UK Sword Register.
No.
36
Type: Shinto
katana
Nagasa: 64.7 cm
Moto-haba: 2.9 cm Saki-haba:
2.1 cm
Hamon:
Nioi-deki, a wide choji-gunome-midare, often reaching the shinogi but
becoming quieter in the monouchi area, some tobiyaki. Many ashi, including
saki-ashi (sloping) and ko-ashi as well as a few yo. The boshi on the ura is
slightly notare ending in ko-maru with kaeri, the omote is similar but slightly
“deformed”.
The
nioi-deki hamon in choji-midare, together with the faint glimpses of utsuri near
the shinogi, indicate Bizen as the inspirational style of this sword. It is
particularly important to appreciate and note the shape of this blade, which
although altered by machi-okuri, is still unmistakably that of the Kanbun-shinto
period (1660-1673). This easily leads one away from the mistaken conclusion that
it may be an old Ichimonji sword. A further indication would have been the
presence of a yakidashi in the moto-haba region, but this has been lost by the
machi-okuri. The main practitioners of Bizen-den
in the Kanbun-shinto period were the so-called Ishido school and so this sword
would represent a reasonably easy “dozen” in kantei, if your vote were cast
to one of the swordsmiths of the Ishido school. Apart from ashi, there are
relatively few hataraki in the hamon.
A
group of swordsmiths, originally from Omi province, claimed descent from the
Ichimonji school and strove to replicate the Bizen Ichimonji style. In the early
shinto period, they founded the Ishido school at Wakayama in Kii province, as
well as prosperous branches at Edo and Fukuoka in Chikuzen province. The leader
and founder of the Wakayama group (known as the Kisshi Ishido) was Mutsu (no)
Kami Tameyasu and he had two sons. The elder, whose personal name
was Hatakeda Rokurozaemon had the same art name and title as his father,
whilst the younger brother, Tomita Gorozaemon was Bitchu (no) Kami Tachibana
Yasuhiro. They moved to Osaka in Settsu province and started the Osaka Ishido
school there, indeed, Yasuhiro is credited by some sources, as being the actual
founder of Osaka Ishido. There are examples of his work made whilst he was still
in Kii province as well as later examples from Osaka, he also lived in Kyoto for
a while. The Kiku carved on the ura is an unusual feature of Yasuhiro’s mei.
Three
generations with the same name and title succeeded the shodai. The shodai
Yasuhiro is rated as Chujosaku by Fujishiro who also classes his blades as “wazamono”.
This
sword has no modern Japanese papers of authentication. It has previously only
appeared in a To-ken Programme in printed form and is updated here for inclusion
on this website.
Clive Sinclaire
Bexley, February 2007
Katana
signed Bitchu (no) Kami Tachibana Yasuhiro + kiku