The Property of a Gentleman
A katana | Attributed to the Enju school | Nambokucho period, 14th century
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November 5, 01:52 PM GMT
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Description
The Property of a Gentleman
A katana
Attributed to the Enju school
Nambokucho period, 14th century
Sugata [configuration]: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, wide mihaba, noticeable taper, thick kasane, relatively deep curvature, somewhat elongated ko-kissaki
Kitae [forging pattern]: itame that is mixed with masame and much nagare, and that features plenty of ji-nie, many fine chikei and shirake
Hamon [tempering pattern]: chu-suguha-cho in ko-nie-deki with a wide and bright nioiguchi that is mixed with ko-gunome, many ashi and yo, some hotsure, uchinoke, and kuichigai-ba, and a few fine kinsuji
Boshi [tip]: sugu with some hakikake and a rounded turnback
Horimono [carvings]: a groove on both sides that runs as kaki-toshi through the tang
Nakago [tang]: o-suriage, almost kirijiri, kiri-yasurime, two mekugi-ana, mumei
Habaki [collar]: chased and engraved copper-gilt, double clad
In shirasaya plain wood scabbard] with sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro
Koshirae [mount]: the black lacquer saya with an ishime ground, inlaid gilt and shakudo fittings, the fuchi with pine needles, the kashira with keyfret, manji and geometric design, the gilt and iron menuki in the form of a mallet, leather-wrapped tsuka, the circular shakudo tsuba with scalloped rim, pierced and inlaid in gilt and brass with hanabashi before foliate scrolls, Showa period, 20th century
Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 73.1 cm., 28¾ in.
Sori [curvature]: 1.8 cm., ¾ in.
Saki-haba [width at the yokote]: 2 cm., ¾ in.
Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 3.1 cm., 1¼ in.
Kissaki-nagasa [length of the tip]: 2.9 cm., 1⅛ in.
Nakago-nagasa [length of the tang]: 21.5 cm., 8½ in.
Accompanied by a certificate of registration as Juyo Token [Important Sword], no. 14365 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword], dated Heisei 30 (2018).
The Enju school of Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture) was founded by Taro Kunimura who is said to have been a grandson of the Yamashiro master Rai Kuniyuki. The school then flourished from the end of the Kamakura to the Nanbokucho period in the town of Waifu located in the Kikuchi district of Higo Province. The school gave rise to many skilled smiths: including Kuniyoshi, Kunitoki, Kuniyasu, Kunitomo, Kunisuke, Kuninobu, and Kunitsuna.
The workmanships of these smiths is very similar and it can be said that the Enju style basically resembles the style of the Rai school with the difference that Enju blades show a more prominent amount of masame in the forging pattern, a shirake-utsuri, a tempering pattern with a somewhat subdued nioiguchi, calmer activity within the ha, and a boshi with a relatively large and round turnback that runs back in a brief manner.
This blade is o-suriage, but because of its relatively deep curvature, noticeable taper, and ko-kissaki, it can be identified in terms of shape as a work from the end of the Kamakura period. The forging pattern is an itame that is mixed with nagare and that features plenty of ji-nie, fine chikei, and shirake. Enju characteristics of the period are discernible in the tempering pattern: suguha-cho in ko-nie-deki mixed with hotsure and the boshi displaying a brief rounded turnback.
The sayagaki inscription by Tanobe Michihiro has been translated as:
Juyo-token [Important Sword] at 64th juyo shinsa [Examination for Important Swords]
Enju from Higo Province
This blade is o-suriage mumei. Both ji and ha are elegant, of a very high quality, and show Rai characteristics. Nagare-masame is mixed into the hada and the suguha shows fine nijuba. This and the prominently roundish boshi clearly reflect the characteristic features of the Enju School, which was a Rai offshoot, and we have here a particularly healthy masterwork among all blades known by this school.
Blade length: 73 cm.
Attested by Tanzan [Tanobe Michihiro] in July in the Year of the Boar of this era (2019) and kao [cursive monogram]
Dai rokujuyon-kai juyo-token shitei-hin
Higo no Kuni Enju
O-suriage mumei nari jiba tomo ni kakucho-takaku Rai kishitsu o shimeshi soroedomo nagare-masame o majieru hada-ai ya suguha ni komaka na nijuba no kakaru ten oyobi boshi no marumi no okime de aru
tokoro nado yori Rai no bunpa naru doha no tokushoku ga meiryo ni ukagaishirasaru doha kiwame no sukoyaka na yuhin kana.
Hacho ni-shaku yon-sun ichi-bu kore ari
Jizai tsuchinoto-idoshi fumizuki
Tanzan shirusu [kao]