"Kuwana" Blades

Baka Gaijin · January 18, 2009

Good Morning Everyone,

On the Kashima sisters Usagiya site they mention the term "Kuwana" in the context of fake signatures:

Quote:

"This is a Shin-shinto blade with a fake signature "Sukesada". Such a blade that Shin-shinto with Koto signature is called "Kuwana-blade. Kuwana-blade was made as originally trick blade. That is popular in 19th century."

Unquote:

Can anyone expand upon this?

Cheers

Malcolm

Nobody · January 18, 2009

This is a theory I heard somewhere long time ago.

Such blades are usually called Kuwana-uchi (桑名打ち: blades forged in Kuwana). Kuwana is a city of Tokaido, and many tourists including the visitors to Ise Shrine passed through the city. Many souvenir swords for them had been made originally as known fakes.

Jacques · January 18, 2009

Hi,

This is a Shin-shinto blade with a fake signature "Sukesada". Such a blade that Shin-shinto with Koto signature is called "Kuwana-blade. Kuwana-blade was made as originally trick blade. That is popular in 19th century

If my memories are good, this blade was made by Koyama Munetsugu, and not made for tourists. Despite it is gimei, this kind of blade must be considered such as utsuchi.

Koyama Munetsugu moved with Lord Matsudaira for whom he worked when the latter took the city of Kuwana under his authority.

Nobody · January 18, 2009

The blades made by Koyama Munetsugu when he was in Kuwana are surely called “Kuwana-uchi of Koyama Munetsugu”. However; I think that the Kuwana-uchi in this topic is another story.

Jacques · January 18, 2009

Hi,

I've refound the blade in question:

http://www.to-ken.com/

See articles and KOYAMA MUNETSUGU - Author Clive Sinclaire Modified May 2008 Sword number 3.

Baka Gaijin · January 18, 2009

Thanks to you both Moriyama san and Jacques D for the information.

Reading through the To-Ken G.B. article in the link given, it mentions a feature being blue colour in the Jigane.

This reminds me of the depiction of Nihon - To in 19th Century woodblock prints.

Again Gentlemen thank you for your information.

Cheers

Malcolm

Jean · January 18, 2009

Agreed with Moriyama san, there was an article on the topic by late Jim Kurrash on his website.

Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini · January 18, 2009

The blades made by Koyama Munetsugu when he was in Kuwana are surely called “Kuwana-uchi of Koyama Munetsugu”. However; I think that the Kuwana-uchi in this topic is another story.

If I've got all correctly, indeed seems they aren't the same blade :

Jacques · January 18, 2009

Hi,

Apologies for the mix-up. As i've not seen this blade (the one on Kashima sisters's site), when i have read Sukesada and shinshinto smith i immediately think Kuwana-mono, and as i have no interest for tourist items, kuwana mono makes me think Munetsugu and his students.

Jean · January 19, 2009

"Kuwana blades" were traditionally made/forged, copy of Bizen blades and signed accordingly with Bizen names. I have seen a Kuwana "Norimitsu" blade which was really very good. Two give away : the mei and a nengo added later not by the same hand.

Kuwana blades are not necessarily synonym of poor quality blades (refer to Usagiya comments of the blade :

The steel is fine

;

The blade quality is not so bad as Shin-shinto, the steel is fine and the temper line is bright, the hamon exists wide enough.

)

Jacques · January 19, 2009

Hi,

Mister Tacchini,

The next time, please, can you try to show the good blade? The one you show above is not the Sukesada utsushi.

Below, the good blade:

Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini · January 19, 2009

Hi,

Mister Tacchini,

The next time, please, can you try to show the good blade? The one you show above is not the Sukesada utsushi.

Below, the good blade:

If I've got all correctly,

And please next time you should try to be more precise.

Still seems not the one of the topic.

Brian · January 19, 2009

Why are we even talking about individual blades when the topic seems to be about a generalized term known as "Kuwana blades" in general?

This seems to be a commonly used term that might not apply strictly in every case, but is used to denote a specific type of faking that happened.

Brian

PS - Jacques, please watch that tone

Jean · January 19, 2009

Kuwana blades :

From memory (because I have not read Jim Kurrash's article for years):

At the end of the 16th century after the flood which lead to the destruction of Osafune, some Bizen smiths migrated to other provinces and in particular in Ise where they kept on signing "Bizen/Bishu ....".

It is by extension, that blades forged during the 19th, not originating from Bizen and wearing "bizen" mei were called Kuwana blades.

Brian · January 19, 2009

....because I have not read Jim Kurrash's article for years...

Kuwana Uchi
by Jim Kurrasch

Well finding out the following was just one of those projects that one steps in every once in a while. It started about 10 years ago when I purchased a wakizashi in poor polish. It was signed Bishu Osafune Norimitsu . It has bô hi with soe hi on both sides. A shakudo foil habaki, and hamon in ito suguha with activity. There was mokume hada visible along the hamon. It had been a ko-katana but was suriage. And is now a ô-wakizashi. The price was not too bad and there was enough of interest so it was worthy of further study. Since purchase this sword has been at the back of my gun safe. In fact it was so far back that I knew that I did not have a Bizen blade for study.

As we were about to finish up the study on Bizen I re-found this blade and brought it in. Sam offered to clean it up since he wanted to study the steel on a Norimitsu. Well the next time we talked he told me that it had masame grain, and was a evil blade (it had cut him for no reason). But the steel felt like Sue Koto.

This started me thinking of information that I had read recently about kuwana uchi. Near the end of the Koto period, as the sword making conditions of Bizen were worsening, some of the swordsmiths left for other parts of Japan. And a group went to the town of Kuwana, in Ise Province. Ise was the province that Muramasa (another evil sword maker) was from. Kuwana was the town where the Ise family lived in the 16th. Century.

Some of the names these smiths signed with were; Norimitsu, Sukemitsu, and Sukesada. One of the hints for blades that are out of polish is that they lack niku (Oh-Oh). In polish they tend to lack visible grain, with the exception of occasional ô-hada (that's better). But Ise is right between Yamato and Mino provinces, which means masame kitae is pretty common (another Oh-Oh). The katana tend to be on the short side (and another Oh-Oh). Carvings tend to be what-ever the swordsmith used (and Norimitsu carved bô-hi with soe-hi). This was definitely becoming a Oh S*%$.

So what are my thoughts at this time? Well it is not a bad blade. It is Koto, pretty tight, has kinsuji, and Sam will tell the world that it cuts well (and might even be evil). Actually there are plenty of persons around that would improve their collections with blades such as this. And some love a sword with a evil reputation (maybe I should keep it as a Burglar Slicer). But if I send it in for shinza, I am taking a hammer and chisel along in case it is called gi-mei. I am sure it is not kuwana uchi because it has nice visible hada, and a clearutsuri has started to show. The clear utsuri is a characteristic that the Norimitsu kept up to their last swordsmiths. But if it is called kuwana uchi, well then it is what it is.