nulldevice Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 I'm working on compiling a list of the main koto swordsmithing schools, the province(s) they worked in, and the years they spanned for a project I hope to share with the NMB shortly which I think many will enjoy! I have a public Google Doc link which I'll share below that anybody can access and I've added a number of schools and probably have a lot of mistakes that I've made along the way. This is where I hope that NMB members can help out in helping me curate this list and refine it. I've probably missed a number of key smiths, dates, schools, etc. and I'm hoping that some collective reasoning can help me past the finish line. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NiQi34M8brY-21pM2N3z1emOqvEutC65F4godYsvJM0/edit?gid=0#gid=0 Many thanks in advance and I hope what I've got cooking up will be of use to many once I'm finished up! I've also added a page for Shinto schools but I haven't started on anything as I don't really know how they should be classified outside of the Gokaden (maybe just province?) but if you want to add them, feel free! The data will be used. 4 1 Quote
eternal_newbie Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 It can be a little hard to navigate, but when it comes to timelines and provinces for individual Koto and Shinto schools https://www.sho-shin.com/ is an invaluable resource. 1 Quote
Maruceau Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 (edited) Sounds like a great project! I’ve been putting together something similar for my own learning, mainly to have contextual info at hand instead of constantly digging through books or online sources. One thing I’ve been working on is plotting the approximate locations of different schools on a map of Japan. Paired with an abstract overlay of the Gokishichidō, it’s been a helpful way for me to visualize how knowledge and traditions may have moved around over time. Dates and locations are very much a work in progress on my end, and it’s definitely not meant to be a perfect resource, just something for personal study. I’m no expert, but I’d be happy to cross-reference what I have with your data and flag any discrepancies I notice. And if it’s useful at any point, I’m also glad to help out or compare notes as your project comes together. Edited January 6 by Maruceau 3 Quote
nulldevice Posted January 6 Author Report Posted January 6 6 hours ago, eternal_newbie said: It can be a little hard to navigate, but when it comes to timelines and provinces for individual Koto and Shinto schools https://www.sho-shin.com/ is an invaluable resource. That is one of the references I’ve used as well as my books to create what I’ve gotten so far. It’s a great resource and I probably should give it another cycle through and add some schools I’ve no doubt missed. 2 Quote
Scogg Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 Speaking entirely personally, the Sho-Shin website took some time to get used to. The variety of fonts and colors, and unclear what is and isn't a link, felt very busy at first. I’ve gotten the hang of it now, and it's an awesome resource. Your project would be much appreciated, and it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. Looking forward to it! It already looks great. -Sam 1 Quote
eternal_newbie Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 1 hour ago, Scogg said: Speaking entirely personally, the Sho-Shin website took some time to get used to. Yes, it's one of the few remaining examples of what folks in IT diplomatically refer to as "the Geocities era of web design." It's a historical artifact in itself. 3 3 1 Quote
klee Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 Hi @nulldevice Awesome project and I hope you keep at it for a long time ! Just some adjuatments I would consider for the schools I follow. The Hokke school is a little confusing but they are an off shoot of Mihara and came about towards the end of Nanbokucho. Some sources list Sukekuni as the founder and some list Ichijo as the founder. Regardless, I think Ichijo should be added as notable smith for the school as well The Ko-Kongohyoe school had some notable smiths but I think Moritaka and most importantly Reisen Sadamori should be there as he has the highest amount of Juyo work The Kongo Hyoe school should also have a post nanbokucho start date. Hope this helps ! -Kevin 1 Quote
nulldevice Posted January 6 Author Report Posted January 6 11 minutes ago, klee said: Hi @nulldevice Awesome project and I hope you keep at it for a long time ! Just some adjuatments I would consider for the schools I follow. The Hokke school is a little confusing but they are an off shoot of Mihara and came about towards the end of Nanbokucho. Some sources list Sukekuni as the founder and some list Ichijo as the founder. Regardless, I think Ichijo should be added as notable smith for the school as well The Ko-Kongohyoe school had some notable smiths but I think Moritaka and most importantly Reisen Sadamori should be there as he has the highest amount of Juyo work The Kongo Hyoe school should also have a post nanbokucho start date. Hope this helps ! -Kevin Thanks! This is the feedback I’m looking for! Also the document is open so anybody can add or remove rows and edit things as needed so if you see anything out of place, you are more than welcome to correct it. 2 Quote
atm Posted January 6 Report Posted January 6 Having gotten a preview, I can say that @nulldevice’s project is going to be a great resource—especially for visual learners. Adding/correcting the data will be very worthwhile. 3 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted January 7 Report Posted January 7 Here are some bit lesser known and smaller groups that could maybe added, although some might be too insignificant, and some of these might already featured under some other classification. For me it is bit difficult to draw lines, and lineages can vary. File was view only for me. School - Province Daruma - Yamashiro Heianjō - Yamashiro Kanabō - Yamato Shiga-Seki - Owari Inuyama - Owari Odawara-Sōshū - Sagami Fuyuhiro - Wakasa Asago-Taima - Echizen Yamamura - Echigo Iruka - Kii Kaifu - Awa Tosa Yoshimitsu - Tosa Wake - Bizen Ishidō - Ōmi (later spread) Zenjō - Mino San'ami - Mino Mizuta - Bitchū Tatsubō - Bingo Kai-Mihara - Bingo Goami - Bingo Dōtanuki - Higo 5 Quote
nulldevice Posted January 7 Author Report Posted January 7 Thanks @Jussi Ekholm I've added these and will start churning through them to try and get some dates that are hopefully close to accurate. The more obscure schools might be more broad (Late Kamakura- mid Muromachi meaning roughly 1300 to 1500) but I'll see what I can find. I've fixed the file permissions so anybody with the link can edit the file and not just view it. I should've double checked that before my first post... 1 Quote
Brano Posted January 8 Report Posted January 8 I appreciate the efforts of anyone who is willing to sacrifice their time and effort for this hobby Maybe this data on Nihonto Club will help https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/schools 1 Quote
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