UK Sword Register.

No. 60

Type: Shinshinto Naginata

Nagasa:            37.3 cm             Moto-haba:    2.6 cm              Saki-haba:    2.7 cm

Sugata:             Naginata of smallish proportions, typical naginata-hi, strong saki-zori.

Jihada:              Small but coarse ko-itame nagare hada.

Hamon:             Gunome-choji in ko-nie and nioi, many ashi, yo and the occasional tobiyaki. Starts with a straight yakidashi and becomes wider towards the kissaki, almost reaching the shinogi in many places. The boshi is weak but appears to be ko-maru with kaeri.

Nakago:            Ubu with one mekugi-ana. Sujikai yasurime at the top but sensuki for most of its length. Signed: CHOSHU JUNIN FUJIWARA KIYOSHIGE SAKU.

This naginata is of the small proportions often seen in the shinto and shinshinto periods and usually referred to as women’s naginata, being the preferred weapon of women of rank (even today, the martial art of naginata-do is largely the province of women – some quite formidable!). The overall impression is of a wide and active hamon but on closer inspection it seems somewhat rough and coarse and lacks depth, although this may have something to do with the quality of the polish as well. The jihada is quite difficult to see but seems to be a small “running” itame and as stated above, the boshi is weak, possibly due to fire damage. As with many naginata, the hi or grooves lack the quality and precision that one might expect to see on the hi carved on sword blades. Also, the sensuki yasurime are common to most polearms.

Choshu province (or Nagato) is not one normally associated with great sword production, although the tsuba makers of Hagi, the capital city of the province, were renowned. During the koto period, the main school was that of Sa Yasuyoshi who went to Choshu from Chikuzen province. In shinto times, the Nio group moved to Choshu from neighbouring Suo Province and became known as the Choshu Nio. It is probable that they were invited and patronised by the Mori clan to service their swordmaking requirements.

As for the naginata under discussion, it was made by a member of the Kiyoshige group, the founder of which, Hachisaemonjo. Fujishiro lists Kiyoshige as Chujosaku and states that he was a good carver of horimono and may have come from Yamato province, but I believe he is referring to the sandai. As with this naginata, the works of this smith are said to resemble late Mino Seki work, although his better works resemble Naoe Shizu (Kaneuji). There appear to be seven generations named Kiyoshige all signing in the manner of this naginata and sometimes including the name of Hagi. They worked from the middle shinto period (about 1660 – 1^st generation) up to the end of the shinshinto period. It seems that they may have a close connection with the previously mentioned Nio school as Kiyoshige was a common name of the Nio and the character for Nio was certainly included in the mei of the nidai, at least. However, it is thought that the present naginata is by a later generation, maybe the sixth or seventh, dating from Bakamatsu period (the mid-19^th century).

Located at the extreme west of Japan’s main island of Honshu the province was in a strategically important position, being able to control the straits of Shimonoseki that divided Honshu from Kyushu and is the gateway to the Inland Sea. The daimyo of Choshu (the Mori family) were tozama or outer daimyo, traditionally antagonistic to the ruling Tokugawa shoguns. They played a large part in the Meiji Restoration and it was from the ex-samurai of the Choshu clan, that the officer corps of the Imperial Japanese Army, was largely formed.

Clive Sinclaire, Bexley, September 2002

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