Shinto swords from Tosa province - not many of them, anyone has one? I'm looking for any information.

[2devnul]

Hi,

 

I'm looking for anyone who has any type of Shinto sword, from any smith, from Tosa province. Any comments about smiths from that region will also be nice. Which school they evolved from, who was the most famous, any known lineage, etc.? Please share any details if you can, thank you! 

 

 

 

[YourBabyBjornBorg]

Hi! According to Nihonto Lectures, in the Mid-Edo period, there were Ueno no Kami Yoshikuni (Enpo era), Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki (Enpo era), Ueno Daijo Kunimasu (Genroku era), and Ueno no Kami Hisakuni. Yoshikuni and Yoshiyuki are brothers and both apprentices to Yamato no Kami Yoshimichi in Osaka, Kunimasu was an apprentice to Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi, and Ueno no Kami Hisakuni was an apprentice to 2nd gen Hisakuni in Kyoto. All of their styles are like their master.

 

In Random Thoughts on Nihonto, there were also Fudo Yoshimune (Kanji are 吉胷, not the usual 吉宗, Keichou era, first Mei Sanetsugu, then became a Buddhist monk and changed Mei to Muneyoshi) and Tosa Yoshimitsu (5th Gen, Keichou era, all the way to 11th gen in Kaei era).

In Shinto Daikan, Yoshimune was said to be the same person as Tosa Yoshitsugu and Tosa Moritsugu or they are father and son.

[2devnul]

Thanks Baby Joe! 

 

3 minutes ago, YourBabyBjornBorg said:

Kunimasu was an apprentice to Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi

 

I know about (as I have his sword) Shigetsugu, who was apprentice of Kunimasu. Below I will copy paste what I was provided by AI about Shigetsugu (if any BS please let me know). 

 

I will be happy to get in contact with anyone who has Shigetsugu's (or Kunimasu or Tanba Yoshimichi) sword at home. Please shout! 

 

 

AI generate info about Shigetsugu from Tosa:

The swordsmith from Tosa Province (present-day Kōchi Prefecture) who signed his swords "Shigetsugu" (重次) during the Edo period is a craftsman named Nakazawa Uemon (中沢右衛門).

He is a lesser-known but highly respected artisan from this region. Here are the key facts regarding his lineage, style, and workmanship:

 

Lineage and Masters

Training in Osaka: Shigetsugu did not originate from a native, isolated Tosa school. He traveled to Osaka, one of the most prominent swordsmithing hubs of the Edo period, to master his craft.

His Master: He studied under Kunimasu (國益), who was a direct student of the legendary smith Yoshimichi (2nd generation Osaka). Thanks to this lineage, Shigetsugu brought the advanced forging techniques of the Kansai region back to Tosa Province.

 

Characteristics and Blade Style

Swords crafted by Shigetsugu are distinguished by their exceptional technical versatility. It is rare to find a smith capable of seamlessly combining multiple demanding tempering patterns on a single blade:

Steel Grain (Hada): The steel is densely and precisely forged in a ko-itame pattern (resembling fine wood grain) with visible, sparkling martensite crystals (ji-nie).

Temper Line (Hamon): This is the most fascinating aspect of his work. Shigetsugu could transition through four distinct hamon styles on a single blade: suguha (straight), notare (wavy), gunome (undulating/zigzag), and choji (clove-blossom pattern).

Balance: His swords feature a center of gravity shifted closer to the hilt, providing excellent balance, a highly desirable trait for practical swordsmanship.

Collectible Rarity

 

Because Shigetsugu spent a significant portion of his career assisting his master Kunimasu with his commissions, the number of swords signed with his own name ("Tosa jū Shigetsugu") is very small. Consequently, his authentic works are scarce on the antique market and highly prized by collectors looking for unique pieces from Tosa Province.

 

 

[YourBabyBjornBorg]

No problem! But I won't trust a word AI says about Nihonto, because all of the AI I tried showed extreme ignorance on the matter, and often hallucinates. It takes much knowledge to tell which part is true and which isn't, and such a person won't benefit from AI's take on Nihonto anyway. Perhaps it's because there were few Nihonto-related works fed to AI when training.

 

The other descriptions are rather generic and hard to definitively say whether they were right or wrong, but Shigetsugu's name should be (土佐高知住)中沢彦右衛門 (Tosa Kouchi Jyu) Nakasawa Hikoemon, not Uemon (右衛門, a 彦 is lost in the front). His work is very hard to find, though.

 

Edited: I think I saw where AI picked up this whole thing. 

 

Also, it was a little insane to sell this at 2 mil Yen in 2022.

 

https://shop.nihontou.jp/products/detail/29811

 

 

 

 

[2devnul]

1 hour ago, YourBabyBjornBorg said:

His work is very hard to find, though.

Indeed, I can't find any of his swords (except for 1 Katana) on the Internet. Therefore, the ask for contact with anyone who has something from this smith. 

