UK
Sword Register No. 89
Type: Shinshinto katana
Nagasa:
69.0 cm
Moto-haba: 2.9 cm
Saki-haba: 1.8 cm
Sugata: A shallow
shinogi-zukuri katana with a relatively
thin kasane and tori-zori, ko-kissaki and iori-mune, fumbari.
Jihada: Predominantly,
a very tight ko-mokume-hada appearing as muji-hada. Some looseness and
coarseness, especially in the shinogi-ji near the habaki-moto. Some small kizu
and tate-ware.
Hamon:
A wide gunome midare with a short yakidashi, many variations in height,
in nie-deki. Long gunome ashi throughout, some reaching the edge in places. The
boshi is slightly midare-komi, showing hakikake and is almost yakitsume in
style.
Nakago: Ubu, with one mekugi-ana, sujikai yasurime finished in the kesho manner, ha-agari kuri-jiri. Signed on the omote: YONEZAWA JU TSUNAHARU SAKU.
The
overall slim and graceful shape of this sword does not immediately suggest a
late period of manufacture. However, the brightness of the jigane, the muji-hada
and the kesho yasurime, certainly indicate that the sword was made in the
shinshinto period. There are many variations in the height of the hamon and the
numerous long ashi is another shinshinto characteristic, although there are few
other hataraki within the hamon.
The
nakago is rather small and seems to be somewhat “delicate” and slightly out
of proportion to the length of the blade. The yasurime may be clearly seen as
there is only a light patination and the six character inscription is well cut
and positioned near the mune on the omote side. One would not expect to see the
openings in the hada and shinogi ji in a shinshinto blade where it demonstrates
poor forging.
This
swordsmith, named Tsunaharu, came from the town of Yonezawa in Ushu (Uzen
province) and he is not included in Fujishiro’s Shinto
Jiten. However, in both Toko Taikan and Shinshinto Taikan,
it is stated that Tsunaharu was from the Tsunahide mon or group of swordsmiths,
who also originated from the same location. This Tsunahide was the elder brother
of Kato Tsunatoshi, who later became known as Chounsai Tsunatoshi. Although both
brothers originated in Yonezawa, Ushu, they made their name in Edo during the
Bakamatsu period, where they were employed by the Uesugi clan. It seems that
Tsunatoshi was the leader of the group and he followed the Bizen style of
swordmaking with students such as Koyama Munetsugu and Ishido Korekazu. His
swords are characterised by a small, compact and regular choji-gunome hamon
Tsunahide,
however, seems to have favoured swordmaking in the style of Sukehiro of the
Osaka-shinto group, making swords with toran-midare hamon, a style which was
popular in the earlier part of the shinshinto era. The hamon on this sword
certainly resembles toran-midare in some respects and may support the contention
that
Tsunaharu
was under the influence of Tsunahide rather than Tsunatoshi, although he is also
known to have made swords with suguha hamon (see the oshigata in Shinshinto Taikan). Shinshinto
Taikan gives Ansei Goro (around
Ansei era -1854-59) as his working dates and Hawleys (TSU 236) agrees. It would
appear, therefore, as he is not included in several references, that he was a
minor smith of the Tsunahide mon, active right at the end of the Tokugawa
period. From the present work, his workmanship might be categorised as chu-saku
or average.
A Hozon To-ken certificate No.356888, issued by the Nihon Bijutsu To-ken Hozon Kyokai and dated Heisei 12th year, 5th month 2nd day ( May, 2000) accompanies this blade.
Yonezawa Ju Tsunaharu Saku
Clive Sinclaire
Bexley, February 2008