UK Sword Register
No. 32
Type
Shinto Wakizashi
Nagasa
48.0cm
Moto Haba
3.0cm
Saki Haba
2.2cm
Sugata
Shinogi-Zukuri, Iori-mune, shallow tori-zori, extended chu-kissaki.
Jihada
Mostly a flowing masame-hada with some itame, very visible.
Some ji-nie and long chikei especially in the middle area.
Hamon
Notare-midare in dark nie, nie kuzure and gunome-ashi. Many
sunagashi and kinsuji both within the hamon and in the nioiguchi. The weak
boshi is sugu and pointed with a short kaeri.
Nakago
Ubu with one mekugi-ana, sujikai yasurime, Kuri-jiri.
Signed on the Sashi-omote: KIKU, YAMASHIRO (no) KAMI FUJIWARA KUNIKIYO and
on the ura, KITAE NAMBAM TETSU HAGANE KORE.
This sword has a strong and robust shape, and although a little tired in places, shows many excellent features, especially the abundant sunagashi which embellishes the hamon and long chikei in the Ji. The jihada shows a very visible masame-hada predominately, but there are small areas of itame-hada mixed in. Both the sunagashi and chikei are particularly noticeable and active around the middle of the blade. The hamon becomes progressively wider from the bottom towards the top of the sword, but the boshi is rather weak, possibly indicating exposure to heat at some time. Overall, the jigane has a darkish coloration and the sword looks like Hokuru (northern Japan) workmanship.
This swordsmith was originally called Kichiuemon Sukemune and was the second son of the third generation swordsmith, Shimada Sukemune. Originally he came from Matsumoto in Shinano province but travelled up to Kyoto and studied under the Horikawa school. Although he is usually credited as having been one of the many talented students of Horikawa Kunihiro himself, Fujishiro believes he was actually an apprentice of Kunitomo, himself a Kunihiro pupil. At this time he changed his name to Kunikiyo and eventually was employed by matsudaira Tadamasa. He returned briefly to Shinano but, when Matsudaira moved to Fukui in Echizen province, Kunikiyo accompanied him and from this time onwards his swords became broader in construction. In Kanei Gannen (1628) he was awarded the title "Yamashiro" (no) Kami" and allowed to engrave the Kikku-mon and was nicknamed "Kikku Kunikiyo". Some Kunikiyo blades have the character "Ichi" inscribed under the Kiku, but this was not done by the first generation, only later generations. This sword is considered to have been made whilst Kunikiyo was in Echizen as the dark Jigane is one of the characteristics of swords from northern Japan. It will be seen that this sword is signed on the so-called Tachi-mei as is generally the case with Kunikiyo's work.
It seems probable that whilst in Echizen, Kunikiyo had contact with Yasutsugu and this influence may have led to him experimenting with Nambam-tetsu (foreign steel) as in the present example, which was something of a fashion around this time. Kunikiyo is best known for his skill at producing suguha hamon and the midare-ba demonstrated in this sword is less common.
Fujishiro gives Kunikyo a rating of Jo-saku and classifies his blades as "wazamono". This sword was awarded Tokubetsu Hozon papers by the NBTHK.
Clive Sinclaire.
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