[eternal_newbie]

Tosa Yoshinari: https://nihonto.com/12-1-25/

[2devnul]

1 hour ago, eternal_newbie said:

Tosa Yoshinari: https://nihonto.com/12-1-25/

Hi, thanks for sharing. Do you have this sword? 

[eternal_newbie]

1 hour ago, 2devnul said:

Hi, thanks for sharing. Do you have this sword? 

 

Not mine, unfortunately.

[eternal_newbie]

More resources and swords relating to Tosa swordsmiths:

 

https://www.sho-shin.com/NAN5.htm

https://toukenza.jp/en/eras/tosa-tradition

https://samuraistore.com/products/ts010-katana-nbthk

https://artisan.zozo.com/en/articles/tosauchihamono4?page=5

https://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_en_tachi&katana_A111223.html

https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/antique-Japanese-sword-katana-signed-by-tosa-munetoshi-nthk-kanteisho-certificate/

https://www.katanaswordart.com.au/products/antique-nihonto-katana-signed-by-masanobu-nbthk-tokubetsu-hozon-token-certificate/

[oli]

In Shinshinto time there was some interesting smiths in Tosa, Tomotaka (was also aktiv in Kyoto) and Sa Yukihide. Both had students in Tosa.

[Nihonto student]

Hi Adam, 

 

I own a ko-wakizashi  Ueno no Kami Yoshikuni (上野守吉国)— real name was Morishita Magobei, was a highly esteemed swordsmith of the early Edo period. His life was closely intertwined with the Osaka school and the history of the samurai of the Tosa domain. Yoshikuni was born in Mutsu Province (specifically in Nakamura, within the Soma domain). He was the eldest son of the swordsmith Harima no Kami Yoshinari and the older brother of Morishita Heisuke, who would later gain fame under the name Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki. The entire family moved from Mutsu to Osaka, settling in the Fushimi Ryogaemachi district. There, Yoshikuni and his brother joined the Mishina school, becoming pupils of Yamato no Kami Yoshimichi (the first of the Osaka generation). During this apprenticeship in Osaka, he initially used to sign "Yoshinari" (吉作). The brothers' talent attracted the attention of the powerful Yamauchi clan, the feudal lords of the Tosa domain; both were hired as official swordsmiths for the domain. Yoshikuni subsequently moved to Tosa, settling in the village of Kusaka, where he built his forge. On June 25, 1659, he received the honorary noble title of *Ueno no Daijo*, which was later elevated to *Ueno no Kami*. Although Yoshikuni is somewhat overshadowed today by his younger brother Yoshiyuki, famous in popular culture for forging the katana used to assassinate the revolutionary Sakamoto Ryoma in 1867, Yoshikuni is considered one of the most talented swordsmiths of the early Edo period on the island of Shikoku. His works show strong similarities to those of Yoshimichi; he is particularly renowned for being one of the few makers outside the Yoshimichi lineage to recreate the Sudare-ba pattern, although, especially in the latter part of his career, he settled on the Kobushigata-chōji style.

 

 

 

 

[Nihonto student]

Some other pictures of his works:

 

 

 

  

 

 

[2devnul]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing gentlemen! 

 

@Nihonto student Seems Yoshikuni worked at the same time as Shigetsugu who also has roots in Osaka school. Nice one Giordy, my type of fancy Hamon, I love it. 

That is also why I like my Shigetsugu from Tosa. Hada is nice but the Hamon, I can't take my eyes of it. I bet there are better ones out there, but for me it is top5 Hamon I had opportunity to 'hold in hands'. 

 

 

[Nihonto student]

I certainly see shared traits, though that doesn't surprise me... from what I gather, Kunimasu (Shigetsugu's master) studied under Yoshikuni after his time in Osaka.
In any case, Yoshikuni tends to retain Mishina-style characteristics, such as the boshi and yakidashi, though there are naturally exceptions. Furthermore, in works featuring choji-midare (including my own piece), one finds tobiyaki both in the ji and within the hamon, a feature also seen in the Yoshimichi lineage. I do wonder, however, if Kunisuke also served as an inspiration...regardless, Kunisuke’s kobushigata-choji  tends to be more defined, whereas I would describe Yoshikuni’s style as more organic.

 

Kunisuke Nidai

 

 

Yoshikuni

 

 

 

Yamato no kami Yoshimichi 

 

[2devnul]

Thanks Giordy, good research, I will save the data for sure. 

 

Some sources on Internet suggest that Shigetsugu was forging swords for Kunimasu. Therefore, the reason why not many signed by him. So you never know if you are looking at work of Kunimasu or Shigetsugu to be honest. 

Anyway, I'm still looking for signed or attributed sword to Shigetsugu. There was 1 Katana on market but it is gone = website empty and I didn't copy the pictures ...