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Nariaki Blade


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REKKO MITO TOKUGAWA NARIAKI.

水戸列公

"Mito Rekko. Mito Tokugawa Nariaki born the third son of the seventh lord of Mito in the Kansei era, he was to become an exceptional man for exceptional times. Learned in the arts of statecraft and literature, a fine hand at calligraphy and a noted martial artist. He was every thing a samurai lord should be at a time when most were mere puppets filling the seats at the head of their governments. His energy, passion and innovation inspired many, like no other of his generation.

 

In Bunsei 12 he became Lord of Mito, not long after raised to the rank of Sangi (Counsellor) and was wed to an imperial princess. Thus strengthening the ties between Mito and the court, fitting for the han where the Emperors penultimate position had been “rediscovered”, and for a man that spread the restoration spirit wherever he went.

He called together masters of swordsmanship from all over his han and all over Japan. Taking the best techniques from the most prominent styles he developed Suifu Kendo.

 

Jozan-ryu naginata was developed from the naginata he designed. One with a short moro-ha blade of shallow sori that could easily cut and thrust, moving forward or backward or to any side with deadly results just as the serpent of Jozan mountain was said to do. Sekiyama says it was “the scientific weapon of his time period.”

 

Rekko also took an interest in the development of modern arms, fostering the han armoury. Suggesting his own improvements to the matchlocks then in use and opening a foundry where cannon were cast and rifles manufactured. Shinpatsu ryu hojutsu, a school of artillery still holds that their tradition was founded by Rekko himself.

 

It is little wonder then that such an active mind would turn it’s attention to the sword, as it did in Tempo 4 or 5. Originally he worked with Katsumura Norikatsu as his teacher, later he studied with Naoe Sukemasa and then his son Naoe Suketomo. Fujishiro says that he only did the yakiire but you have to wonder would a man so physically and mentally active have been content to stand by and watch only to have the near finished blade handed to him to be fired?

 

Additionally how would you explain the appearance of signature kitae the Yakumo-kitae that sets his work apart from that of either of his teachers? If they were doing the forging wouldn’t this feature show up in their work?

As to workmanship he made blades that were not quite on the grand scale of Norikatsu’s but with high shinogi and wide shinogi-ji with a flowing itame hada that becomes quite large and distinct, looking for all the world like two different metals mixed together and it is that layered look that gives his particular grain its name Yakumo or cirrus cloud grain.

 

Rekko’s hamon are nie deki sugu-ha perhaps reflecting Norikatsu and gunome midare are occasionally seen. His nakago were slender in comparison to the blade and thinned down quite a bit having much less “niku”, he cut straight yasuri sometimes finished with kessho yasuri and rather than a signature he carved a Tokei-mon.

 

Now the tokei mon looks like a clock as the name implies but in Mito it is known as Aoi kuzushi, simplified Aoi. It is just that a simple sketch of an Aoi mon, symbol of the powerful family to which he belonged. Interestingly Tsunaishi calls it Kiku kuzushi, perhaps he believes this is Rekko’s tip of the hat to the emperor and the Kiku saku works of his illustrious ancestor Gotoba.

He seems to have worked mostly within Mito at Hakkizan 白旗山 where there was a workshop for the han smiths. Many blades were produced here and these were signed with a kind trademark Mito mei and referred to by the locals as “Yagura-to”, storehouse swords. Sekiyama cautions us though that these should not be dismissed as kazu-uchi works in spite of what people say they are of better quality than one might think and are hard to find nowadays

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As to the works of Rekko his were certainly superior and though not as rare as the swords made by other han lords they are still hard to find. Several were lost in the war years and now most are only found in museums. Several years ago at the NBTHK convention in Kobe this author had the rare pleasure of seeing one of his blades up close and personal. An exceptionally strong work it came, interestingly, at the end of a hands on display of more than 80 Tokuju, Jubi and Kokuho blades which we had spent hours poring over, but Rekko we found was strictly hands off!

 

He never signed his swords so you should remember that any blade signed Nariaki, or Rekko is undoubtedly gimei. Nearly all extant are like the sword he forged as a gift for the Kashima-jingu, and now in the Mito Toshogu, carefully preserved in paulownia shirasaya with sayagaki in Rekko’s own skillful hand

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Ostensibly Nariaki built his foundry and strengthened his army to protect the country against the growing threat of foreign invasion, however he was viewed upon with suspicion by the government and was sentenced to domicilliary confinement in 1844. It is likely that he forged most of his blades during this period. With the coming of Perry in 1853 he was proved right and was released and placed in charge of national defense. He soon ran afoul of the bakufu once again when he pushed for his own son Hitotsubashi Keiki, to be made the next shogun. He was opposed by Ii Naosuke who sought to mollify the foreigners and strengthen the shogunate. Nariaki’s backroom lobbying got him into trouble and he was again confined, while others who had aided him in his cause were banished or put to death in Ii’s Ansei housecleaning

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It was for this reason that the Mito men harboured such a serious grudge against the Tairo. Though they were ronin everyone knew they carried out his assassination to uphold the honor of Mito and their lord Rekko. Rekko himself did not live long enough to enjoy the new Japan which his men had given life to, he died later in the same year that his nemesis was killed, 1860"

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About nariaki, cutting edge:66cm Sori:1.2cm Jigane: yakumo-kitae Hamon:suguha
Koshirae:fuchi kashira:silver of shibuichi. perts of saya copper mixed material. Tsuba amida yasurime of iron of fukurin of shakudou

 

2800 GBP.........Tony Creed.....crdtny@yahoo.co.uk

 

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