Taira Shigeyuki

[cisco-san]

Hello,

 

I tried to find some information about Taira Shigeyuki. But except the information from Markus´s book and from Hawley´s book I found no additional information - neither in TK nor in Fjuishiro´s Nihon Toko Jiten.

As I know, currently only 3 smith signed with Taira Shigeyuki (平重行) - see below form Markus´s book.

I guess this Mei is not from the first Shigyuki.

 

Shigeyuki (重行), Ōan (応安, 1368-1375), Bungo – „Taira Shigeyuki“ (平重行), he lived in Bungo´s Takada (高田) and according to transmission a student of Tomoyuki (友行) and the ancestor of the Shigeyuki line

Shigeyuki (重行), Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Bungo – „Taira Shigeyuki“ (平重行), Takada school

Shigeyuki (重行), Tenshō (天正, 1573-1592), Bungo – „Taira Shigeyuki“ (平重行), Takada school

 

Therefore I would kindly ask if somebody has more information about this smith (smith line).

 

Many thanks in advance

Klaus

edit:typo

[cisco-san]

Has really nobody additionl information about this smith(line)?!

 

Thanks

Klaus

[John A Stuart]

From the Nihon Koto Shi.

The Takada school of which founder is Tomoyuki of the previous period lived in Bungo Province as well and demonstrated more powerful and characteristic workmanship than that of the Bungo-Ryokai school. The school thrived through to shinto times. There are three groups in the school, one is the smiths who use a character of ‘Yuki’ for their smith names and others are the ones who use characters of ‘Mori’ or ‘Shizu’ for their smith names. Incidentally, almost shinto smiths of this school use ‘Yuki’ for their smith names. Shigeyuki is a student of Tomoyuki and Nagamori is a student of Shigeyuki. Shigeyuki and the smiths of his lineage use the clan name of ‘Taira’ in their mei and then all smiths of this school came to use the clan name of ‘Taira’. Therefore the smiths belong to the lineage of Nagamori is called ‘Taira-Takada’. Swordsmith directories say that there are two generations of Nagamori, the first generation was active in the Oei or Choroku Era and the second generation in the Eisho Era. Though, we can see their extant works with production years of the Eisho and Daiei Eras, these correspond to the second generation. It seems that the main lineage of the Takada school was not very active in this period, but the smiths who used ‘Mori’ and ‘Shizu’ for their smith names, left many extant works. The first and the second generations of Nagamori were skilful smiths, but Shizumori and Shizunori are only mediocre smiths. As a whole, the Takada school tempered gunome-midare, ko-notare and sugu-ha and forged jigane with chikei and a kind of chafe, particularly the hataraki of the ji is emphasised in the jigane of Shizumori and the smiths of his lineage. Nagamori tempered hoso-sugu-ha, gunome mixed with choji and hitatsura and occasionaly forged dense ko-itame-hada (sometimes nashiji-hada) and carved koshi-bi and elaborate kurikara in relief. The horimono was one of their traditions started by Yukihira. They tempered hoso-sugu-ha on tanto and forged nashiji-hada and in this case therefore, the tanto looks like one of the Kamakura Period at a glance. There is an extant work of Shizumori with a production year of the Tenbun Era. Shizunori appears to have been active a little later than Shizumori. There is an extant tanto of Shizumori with wide mi-haba and the hamon is gentle o-notare. Shizunori was the maker of famous ‘Gondo no Naginata’, which looks like Yosozaemon no Jo Sukesada at a glance and it is no exageration to say that the naginata is the best work of the school. The nickname of Gondo’ comes from a retainer, one Gondo of Kuroda Josui who is said to have killed a tiger with the naginata during the expedition against Korea.

John

[cisco-san]

Dear John,

 

many thanks for information!

 

Klaus