Page 271 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

173 Wakizashi blade 174 Tanto blade shapes (chdji midare), as on this blade.
Yasutsugu (d. 1646) Sagami no kami Masatsune Carvings are often by Umetada Myoju, as
steel (1534-1619) here, or by one of his disciples. The in-
blade length 34.9 (133/4) steel scriptions on the tang reads: Musashi
1
Edo period, iyth century blade lenth 28.5 (ii /^ Daijô Fujiwara Tadahiro. Tadahiro is a disci-
Tokyo National Museum Momoyama period, loth century ple of Umetada Myôju. The the twenty-fourth
day
the ninth month of
sixth year of
of
Sword Museum, Tokyo
The first of many swordsmiths to use the Kariei [1629], carving by Myôju at age
name Yasutsugu was born in the village of Important Art Object seventy-two—indicating that this work was
Shimosaka in Omi Province (present-day Sagami no kami Masatsune was a sword- a joint effort of master and student. HY
Shiga Prefecture) as Shimosaka Ichi- smith employed by the Tokugawa of
zaemon, and studied with Omiya Kane- Owari province, one of the three Toku- 176 Katana blade
tomi (fl. late sixteenth century), signing his gawa branch houses (gosanke). He was Echizen no kami Sukehiro (1637-1682)
works Shimosaka. He later moved to Echi- born in 1534 in Mino Province (part of
zen Province (part of present-day Fukui present-day Gifu Prefecture), where he steel
Prefecture), where he served the Matsu- studied under Kanetsune of Seki and was blade length 69.6 (273/8)
daira family. Around 1606 he was granted given the name Kanetsune, which was Edo period, 1677
the honor of using in his name the Japa- later changed to Masatsune; in 1592 he re- Tokyo National Museum
nese character yasu, from the given name ceived the honorary title Sagami no kami. Important Art Object
of Tokugawa leyasu. Thereupon he In 1600 he accompanied the fourth son of
changed his name to Yasutsugu and began Tokugawa leyasu (1543-1616), Matsudaira Echizen no kami Sukehiro was appren-
to serve the Tokugawa shogunal house as Tadayoshi (1580-1607), when he moved to ticed to the Osaka swordsmith Tsuda Su-
swordsmith. Successive generations of Kiyosu in Owari Province (present-day kehiro; he was adopted by his teacher and
swordsmiths who went by the name Yasut- Aichi Prefecture). After Tadayoshi's death, inherited his name. In 1657 he received
sugu were active until the late Edo period; Masatsune lived near Nagoya Castle and the honorary title Echizen no kami from
the first two generations served both the served the Owari Tokugawa. the court, and ten years after that he en-
shogunate in Edo and the Matsudaira fam- Masatsune's work belongs to the Seki tered the service of Aoyama Inaba no
ily of Echizen, but during the third gener- tradition of Mino province. The surface kami, a Tokugawa retainer who served as
ation the family divided into the Edo and texture is usually a mixture of itame (wood warden of Osaka Castle.
Echizen branches. Reflecting the influ- grain) and másame (straight grain), as can At first Sukehiro made temper lines
ence of Masamune (fl. late thirteenth- be seen on this fine blade. Typically his with irregular "clove" shapes (chôji mi-
early fourteenth century), the famous blades have a straight temper line (suguha), dare), like those of his teacher, but eventu-
swordsmith of the Kamakura period, and as in this example, or an undulating tem- ally he pioneered a beautiful and
his son Sadamune, the Yasutsugus style is per line (notareba). On this tanto, a short distinctive style of temper line reminiscent
characterized by an irregular temper line blade less than 30 centimeters (c. 12 of the shape of ocean waves known as
(midareba). Carvings in the blade of such inches) in length, has been carved a vivid tôran midare, as can be seen in this exam-
themes as dragons, Buddhist figures, and openwork depiction of the Kurikara ple. The shape of the blade, with a rather
trees are also typical of his work, mostly dragon, coiled around and about to swal- slight curve, was common in the Edo pe-
executed by Kinai Tomosuke (fl. early sev- low a ritual sword. The tang is inscribed riod, and it has a fine itame (woodgrain)
enteenth century) and his disciples. with the name of the smith, Sagami no surface texture. The inscription on the
This fine wakizashi blade, about 30 to kami Fujiwara Masatsune. HY front of the tang identifies the sword-
60 centimeters (c. 12 to 24 inches) long, smith, Tsuda Echizen no kami Sukehiro,
was made by the second-generation Yasu- and the date is recorded on the reverse, A
tsugu, who died in 1646. The itame (wood- 175 Katana blade day in the eight month of the fifth year of
grain) surface texture recalls the work of Musashi Daijô Tadahiro (1572-1632) Enpô [1677]. HY
Masamune and Sadamune, and the tem- steel
per line is described with large undulations blade length 58.9 (23 */s) 177 Katana blade
(notare). On the front side of the blade are Edo period, 1629 Osumi no Jo Masahiro (fl. early i7th
carvings by Kinai Tomosuke depicting the Tokyo National Museum century)
Buddhist deities Jizô Bosatsu, Fudô Myôô, Important Art Object steel
and Bishamonten; on the reverse is a carv- blade length 70.5 (273/4)
ing of the Kurikara dragon about to swal- This blade, somewhat shorter than the Momoyama period, 1606
low a ritual sword. Engraved on the front typical katana, was forged by Musashi
of the tang is a depiction of the hollyhock Daijô Tadahiro, born Hashimoto Shin- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tokyo
mon, which the Tokugawa allowed the zaemon Tadayoshi. Employed as a clan Important Cultural Property
Yasutsugu smiths to use; below it is an in- craftsman in the Nabeshima domain of Osumi no Jo Masahiro was an apprentice
scription that reads, With foreign iron, at Saga in Hizen Province, northern Kyushu, of the famous Kyoto swordsmith Hori-
Edo, Bushü, and on the reverse is inscribed he was sent to Kyoto in 1596 on clan order kawa Kunihiro (active late sixteenth-early
Echizen Yasutsugu, meaning that Yasu- to study with Umetada Myóju (1558-1631), seventeenth century). Masahiro's style is
tsugu of Echizen Province made the blade a famous carver of swords and maker of based on the style of the fourteenth-
at Edo in Bushü (Musashi Province) using, swords and metal fittings. Following his re- century smith Sadamune of Kamakura.
along with native iron, rare imported iron turn to Saga in 1598, his school prospered This fine example of Masahiro's work, typ-
from the West. HY and Hizen to, or swords of Hizen Province, ical of the Momoyama-period blade, is
became well known. He received the title wide with a slight curve and large point. It
Musashi Daijô in 1615 and changed his has an itame (woodgrain) surface texture,
name to Tadahiro. Hizen swords are char- and the temper line consists of small un-
acterized by a fine itame (woodgrain) sur- dulations (konotare). Inscribed on the front
face and temper lines that are either
straight (suguha} or have irregular "clove"

258