Go Yoshihiro

[klee]

Hello . I came across a some reading material and media that mentions the famous Go Yoshihiro.

 

Im still a bit confused since there are no signed works of him that exists and his blades are incredibly rare due to him passing at such an early age.

 

So how do they attribute a blade to him without any signed works to compare to ??

 

And are there blades that sit in attribution limbo with him also being a very faithful reproducer of Masamune's work ?

[Hoshi]

Hi Kevin, 

 

Great question. There is a tradition of attribution that goes back to the 17th century where respected appraisers wrote the name of the maker in gold inlay on the tang of the blade (Kinzogan). Some of the shortening were performed by this group, called the Hon'ami, and as a result they had access to many more signatures than we do today. The attribution "Go Yoshihiro" has a number of canonical traits (e.g., Ichimai boshi, first class nie, shallow sori, habuchi that increases towards the kissaki...) that have been studied since the Momoyama period. There is, of course, a substantial degree of uncertainty with attributed blades. Attributions on mumei works are best understood as "this is the most likely maker given what we know today" - and even more conservatively as a way to state that a sword expresses certain traits and a certain level of quality that is in line with reputation of a certain master smith. 

 

In this sense, there is a tradition of attribution that has been honed over generation of competent judges, based on ancient literature and oral transmission. I would advise caution on mumei Soshu blades to big names that are without Ko-Kiwame (old appraisal by the reputable judges) or established provenance from Daimyo collection with a high-level record of gift-giving. Makers during the Shinto era, such as Nanki Shigekuni or Shinkai came very close to Go, and one should always examine the sword critically. 

 

Best,

 

Hoshi 

Edited Saturday at 03:58 PM by Hoshi