UK Sword Register

No. 49

Type: Shinshinto Katana

Nagasa: 69.3 cm Moto-haba: 3.0 cm Saki-haba: 2.0 cm

Sugata: Slim hon-zukuri with noticeable tapering towards the kissaki, Iori-mune, koshi-sori, extended chu-kissaki.

Jihada: Ko-mokume but tending towards muji-hada, faint utsuri is discernable in the region of the shinogi.

Hamon: Choji / gunome based on ko-midare in nioi-deki. The boshi is slightly midare-komi and pointed with kaeri.

Horimono: On the omote a finely chiseled three clawed dragon grasping the tama, on the ura a ken blade with a vraja hilt.

Nakago: Ubu with one mekugi-ana, ha-agari kuri-jiri, and sujikai yasurime with kesho finish. Signed on the omote: SUISHINSHI MASAHIDE KORE (O) SAKU with a Kokuin (seal) stamp containing the character AMA or TEN at the bottom of the nakago, and dated on the ura BUNSEI NINEN NI GATSU NICHI.

This sword has a graceful koshi-zori and altogether most elegant shape whilst the nioi-deki hamon and almost muji hada indicate shinshinto as the period of manufacture. Within the hamon many ashi, some reaching right down to the hasaki, form small choji-gunome within an overall base of ko-midare. Such a narrow hamon gives one the impression of koto hamon rather than later work. The sword is further embellished by the highly skilled carving of both horimono, which in no way detract from the blade as a whole. Both the signature and the date are cut with a fine chisel whilst the seal is deeply impressed. Born in Dewa Province in 1750, Masahide, whose real name was Kawabe Gihachiro, went to Edo in the employ of the Akimoto clan in 1774. In accordance with the fashion of the time, he used toran-midare with thick nie that was seen in the Osaka shinto work by Sukehiro and Inoue Shinkai. After this he progressed to Soshu-den and worked finally in his later years making swords in the Bizen style, that is seen in this sword. Although he sometimes carved his own horimono, more often this job was done by one Honjo Kamenosuke Yoshitane who favoured kenmakiryu (dragon curled round a sword) in a frame. As this example is a different style of horimono, but still very well executed, it has led some to speculate that it may not be by Masahide’s regular carver.Suishuinshi Masahide was famous for preaching the theory known as "fukkoto" which advocated return to the sword making techniques and styles of the Heian and Kamakura periods and expounded this in a book entitled Token Ritsuyo Ron. This feeling seemed to capture the mood of the time and Masahide attracted more than 100 students. In fact I would estimate that some 70% of all shinshinto swords are from the smiths of the Suishinshi school and so an attribution to a Suishinshi school in Kantei would probably gain a Dozen score for a shinshinto blade! Throughout his lifetime, Masahide had several different sword-making names including Iehide and Hidekuni and is said to have changed his name to Amahide in the first year of Bunsei. The Masahide name then passed to his son Sadahide who became the 2nd generation Suishinshi Masahide and continued in the Bizen style of his father. As this sword is dated the 2nd year of Bunsei it would appear to indicate work by the nidai Masahide. Both the shodai and nidai Masahide died in the same year of 1825. This sword has Tokubetsu Kicho papers from the NBTHK.

Clive Sinclaire, Bexley, July 2000

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