boshi has a clean, regular line with a uniform width tempered line, as shown in the illustration below.  If you see a shin-to sword that has a chu-suguha hamon and a boshi that looks like the one below, it is often made by Hizen Tadayoshi (肥前忠吉).  Very fine Ji-hada (surface), sometimes called nukame-hada.

29 Hizen Tadayoshi Boshi

Well-known swordsmith in Hizen ——————————— Hizen Tadayoshi ( 肥前忠吉)

  1. Satsuma (薩摩 )

The swords made in Satsuma appear solid for both katana and wakizashi.  The kissaki (the top pointed area) is slightly stretched.  Yakidashi (a few inches above the machi ) shows a small, irregular hamon.  The hamon is o-midare with coarse nie called ara-nie. The ara-nie forms togari-ba (a pointed pattern; see the drawing below).  One of the characteristics of this region.

The region is well known for its Satsuma-nie.  That is, the ara-nie around the hamon continues and blends into the ji-hada area.  Therefore, the border between ha-nie and ji-nie is unclear.  Inside the hamon, it sometimes shows a thick line shaped like lightning.  This line is called Satsuma-no-imozuru (sweet potato vine), and is less desirable than inazume and kinsiji.  This is the most prominent feature of the Satsuma sword.  Boshi has a narrow-tempered line with a small irregular pattern.  This is called satsuma-boshi.  On the ji-hada surface, chikei (a long, dark line) appears.  This is called Satsuma-gane (薩摩金).

29 Satsuma Togari-ba

Well-known swordsmiths in Satsuma ——————  Izunokami Masafusa (伊豆守正房)                                                                                                 Ichinohira Yasuyo (一平安代)                                                                                       Mondonosho Masakiyo (主水正正清)

 

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 28| Main Seven areas among Shinto Sword (1), Uncategorized

27|Shinto Sword — Main Seven Regions (Part A ：主要７刀匠地)

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                            The red circle indicates the subject we discuss in this section

During the Shinto era, there were seven main prosperous regions where many swordsmiths gathered and actively forged swords.  These are Yamashiro (山城) in Kyoto, Settsu (摂津) in Osaka, Musashi (武蔵 ) in Edo, Hizen (肥前) in Saga, Satsuma (薩摩) in Kagoshima, Echizen (越前) in Fukui,  and Kaga (加賀) in Kanazawa.  Swordsmiths from each area shared common regional characteristics of their places.  Knowing each of these characteristics is the easiest way to understand Shin-to.  However, it is important to remember that each swordsmith within a group had their own unique way of sword-making.  The following are only general descriptions of these characteristics.

Below is a map of Japan.  Hokkaido is not shown on the map because swords were not made there during that time.

64Map with number with 8

1.  Yamashiro (山城) Kyoto

The Yamashiro shin-to sword has a solid and strong look.  The hamon near the lower part of the blade, just above the machi (区) area, shows suguha (straight hamon).  This is called kyo-yakidashi (京焼出し, meaning it starts with a straight hamon.  Then, it shows a sudden shift to a design of o-midare (大乱).  The o-midare (large irregular waviness) becomes less wavy about one or two inches below the yokote line, then continues into the boshi as a wavy hamon.  The design in the boshi is komaru-boshi.   See the illustration below. 

Ji-hada ———— Somewhat rough, (depending on the swordsmith).  Masame-hada (straight grain pattern) may show on shinogi-ji (between the ridgeline and back). 

Among the Yamashiro shin-to group, there was a group called the Mishina group (三品).  They were related to Mino-den (美濃).  Therefore, their boshi was often jizo-boshi (地蔵鋩子).  This is called Mishina-boshi (三品鋩子).  Jizo-boshi is an image of a man’s head.

The Well-known swordsmiths in Yamashiro area: Umetada Myoju (梅忠明寿)                                                                                                   Horikawa Kunihiro (堀川国広)                                                                                               Dewadaijyo Kunimichi (出羽大掾国路)

28 Mishina-Boshi Komaru-boshi, Kyo-Yakidashi

                                                  　     Iganokami Kinnmichi (伊賀守金道) Yamashiro Den, once my family sword

2．Settu (摂津) Osaka (大阪)

Settsu (Osaka) produced more wakizashi than katana.  They tend to make it slightly sakizori (the top half curving outward) with a slightly stretched boshi. A Settsu sword also shows yakidashi, similar to the previous Yamashiro sword.  However, unlike Yamashiro’s sword, the transition is not abrupt but relatively smooth, where suguha changes into notare (wavy pattern).  This is called Osaka Yakidashi.

