Muramasa

[nihonto1001]

Muramasa, who lived in Kuwana of Ise Province, is a well-known smith and one theory says that he was a student of Masamune, but today it is accepted that this is a groundless theory. His earliest production date is the Bunki Era, followed by the Eisho. It is speculated that there were three generation of Muramasa, inferring from the different workmanships. Masashige, Masazane and Fujimasa, who is believed to have been the students of Muramasa, were active in the same period. Muramasa and his school (Sengo) temper o-notare mixed with gunome which resembles that of Heianjo Nagayoshi. It reminds us of the close connection between Muramasa and Nagayoshi. Also Muramasa demonstrates a workmanship that has a close resemblance to No Sada (Izumi no Kami Kanesada) of the Sue-Seki school. There is an extant work of No Sada with the mei of ‘Oite Ise Yamada Kore Saku’ and a tanto that Muramasa make in Seki with Seki Kanenori. Muramasa makes a unique nakago called tanago-bara and the Shitahara school of Musashi province also show this. A theory says that Muramasa passed it on to Shitahara smiths. Shitahara smiths presented their swords to the Kuwana Shrine so it is speculated that the both schools had a close relationship.

 

This is great stuff. Never knew there was a relationship between Nosada, Shitahara smiths and Muramasa. Further research suggests that Muramasa may have even been a student of Nosada.

[cabowen]

Here is more food for thought from http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%91%E6%AD%A3:

 

村正（むらまさ）は、伊勢国桑名（現在の三重県桑名市）で活躍した刀工の名。または、その作になる日本刀の名。同銘で数代あるとみられる。別称は「千子村正」（せんじむらまさ、せんごむらまさ）。

 

村正は、濃州赤坂左兵衛兼村の子で、赤坂千手院鍛冶の出と伝えられている。

 

「村正」の銘は、桑名の地で代々受け継がれ、江戸時代初期まで続いた。同銘で少なくとも3代まで存在するというのが定説である。村正以外にも、藤村、村重等、「村」を名乗る刀工、正真、正重等、「正」を名乗る刀工が千子村正派に存在する。江戸時代においては「千子正重」がその問跡を幕末まで残している。

 

なお、4代目以降、「千子」と改称したと言われているが、これは徳川家が忌避する「村正」の帯刀を大名や旗本が避けるようになったことが原因と考えられている[1]。

 

Muramasa is the mei used by smith active in Ise Kuwana, present day Kuwana city in Mie Prefecture. Several generations are seen afterward with the same mei. Also known as "Sengo Muramasa".

 

Muramasa was the son of Noshu Akasaka Sahyoue Kanemura. He came from the Akasaka Senjuin smith line, according to tradition.

 

The mei "Muramasa" was used by successive generations of smiths from Kuwana up until the beginning of the Edo era. While scarce, there are works up to the sandai still in existence, according to accepted opinion. Other than Muramasa, there were smiths from this group that signed Fujimura, Murashige, and others, using the "mura" kanji. There are also Masazane, Masashige, and others, who used the "masa" kanji. In the Edo period, the Sengo Masashige line remained active until the Bakumatsu.

 

Furthermore, from the 4th generation on, "Sengo" was used instead of the mei "Muramasa" possibly due to the Tokugawa family's aversion to the name and the Daimyo and Hatamoto wanting to avoid wearing such swords...

 

Sorry, forgot to add the translation.

[peter]

Hello All

I to would like to know more on this school and smiths as I now have my item in hand I bought from Hoanh ( viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20149 )

I can not find much more than wiki has to say about the mad Muramasa and the sharpness of his blades, I thought there would be more on such an unusual nakago to try to ascertain a smith, school of indeed era, for my new piece, Any help as always much Appreciated,

Peter

[nihonto1001]

Here is more food for thought from http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%91%E6%AD%A3:

 

So, because of the Tokugawa, it seems likely that the Muramasa 'den' bifurcated into another (or other) school/s. Perhaps Shitahara?

[Eric H]

and a tanto that Muramasa make in Seki with Seki Kanenori

...with Seki Kanenaga

Eric

[nihonto1001]

Hi Eric:

 

That is an excellent piece of history there. Interesting how the habaki is Ashikaga mon.

 

That is not my quote though. It was quoted from a previous thread.

[Darcy]

It's from the NBTHK website in the History of Nihonto by Honma Junji and possibly someone typoed the Kanenaga when translating it. Very cool to see the work.

 

The yasurime are interesting too here. It's sure nice to be able to dig that photo out and show it.

 

Anyway it does go on with what I was getting at with the work style, it is in the Mino circle and doesn't look so much like Soshu. I think that with Muramasa, fame is something that comes after the work period and as such a lot of confusion got into the history. Details which had been lost have to be rediscovered and separated from the hype which has been done in the present. The old talk about him being a student of Masamune put more Soshu emphasis on his reputation than what there is when you look at the work. Heianjo Nagayoshi, Kanesada, Kanemoto, this is the environment around Muramasa. As such the connection to Soshu is very tenuous and doesn't bear out in the work style. Many of the top middle and late Muromachi smiths seem to try their hands at hitatsura though from time to time with varying degrees of success but more flavored with their home style than it being original Soshu. Often time though they are much better than the equivalent work being done at the same period in time by smiths still in Sagami. It just shows how far the Soshu den fell that smiths in Mino and Bizen often do a better job with it than the Sagami smiths.

 

And the Mino circle also bears out in the reputation of the blades being sharp.

[cabowen]

Hello All

I to would like to know more on this school and smiths as I now have my item in hand I bought from Hoanh ( viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20149 )

I can not find much more than wiki has to say about the mad Muramasa and the sharpness of his blades, I thought there would be more on such an unusual nakago to try to ascertain a smith, school of indeed era, for my new piece, Any help as always much Appreciated,

Peter

 

 

The definitive source of research on the Muramasa line, as far as I am aware, is the entry in volume 5 of Dr. Fukunaga's Nihonto Dai Hyakka Jiten.

[Jussi Ekholm]

Some info in English can be found In Afu translation of Nihonto Koza: Koto part 1 and Art and the Sword Issue 8. I can really recommend Art and the Sword issue 8 as there is lots of interesting information in there.

[NihontoEurope]

Here is a good example of the relationship, maybe even the "Masa" was inherited to the school?