UK Sword Register.
No. 56
TYPE: Koto katana
Nagasa: 72.0 cm Moto-haba: 3.1 cm Saki-haba: 2.0 cm
Sugata: Hon-zukuri, a graceful tori-zori, chu-kissaki, mitsu-mune.
Jihada: A prominent and flowing itame-hada with mokume and abundant ji-nie forming chikei.
Hamon: Fine nie-deki, notare-midare with some gunome like inclusions, profuse sunagaeshi which spills over into the ji in places and kinsuji. The boshi is slightly midare-komi with very little kaeri.
Horimono: A bo-hi on both sides that finishes in the nakago between the two mekugi-ana.
Nakago: Suriage by probably 3 or 4 cm and machi-okuri, 2 mekugi-ana. Kiri-jiri, faint kiri yasurime are just visible and the bo-hi finishes in a pointed end. There is kin-zogan mei on the sashi-omote MASAMUNE and on the sashi-ura HON-A with kao.
This sword has a robust sugata that retains its elegance in spite of the suriage. Both the hamon and the jihada reflect the nie dominant hataraki, which together with the large itame-mokume-hada and mitsu-mune, associate the sword with old Soshu-den. The shape is both graceful and strong whilst the bo-hi provide the sword with a balance that makes it very easy to handle. It is in fine condition and all details are easy to see.
The nakago has a Honami kinzogan mei (gold inlay inscription) which attributes the sword to the famous Masamune of the late Kamakura period. (the inscription may be by Honami Koson Tadayoshi, the 12th master working between 1662 and 1679). As the sword has no modern Japanese authentication, it is impossible to say whether the attribution is correct or not. However, it does appear to be fine old Soshu-den workmanship, but as we know, swords such as this were heavily faked throughout sword history. It is also difficult to believe that it could have been taken out of Japan in the Meiji period by a non-Japanese. (it was the property of Alfred Dobree, an active collector in the early 20th century, who donated it to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London).
It is well known that Masamune is considered to be the most famous of all Japanese swordsmiths and is usually thought of as being the founder of the Soshu-den style of swordmaking in the late Kamakura period. This style was greatly influenced by both Yamashiro-den and Bizen-den but is quite distinct from them.
As Japan was under threat from a third Mongol invasion (two had already taken place in 1274 and 1281) the Kamakura shogunate encouraged the production of sturdier swords to combat this potential threat. Based at the capital city of Kamakura in Sagami province (Soshu) the swordsmiths fulfilled this need and Soshu-den was founded. It is considered that Masamune’s teacher (possibly his father) Shintogo Kunimitsu produced the first blades that could be called Soshu-den, but this was further developed and refined by Masamune who attracted many students from all over Japan. The ten most famous are known as the Masamune Jutetsu.
The three great masters of Soshu-den:
Top Go Yoshihiro, centre Masamune, bottom: Awataguchi Yoshimitsu
(from a kakemono in the author’s collection)
Masamune worked in both the late Kamakura and early Namboku-cho periods and he demonstrates the two distinct styles associated with these two periods, as did his top pupil, Sadamune. That is to say the later ones tend to have a wider mihaba and larger kissaki whilst the earlier are more like the sword here under discussion.
As this sword is still in the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, it seems unlikely that it will ever be sent to shinsa in Japan and receive any kind of authentication. This is rather a shame and typical of the unfortunate policy of museums in the UK. It is illustrated in The Japanese Sword – The Soul of the Samurai by Gregory Irvine (published by the V&A) where the author states in the picture’s caption: “the authenticity of the blade and the interpretation of the gold-inlay attribution must remain subject to question”.
This UK Sword Register has only appeared before in printed version in Token Society Programme 193, in Spring 2002 and has been updated here for our website.
Clive Sinclaire
Bexley, Feb 2007