Osaka Boshi ——-Hamon continues up to the yokote line, then komaru with a turn back.   Ji-hada————-Very fine,  almost no pattern, a solid surface like, especially, shinogi-ji (between the ridgeline and the back).  This is called Osaka-tetsu (iron).

29 Osaka Yakidashi Komaru Boshi

Well-known swordsmiths in Settsu area— Osaka Tsuda Sukehiro (大阪津田助広)                                                                                 Tsuda Sukenao (津田助直)                                                                                                   Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (一竿子 忠綱)

                                                                 Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (一竿子忠綱), once my family sword 

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 19| Nanboku-Cho (North and South dynasty) Period Sword, Uncategorized

18| Nanboku-Cho Period Sword (南北朝太刀）

0-timeline - size 24 Nanboku-cho

                           The circle indicates the time we discuss in this section

During the Nanboku-cho period, samurai sought large, elaborate, impressive, yet practical swords.  The Soshu-den style sword from Nanboku-cho time was just that.    This was the most popular style at the time.  The Nanboku-cho period marked the peak and height of the Soshu-den sword.  Many swordsmiths moved from other provinces to the Kamakura area and forged Soshu-den style swords.  Other schools and provinces outside the Kamakura area also produced Soshu-den-style swords in their own areas.

 

19 Nanboku-cho Sword style

Sugata (姿: Shape) —————–The original length of a sword ranged from three to five feet, but it was later shortened to about two and a half feet.  A significantly shortened blade is called o-suriage. 

The Nanboku-cho style sword features shallow kyo-zori (also called torii-zori).  Refer to Chapter 5, Heian Period Sword.  The highest curvature occurs around the middle of the body. It has a wide body, high shinogi, narrow shinogi-ji  (Chapter 3, Names of parts),  and thin kasane (blade thickness), which are distinctive features of the Nanboku-cho style.  High gyo-no-mune or shin-no-mune, and sometimes a maru-mune (round back).

19 Nanboku-cho 3 kinds Mune

Hi (樋: groove) and Horimono (彫刻: engraving) ——– Often, a single hi (bo-hi), double hi, suken (dagger), Bonji (Sanskrit), and/or dragon are engraved on the shinogi-ji area.  Refer to Chapter 3, Names of Parts.

9 Hi, Suken, Bonji

Hamon (刃: Tempered line) —- The lower part of the body exhibits a narrow-tempered line; gradually, this line becomes wider and showier.  Course nie. O-midare (large, irregular, wavy hamon), Notare-midare (wavy, irregular hamon), and Gunome-midare (a combination of repeated half-circular and irregular hamon). Inazuma and kinsuji (see Chapter 14, Late Kamakura Period Sword) sometimes appear.

19 Hamon Notare 319 Mamon choji gunome19 Hitatsura Hamon Hiromitsu

                                  *From Sano Museum Catalogue ( Permission granted).

Ji-hada (地肌: the area between the shinogi and the tempered line) ———————-Wood-grain pattern (itame 板目). Sometimes tobiyaki (patchy tempered spots) appear on ji-hada.  For ji-hada, refer to Chapter 3, Names of Parts.

Kissaki (切っ先) and Boshi (tempered line at the kissaki area) ———- O-kissaki (long and large kissaki). Fukura kareru (less arc kissaki).  Midare-komi (the body and boshi have a similar tempered pattern), with kaeri-fukashi (hamon deeply turns back), and sometimes hitatsura (entirely tempered).  See the illustration above.

Sword-smiths during Nanboku-Cho Period Soshu Den (school)

  • From Soshu—————————————————Hiromitsu (広光)  Akihiro (秋広) 　
  • From Yamashiro ———————————————Hasebe Kunishige (長谷部国重) 
  • From Bizen (called So-den Bizen)——-Chogi (長儀 )group  Kanemitsu (兼光 ) group 
  • From Chikuzen ———————————————————-Samoji (左文字 ) group

Chogi (長義）from The Sano Museum catalog. Permission to use is granted

The distinctive characteristics of the Nanboku-Cho period sword in the photo above      

  • The trace of an engraving of suken on the inside of the nakago indicates that this area was once a part of the main body.
  • Large and long kissaki