No. 27

Type
Sue Koto Wakizashi
Nagasa
42cm
Moto-haba
2.6cm
Saki-haba
1.7cm
Sugata
Shobu-zukuri, strong Saki-zori, Jori-mune.
Jihada
Ko-itame and Ko-mokume with Shirake.
Hamon
Nie-deki, based on Suguha with a slight Notare, Sunagaeshi and Kuchigai-ba, Yakitsune-boshi.
Nakago
Ubu, steep Ha-agari Kuri-jiri and the two character Mei, KIYOMITSU.

This sword has a number of interesting and distinctive features which include its shobu-zukuri shape, strong saki-zori and the steep angular finish to the nakago-jiri. The sugata indicates the period of manufacture to be the Sue (late) Koto period (the late Muromachi period) or possibly very early Shinto. The Hamon, which is in niedeki has several kuchigai-ba (where one part of the hamon ‘overlaps’ another part). A number of sunagaeshi appear, both inside the hamon and in the nioi-guchi. The jigane itself has a whitish or shirake-like appearance whilst the jihada is a mixture of koitame and ko-mokume. The boshi is somewhat indistinct but is yakitsune (no kaeri or turn-back) possibly indicating, along with other features, Yamato-den, influence. The nakago, which is ubu, has the two character signature KIYOMJTSU and the jiri is a very steep ha-agari kuri-jiri.

Several of the above features indicate that this is the work of one of the Kaga province swordsmiths named Kiyomitsu. There are at least three generations of this name associated with or part of the Tomoshige school which was active during the Muromachi period. The shodai Kiyomitsu is rated as Chujo-saku by Fujishiro, but the present example is probably by one of the later generations, possibly the Sandai Kiyomitsu. About 12 generations of swordsmiths of the same name in Kaga province continued making swords right through the Shinto and into the Shinshinto period. Some Kiyomitsu blades of the Shinto period that include the title "Harima Daijo" in their mei, are considered the better workmanship. One of the shinto smiths working around the Enpo period (1661-1681) is known as Ju Ni Gatsu (December) Kiyomitsu as the right-hand part of the character "Kiyo" may be broken down clearly into the 3 seperate characters "Ju - Ni - Gatsu".

Kaga province produced many swords during the Koto period, eclipsed only by Mino and Bizen and the name Kiyomitsu has been compared to that of Sukesada in Bizen province in terms of productivity. In Koto times the Fujishima Tomoshige school, which was related to the Kiyomitsu school, was active in swordmaking in Kaga. In the Aizuchi Momoyama period (1573-95) the aggressive Ikku-shu Buddhist monks were subdued by Oda Nobunaga who later installed his retainer, Maeda Toshiie who then developed Kanezawa into a castle town. In Shinto times the Darani and Kaga

Seki (Seki smiths that emigrated to Kaga) schools, as well as the Kiyomitsu school, made swords in Kaga province. Albert Yamanaka states that it is not uncommon for swordsmiths of the Kiyomitsu school to be confused with others of the same name from other schools. In fact this particular sword illustrates this well as it has a sayagaki reading "Bizen Osafune Gorosaemonjo Kiyomitsu Saku - Eisho", unfortunately wrongly attributing the sword to the far more skillful Bizen Kiyomitsu of the Eisho period (1504-20).

Clive Sinclaire, Bexley Aug ‘96.

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