Ichihara Ichiryushi Nagamitsu and 'Crow Castle'

Bugyotsuji · July 23, 2013

Rich, no sources are quoted, but I fed the wording into a URL window and several came up, including two articles on Japanese prisons, one at fresheye, J wikipedia, and in the Gree page on prison governors here, related historical events.

http://dic.gree.net/entry/%E5%88%91%E5% ... /http%3Cbr

There is a paragraph describing in more detail the above scenario:

日本刀製作を指導した刑務官

江村繁太郎

大東亜戦争中、岡山刑務所長、江村繁太郎は愛刀家であり前任地の四国・高松刑務所時代、教化事業としての刀剣製作を着想、計画した。岡山刑務所刀剣工場での刀剣製作事業は、受刑者への単なる授産事業ではなく、命がけの教化事業だった。一刑務官が手慰みの趣味で行ったものではなく、法務省=国が公認した「国営事業」で、鍛造、研磨他100名を超す日本一とも言える大規模な刀剣製作工場だった。鍛造に機械ハンマーが用いられ、鍛造、研磨は分業化し、従来の零細個人作刀とは違う工業的製作法が採り入れられていた。炭や資材がふんだんに使えた。刀剣製作に携わった受刑者達の多くは出所見込みの無い重刑者であり、全国から選り抜かれた受刑者が集められた。彼等は、刀剣製作に自らの生き甲斐と意義を見い出し、積極的且つ真摯に仕事に取り組んでいた。焼入れと銘切りは必ず江村所長が行っていた。これら刑務所で造られた日本刀は江村刀と呼ばれる軍刀である。

脚注

Anyone need a full translation? (Roughly... Having found it was a good idea when this lover of Japanese swords was formerly governor of the prison in Takamatsu, he created a government recognized National Project within Okayama Prison with over a hundred smiths, polishers etc., said to be the largest such endeavour in Japan at the time and using hardened lifers chosen from throughout the country. Emura the governor always quenched them and cut the Mei on every one of these gunto, and thus they came to be called Emura swords.)

cabowen · July 23, 2013

To clear up a few things...

First, signing a blade with "such and such castle 下" is seen in swords at least as far back as shinto and it continues to the present. A castle town in Japan is called a "jo shita machi"; or, literally, a "town beneath a castle". Most Japanese castles are built on top of a plateau and so they are above the town that usually rests down below them. The "jo shita" simply means in the environs of the castle town, not in the castle.

Secondly, it seems the Nagamitsu/Emura as the same person myth just refuses to die.....If one has a look at the book "Dai Nihon Token Shoko Meikan" you will find separate names and addresses for Ichihara Nagamitsu and Chounsai Emura. They had different names, lived in different places, and made different swords. I call that conclusive evidence that they were in fact two different people.

Bugyotsuji · July 23, 2013

Many of these zombies around. If possible I will try to get to the bottom of this at this end. At least I hope I am open to any possibility!

Rich S · July 23, 2013

Thanks Chris, glad to put this baby to bed for good. While the pages found by Piers are interesting, I don't think they really contribute to the Emura/Nagamitsu debate, other than confuse the issue once again (no offense meant Piers - still interesting pages). I think Chris and others have conclusively proven that they are different smiths. (I'm glad - would hate to have to totally

rewrite those webpages :-)

Rich S

cisco-san · July 23, 2013

Anyone else think that sword has a crack in the nakago on the ha side, above the upper mekugi-ana?

By the way, is this kind of flaw a fatal flaw and what can be the reason for?

Thanks!

cabowen · July 23, 2013

First of all, we do not know for sure if it is a flaw. It may well be something else entirely.

If it was a crack, it would be fatal in my opinion. YMMV.

Bugyotsuji · July 24, 2013

Just an update to the Ujo vs Karasu Castle debate.

When I floated this discussion today, a very influential local elderly gentleman was most indignant at the thought that anyone might call Ujo 'karasu-jo'. The word karasu is an insult, he said, visibly agitated. Karasu can have many meanings but most of them are not complimentary. If some internet katana shop says karasu-jo, then they are simply ignorant, he expostulated.

cisco-san · July 24, 2013

First of all, we do not know for sure if it is a flaw. It may well be something else entirely.

If it was a crack, it would be fatal in my opinion. YMMV.

Thanks !!

"YMMV"??

cabowen · July 24, 2013

YMMV= your mileage may vary.....means you may have a different opinion.....

cisco-san · July 24, 2013

YMMV= your mileage may vary.....means you may have a different opinion.....

Thanks for inormation

By the way, what could be a reason for such flaw (if it is a flaw :-) ) - I guess forging flaw...?

Thanks

cabowen · July 24, 2013

Forging perhaps. Hard to think of it happening during yaki-ire but maybe that is possible as well....

george trotter · July 24, 2013

Just on Ujo - Karasujo...I seem to remember (30+ years ago) that the only reason the castle was referrred to as karasu was because it is actually black (as opposed to the pure white usually seen). Whoever explained it to me back then said there were (at least?) two other karasujo in Japan...so maybe 3 black castles?

regards,

PS John..yes, I remember having tea in Korakuen there with Ando Hiromichi who was a big sword dealer in the 80s...I think his son? is running Ando Trading now since Hiromichi's death.

Lovely winter sunshine I seem to remember.....

Eric Santucci · July 24, 2013

Just an update to the Ujo vs Karasu Castle debate.

When I floated this discussion today, a very influential local elderly gentleman was most indignant at the thought that anyone might call Ujo 'karasu-jo'. The word karasu is an insult, he said, visibly agitated. Karasu can have many meanings but most of them are not complimentary. If some internet katana shop says karasu-jo, then they are simply ignorant, he expostulated.

Piers,

Was he upset at the notion that someone was referring to U-jo has Karasu-jo because those are two different castles and he was annoyed that someone would mix them up? Or is he saying that "Karasu-jo" in general is an offensive term overall?

The reasoning I ask is because any internet search will clearly show that Karasu-jo is used as a reference for Matsumoto Castle, while U-jo is being used to reference a different castle in Okayama.

Further, just to clarify on the "some internet shop" comment....the translation of karasu-jo was made by more than one person/place (not just an internet shop) and at least in the case of my blade being translated it was originally noted by someone who is a quite well known authority in the field.

Bugyotsuji · July 24, 2013

Forgive me, Eric, I just used the expression of 'internet shop in Tokyo' in the conversation (in Japanese) with him to avoid naming anyone in particular. I am not really conscious where it is/was used, or by whom. If anyone feels offended, then I apologize. I wanted to convey the strength of local opinion on this issue but wasn't sure how.

I did not mention Matsumoto Jo to him, so I have no idea about how people in that area feel about the name, although if that is what it is called there then they are probably used to it and even think of the name proudly and in a positive light.

So the quick answer is that yes, he was offended that anyone might call Okayama Castle Karasu Jo as karasu has a negative connotation around here. Pimps, for example are called Karasu, that is to say, men who stand in the street pulling in customers for the ladies waiting inside.

As I said in a previous post, 'karasu' is not a 'wrong' reading for the Kanji per se, it is just not used for Ujo, (Okayama Castle) as you correctly state.

Eric Santucci · July 24, 2013

Hi Piers,

No offense taken! It is all good. Just wanted to clarify exactly what the local was thinking.

Interesting info provided on the term "karasu" in general - the language and expressions are a forever-long learning experience for me.

Thanks again for looking into this for us and all of your information; it is invaluable to hear information like this directly from the locals there and receive this rich amount of information to discuss; I know I am very much appreciative of it.