Ichi Dewa no Kami Yukihiro

[Brian]

Hi all,

I have been asked if I would post this for an opinion from the members. Understanding that gimei opinions are just that, the person asked if anyone has an opinion if this is shoshin or gimei.

What does strike me at first is that this is a katana, and according to Darcy's page here: http://www.nihonto.ca/hizen-yukihiro/

Continuing in this manner of "coded" signature items, he is known to sign katana with tachi-mei similar to the other members of the Hizen school, but signed wakizashi with katana-mei (i.e. sashi-omote)

This one is signed katana-mei. Is that significant?

(ETA - I did have to lighten the pic considerably, so the patina is off)

 

Regards,

Brian

[Brian]

Just been told that it is indeed a wakizashi, so that mei point is irrelevant.

 

I guess the kanti points are going to be as Darcy wrote then.

typical gunome midare (heavy on the midare) hamon based in nioi and utilizing ko-nie. There are various yubashiri and they congeal in places into tobiyaki floating above the hamon. Ji nie are sprinkled throughout the hada, clustering along the mune and forming muneyaki (this is also typical of the smith, that the activities begin to border on hitatsura). In the yakiba can be found kinsuji, sunagashi and yo throughout.

 

The jigane is a mix of dense ko-itame, with some mokume and O-hada here and there. There is a bit of roughness, and a couple of kitae ware, and it is possible that this is due to a mixture of the "Holland Steel" that is one of the features of this smith. He is noted to have produced a coarser and darker hada than the other members of the Hizen school.

 

Brian

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Accordin toko taikan there were several generations Yukihiro. Sandai Yukihiro is said signing this way but there is no oshigata.

[Eric H]

Shodai Yukihiro - a bit stretched photo, and two others.

 

Eric

[Brian]

Eric,

I think those last 2 are the same mei, just one close up.

 

Brian

[Eric H]

Brian

 

You are right.

 

Eric

[Clive Sinclaire]

I think that on the first nakago that Eric posted there is the additional "oite Orande Kitae Saku" engraved, meaning "Made by Dutch forging" and this refers to Yukihiro's trips to Nagasaki to learn about Dutch forging of firearms. Euguchi thinks this may just be a marketing gimick and Yukihiro could not have learned anything from the Dutch! Interesting Eh?

Clive Sinclaire

[Nobody]

I think that on the first nakago that Eric posted there is the additional "oite Orande Kitae Saku" engraved, meaning "Made by Dutch forging" and this refers to Yukihiro's trips to Nagasaki to learn about Dutch forging of firearms. Euguchi thinks this may just be a marketing gimick and Yukihiro could not have learned anything from the Dutch! Interesting Eh?

Clive Sinclaire

That is interesting. I did not notice the inscription.

More precisely, it reads “Motte Oranda-kitae saku” (my guess: 以阿蘭陀鍛作).

[reinhard]

Brian,

 

The mei "(Ichi) Dewa(no)Kami YUKIHIRO" was used by shodai YUKIHIRO and by later generations from the third one onwards. Mei put on sashi-omote of a wakizashi is not a problem here and most of the nakago's features look OK as well as the mei itself, but there is one doubtful thing about it: There was a particular treatment of the kanji "DE" in "Dewa" in this school and this mei is not showing it. The last(5th) stroke is supposed to end with a hook turning left. Maybe this sounds like hair-splitting to you, but Hizen ToKo were like this. F.e.the 2nd stroke of the kanji "Kuni" was done in exactly the same way by all nine generations of TADAYOSHI until the end of Edo-period and is an important feature for authentification. I'll provide you with some pictures for illustration. Top three examples are from shodai YUKIHIRO, bottom one is by nidai. - Nevertheless the mei in question could be by a later YUKIHIRO since they are poorly documented.

In order to prevent any future "arguments": It is possible to find contradictory examples in compilations like "ShinTo Taikan" by Iimura and others. I'm refering to Fujishiro's ShinTo-Hen, which is still considered to be one of the most reliable sources of information and some other more recent reference material.

 

reinhard

[Brian]

Thanks for that Reinhard. I will pass it on to the person interested. Great info.

This one looks like an interesting blade, and hopefully I will be able to post more pics shortly if all works out ok for the possible owner.

Much appreciated.

 

Brian

[Eric H]

This is a pic a made recently showing the Nakago of the papered Yukihiro. This is an early work of Shodai Yukihiro before he was given Dewa Daijo and it's made around Shoho era. There is also an excerpt from an article published by the Netherlands Token Society.

 

Eric