Japanese Sword Museum Juyo Exhibition

[Sukaira]

Not sure if this has been posted, but I just visited the Juyo Token exhibition in Tokyo today and there were some amazing blades. Here is the list they are showing: https://www.touken.or.jp/Portals/0/pdf/english/（英語））第71回重要刀剣等新指定展目録.pdf

 

They had a Hizen blade done in a killer hitatsura temper that was over 94cm nagasa! Absolutely stunning....but my favorite was probably the Yasumitsu. There was also an Awataguchi Kuniyoshi that belongs to Nicholas Benson that is being submitted to TokuJu, even thought its listed under Robert Benson. Also Awatguchi Hisakuni.

 

Amazing to see 36 Juyo from all different smiths for future reference.

[eternal_newbie]

Mentioned here, along with links to an English writeup of the exhibits, if you didn't manage to find it yet:

 

 

Aside from the Awataguchi blades, of personal interest to me is the Yukimitsu which is the only signed work of his that is also done in hitatsura and is thus a valuable data point for Soshu. That single blade allows the NBTHK to issue non-den attributions to Yukimitsu for works that match that hitatsura style, since there's a shoshin zaimei example as a reference.

 

[Gakusee]

4 hours ago, eternal_newbie said:

 

Aside from the Awataguchi blades, of personal interest to me is the Yukimitsu which is the only signed work of his that is also done in hitatsura and is thus a valuable data point for Soshu. That single blade allows the NBTHK to issue non-den attributions to Yukimitsu for works that match that hitatsura style, since there's a shoshin zaimei example as a reference.

 

Yes, Rohan, that is quite the fascinating blade…. A unicorn, as you can imagine, and I am glad it has now been papered up to Juyo and properly documented. 
 

 

[eternal_newbie]

Thanks for the pictures! They're going straight into my archive. Nice clean shot of the mei, too.

[Lewis B]

Thanks for the pictures. Its fascinating to see how newly discovered examples are changing the zeitgeist.

Take the Yukimitsu for instance. Honma Junji stated not so long ago that he felt all zaimei tanto inscriptions he had examined were suspect requiring further research. With Juyo pass the Shinsa must have felt the mei was genuine, being an even more courageous decision, given the uniqueness of the hitatsura tempuring for this smith. 

 

From the Kanzan's Nihonto Taikan (Source Touken West - Nihontō Database)

"Among Yukimitsu signatures I have examined, those I believe to be authentic are all two-character mei in a gyōsho (semi-cursive) style that is austere yet dignified. As noted above, long signatures requiring further research include "Sagami-no-kuni Kamakura jūnin Yukimitsu" (Kagen 2) and "Kamakura jūnin Yukimitsu" (Genkyō 2).  "

 

Whats the full signature here? 

Kamakura Jūnin Yukimitsu

(鎌倉住人行光)

[nulldevice]

Wonderful photos Michael!

 

@Lewis B Just a bit earlier in that same article he also mentions:

"However, there are also somewhat wider pieces with hiro-suguha that are difficult to distinguish from Shintōgo Kunihiro, slender uchizori pieces with monotonous hitatsura that at first glance might be confused with late kotō but whose jigane is unmistakably that of a superior Sōshū smith and whose nakago is clearly old. This corresponds to Muromachi-period texts that record this smith's broad working range, tempering not just suguha but also notare, ko-midare, ō-midare, and even hitatsura."

 

I'll be excited to see what the shinsa judges had to say about the sword in the zufu. 

[eternal_newbie]

35 minutes ago, nulldevice said:

I'll be excited to see what the shinsa judges had to say about the sword in the zufu. 

Ditto! For the record, here is the official translation of the sword's explanation plaque in the Sword Museum:

 

Quote

 

12. Kama[kura][jū]nin YUKIMITSU

 

"Yukimitsu is positioned as a slightly senior figure of Masamune, who elevated the Sōshū tradition to the level of high art. Early sword records (koken-sho) describe Yukimitsu as a swordsmith of remarkably broad expressive range, from suguha to hitatsura hamon. Among the extant signed works by Yukimitsu, most display suguha or shallow notare hamon; however, this piece is unique as the only signed example to exhibit a hitatsura hamon.

 

The hamon is based on notare with thickly applied nie, while vigorous kinsuji traverse both the jigane and the hamon. Yubashiri, tobiyaki, and muneyaki are interspersed, creating a lively and highly complex pattern that vividly substantiates the descriptions found in early sword records. The strong expression of Sōshū characteristics in this work has made it an important benchmark for the attribution of unsigned swords.

 

With its long signature accompanied by a dated inscription, the piece possesses exceptionally high historical value and stands as an indispensable work for the study of Yukimitsu."

 

 

Reading between the lines a little, one can infer that in the time since Kanzan's tenure, either more "early sword records" were found that describe precisely the sort of construction and hardening seen here as the work of Yukimitsu; or alternatively further research and deliberation have led the panel of experts to decide that the blade does indeed match the descriptions they already had.

[nulldevice]

5 minutes ago, eternal_newbie said:

Ditto! For the record, here is the official translation of the sword's explanation plaque in the Sword Museum:

 

 

Reading between the lines a little, one can infer that in the time since Kanzan's tenure, either more "early sword records" were found that describe precisely the sort of construction and hardening seen here as the work of Yukimitsu; or alternatively further research and deliberation have led the panel of experts to decide that the blade does indeed match the descriptions they had already.

 

Interestingly, the tanto describe by Kanzan that needed additional research may have been this very one. As @Lewis Bpointed out above from the later part of the article. Kanzan mentions a Genkyo 2 dated tanto with the Kamakura Junin Yukimitsu signature as one that required additional research. 

 

As you pointed out, it would be cool to be a fly on the wall in the shinsa deliberation when they discussed this very tanto. 

[Lewis B]

29 minutes ago, nulldevice said:

 

 

As you pointed out, it would be cool to be a fly on the wall in the shinsa deliberation when they discussed this very tanto. 

Given the potential importance and significance of these discussions, I wonder if transcripts are recorded at the time. 

[Gakusee]

3 hours ago, nulldevice said:

 

Interestingly, the tanto describe by Kanzan that needed additional research may have been this very one. As @Lewis Bpointed out above from the later part of the article. Kanzan mentions a Genkyo 2 dated tanto with the Kamakura Junin Yukimitsu signature as one that required additional research. 

 

As you pointed out, it would be cool to be a fly on the wall in the shinsa deliberation when they discussed this very tanto. 

 

same one 

[Andrew Ickeringill]

[eternal_newbie]

Lovely, thanks Andrew!

[Okan]

I visited two days ago and was surprised to see that some blades and fittings which would barely have qualified for Tokuho 5-6 years ago were able to pass Juyo. Of course, there were some great pieces as well.

 

[eternal_newbie]

Just now, Okan said:

I visited two days ago and was surprised to see that some blades and fittings which would barely have qualified for Tokuho 5-6 years ago were able to pass Juyo. Of course, there were some great pieces as well.

Care to elaborate? I'm curious to see how they compare to the previous two sessions, which had an extremely low (sub-10%) pass rate.

[Okan]

5 minutes ago, eternal_newbie said:

Care to elaborate? I'm curious to see how they compare to the previous two sessions, which had an extremely low (sub-10%) pass rate.

 

Just a personal impression. I’ll leave it at that  

 

[eternal_newbie]

Fair enough.