leo Posted February 15, 2010 Report Posted February 15, 2010 Dear Members! Even though I have been collecting and dealing Nihonto for a few decades myself, I now need some professional help. A while ago I acquired a good tachi from Japan. I resold it later to a fellow collector who loves it, so it is not up for sale! I included pictures of blade, nakago, mei and Tokubetsu Hozon paper. It is signed BISHU KORE JU YASUSADA 備州之住泰貞 and the NBTHK attributed it to HOKKE 法華 school. The Japanese seller told me, this smith was a student of HOKKE ICHIJO, an artisan who is not unknown to me. Accordingly the blade should be, I suppose, from the late Nanbokucho to early Oei-period. I tried my best to trace this particular YASUSADA, but without success (shame). Now, as I still owe some profund information to my collector friend, I hope that someone among you who owns more Japanese literature than I do, can find out more about this smith. Many thanks, Martin S Quote
Nobody Posted February 15, 2010 Report Posted February 15, 2010 Unfortunately, I could not find any additional information about your Yasusada. BTW, the seller did not say that Yasusada was a student of Hokke Ichijo. The seller only said that one of famous smiths of Hokke school was Ichijo in the explanation about the school. The seller still leaves the page of sold item. ( http://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/08137.html ) Quote
Stephen Posted February 15, 2010 Report Posted February 15, 2010 think we need to change Nobody to 探偵 , hope i have the right kanji...once more fantastic work Koichi san. Quote
John A Stuart Posted February 15, 2010 Report Posted February 15, 2010 I'd like to hear more about this school if anyone has info. The Buddhist Hokke sect of which Ichijo was a monk must be where he learned his art from the Mihara smiths which were aligned with the temples there if I remember right. I think during this period there was basically two groups to make swords for; the Ashikaga of Kyoto (Northern Court) and allies, trying to fill the gap left by the Kamakura shogunate and the forces of Emp. Go Daigo in Yoshino. The temples supported Go Daigo and the smiths of Mihara made swords for the Southern Court. Kyoto and Yoshino are pretty close to each other and Bingo province was fairly far west. This is just from memory so if wrong please correct me. It is later that the Ashikaga confiscated temple weapons after winning the war. John Quote
leo Posted February 15, 2010 Author Report Posted February 15, 2010 Dear Koichi san! Thanks for the fast reply! That´s exactly where I bought it! Good research! Apparently then I misunderstood the info which was given to me. I should learn to read Japanese soon! Also I drew the wrong conclusion probably because the announced age of the blade falls into about the same period as the working period of HOKKE ICHIJO (1350-1398) If even you could not find anything about the smith, chances are getting slimmer! Many thanks, Martin S Quote
John A Stuart Posted February 16, 2010 Report Posted February 16, 2010 I was trying to find more information about the school. Hokke Ichijo was the student Nobuyie in the line of Kokubunji Sukekuni a ko-Mihara smith who taught Ichijo Kaneyuki the founder of the Ichijo school. When looking at swords of the school it would be hard to differentiate them from Mihara swords, I've gathered some if you want. Sho-shin has a tree of the Ichijo school, although no Yasusada within it. I am having trouble finding a smith using that form of 'Yasu'. I include the diagram of Sho-shin. John ICHIJO School - ASHIDA MIHARA SUGUHA with ASHI, GUNOME-MIDARE BA in the OEI HOKKE: Banner for NICHIREN-SHU "Shinning Lotus of the Sun" __________________ KOKUBUNJI SUKEKUNI ___|___________ _________ ICHIJO KANEYUKI ASHIDA O-AN 1368 YUKIYOSHI(2) TEI-JI 1362 |_______________ ___________ ____________ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ ____|____ MASAKANE KANEYUKI KANEYASU YUKIYOSHI(3) O-EI 1394 KYO-TOKU 1452 O-EI 1394 O-AN 1368 ____|____ _________ YUKIYOSHI(4) EI-KYO 1429 SUYETSUGU(1) BUN-WA 1352 ____|____ ____|____ __________ _________ YUKIYOSHI(5) BUN-MEI 1469 SUYETSUGU(2) CHIKATSUGU KANETSUGU ____|____ O-AN 1368 - EN-BUN 1356 - YUKIYOSHI(6) EI-SHO 1504 _______ _________ _______ NOBUIYE O-EI 1394 NOBUTSUGU MORIIYE(1) TEI-JI 1362 |____________________ HOKKE "Lotus" ICHIJO School ___|___ ___________|___ |__________________________ MORIIYE(2) ASHIDA KANEKIYO ___|__ - brothers - ___|___ O-EI 1394 O-AN 1368 ICHIJO(1) ICHIJO Founder NICHIJO | O-EI 1394 O-EI 1394 |_________________________ ________________________ _________ ___|__ ___|___ ____|___ | ICHIJO(2) KA-KICHI 1441 MORIIYE(3) EI-KYO 1429 KANEMORI | ___|__ ___|____ KA-KICHI 1441 | ICHIJO(3) BUN-MEI 1469 MORIYUKI BUN-MEI 1469 | ___|__ ________ | ICHIJO(4) EI-SHO 1504 KANESUYE CHO-ROKU 1457 | ________ ___| ________________ ________ ___|___ ___|___ ASHIDA KANEMITSU O-EI 1394 IYESHIGE SANEIYE KUNIIYE ____________|___ EI-KYO 1429 - EI-KYO 1429 - ASHIDA KUNIYOSHI EI-KYO 1429 _______ __________ ________ IYEHISA EI-SHO 1504 TSUGUYOSHI MEI-O 1492 SHIGEUJI BUN-MEI 1469 ________________ __________ ASHIDA HIDETSUGU(1) MEI-TOKU 1390 YOSHITSUGU(1) MEI-TOKU 1390 ___________|____ ____|_____ ASHIDA HIDETSUGU(2) BUN-AN 1444 YOSHITSUGU(2) EI-KYO 1429 ICHIJO O-EI: ICHIJO founder. HOKKE "Lotus" title. HOKKE MIHARA. The supposed son of MASAIYE answered the call of the ASHIDA MIHARA to become the ASHIDA star, making swords at ASHIDA GOKUSADO in the general OEI style. SUGUHA and GUNOME-MIDARE where ASHI is seen. ICHIJO HOKKE ICHIJO BINGO-no-KUNI JU ICHIJO BINGO-no-KUNI JU ICHIJO SAKU KOKKE ICHIJO - ASHIDA MIHARA NICHIJO O-EI (br: ICHIJO): SUGUHA. KUNIIYE EI-KYO (t: ICHIJO 1): KO-ITAME. SUGU GUNOME-CHOJI MIDARE. NOBUIYE O-EI: SUGUHA, KO-GUNOME, GUNOME-MIDARE and CHOJI-MIDARE. KANEYUKI O-AN: KOKUBUNJI SUKEKUNI line. ITAME HADA. SUGUHA and GUNOME-MIDARE BA. ICHIJO KANEYUKI KANEYASU O-AN (f: KANEYUKI, grf: SUKEKUNI): 2nd line from KOKUBUNJI SUKEKUNI. Wide and long O-TANTO. ITAME/KO-MOKUME HADA. SUGUHA and KO-MIDARE BA in tightly held NIOI. BISHU JU KANEYASU KANEYUKI O-EI (t: KANEYUKI): KANE form: KIN "Gold". ITAME MASAME. KO-NIE SUGU KO-MIDARE. ICHIJO KANEYUKI SAKU MASAKANE KYO-TOKU (f: KANEYUKI): MOKUME with MASAME. SUGUHA. KANEKIYO O-AN (f: MORIIYE): ASHIDA MIHARA. ITAME HADA. GUNOME and some HITATSURA BA. ICHI KANEKIYO ICHIJO KANEKIYO ICHIJO KANEKIYO SAKU KANEMORI KA-KICHI: Same as AKI KANEMORI and YOSHIMOTO. SUGUHA and NOTARE BA. ICHIJO KANEMORI SAKU KANESUYE CHO-ROKU: ASHIDA MIHARA stylist. SUGUHA, GUNOME patterns vary with great subtlty. ICHIJO KANESUYE SAKU BTW, I was remiss in posting Sho-shin's url. It is an informative site. http://www.sho-shin.com/ Quote
leo Posted February 16, 2010 Author Report Posted February 16, 2010 Hi, John, Thank you for this interesting contribution! Sho-shin´s "family trees" are very helpful. I have also used them on several occcasions. The Hokke school history and the warrior-monk/swordsmith Ichijo is really worth a study as is the history of the Nichiren(Lotus)-sect. During my search for Yasusada I have read some fascinating articles about these warrior monks who apparently were busy until the late Edo period and whose support was always coveted by the various political factions when armed conflicts were imminent. The kanji combination for this Yasusada is, as you say, unusual. If the the TH Paper was not genuine beyond doubt I would think there is something wrong. On the other hand it might be an interesting new find among the Hokke school smiths and some day we can supplement Sho-shins tree ! Still, if anybody has news on this smith, please let me know. All the best, Martin S 1 Quote
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