Youngest of six brothers and swordsmith 
               to the Emperor in exile on OKI Island. 
               He founded SOSHU DEN. Famous for KOSHIBA.

KEN-CHO 1249 in SAGAMI
____________________
AWATAGUCHI KUNITSUNA KEN-PO 1213 to KO-CHO 1261 - See SAGAMI
               |______________________ ____________________
_______________|____    ______________|____   _____________|____
YAMANOUCHI KUNIMITSU    YAMANOUCHI SANEKUNI   AWATAGUCHI ARIKUNI 
          HO-JI 1247           SHO-GEN 1259          KA-TEI 1235

KUNITSUNA KEN-CHO (f: KUNIIYE): 6th son. TOROKU. TOROKU SAKON. 
        OKI GOBAN KAJI - 5th and 6th month. Known as OKI GOBAN 
        YOSHIAKI. As a smith to GOTOBA-TENNO, he received the 
        SAKON SHOGEN title which allowed legal access to the 
        Imperial precincts and attendance before the Emperor. 
        Born: 1163, Died: 1255.
        His work from KEN-PO 1213 to KO-CHO 1261 comprises an 
        early YAMASHIRO period and the later SOSHU period. He was
        called to KAMAKURA by HOJO TOKIYORI and found the 
        SHINTOGO group in SAGAMI, KEN-CHO 1249. Other dates find
        a beginning at KEN-N 1201 and his death in KEN-CHO. 
        YAMANOUCHI JU. His SHINTOGO eclipsed the BIZEN import of
        the KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI - SUKEZANE School and SABURO 
        KUNIMUNE to be considered the originator of SOSHU DEN 
        stylists. SHINTOGO KUNIMITSU, YUKIMITSU and NYUDO GORO 
        MASAMUNE following directly. 

       -Early YAMASHIRO period: Narrow, KO-KISSAKI TACHI. The 
        whole JI is wet with JI-NIE.  KO-NIE KO-MIDARE BA very 
        much in the style of HISAKUNI. 

       -Later SOSHU period: Wide MONOUCHI KAMAKURA style with 
        CHU-KISSAKI. ITAME HADA stands. Wide MIDARE BA of strong
        NIE. O-CHOJI MIDARE with wide spreading bays or valleys.
        KOSHIBA can be large standing. KINSUJI and INAZUMA find 
        SUNAGASHI. NIE BOSHI is KO-MARU. MARU-MUNE NAKAGO has 
        little NIKU and resolves to KURIJIRI. Smallish two-
        character MEI. 
        See ONIMARU KUNITSUNA next page.
     KUNITSUNA
     TOROKU SAKON KUNITSUNA
     YAMANOUCHI JU FUJIWARA KUNITSUNA
     KAMAKURA JU TOROKU SAKON KUNITSUNA


KUNIMITSU HO-JI (f: KUNITSUNA):   This name is recorded in SAGAMI
        as a member of the SHINTOGO but is neither AWATAGUCHI 
        KUNIMITSU nor his son, SHINTOGO. See SAGAMI

"The Five Great Swords"
GYO-BUTSU ONIMARU KUNITSUNA

A sword of HOJO TOKIYORI, the fifth KAMAKURA SHIKKEN, who excised the plotting FUJIWARA from the SHOGUNATE. When the young SHOGUN, MINAMOTO SANETOMO, the last of his line, was assassinated in SHO-KYU 1219, his mother, AMA SHOGUN MASAKO and uncle, HOJO YOSHITOKI found two year old FUJIWARA YOSHITSUNE with a line through women to MINAMOTO blood. 

He would be raised under her Regency to become SHOGUN, his son would follow. His unending designs through adulthood against the HOJO forced great-grandson, HOJO TOKIYORI to replace them with MUNETAKA-SHINNO, first of the Imperial Princes KEN-CHO 4 (1252).

A mysterious illness came over TOKIYORI which seemed without cause. With the situation dire and seeing a hiding poltergeist conspiring from within TOKIYORI's ONI-GATA "Devil-shaped" HIBACHI brazier, this KUNITSUNA sword leaped from its scabbard to cut the offending HIBACHI with one stroke. 

The SHIKKEN's pall was immediately lifted, and the sword has ever since been called the ONIMARU in reward of its vigilance. Its MONOUCHI still wears a battle scar from the incident.

Handed down through the MUROMACHI SHOGUNAL Family, it was posited among HIDEYOSHI's TENKA GOKEN and kept in the custody of the HONAMI throughout the EDO Period. The piece was presented to Emperor MEIJI and is today an Imperial Property.

"The Five Great Swords" 
GYO-BUTSU ONIMARU KUNITSUNA                     Imperial Property
        NAGASA: 2 SHAKU 5.8 SUN              MOTO-HABA: 9.5 BU
          SORI: 1 SUN                        SAKI-HABA: 6.5 BU
        NAKAGO: 6.4 SUN

        SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, RIN-SORI wide, circularly
        curved, KAMAKURA style TACHI. Width runs the MONOUCHI to
        an upward slanting YOKOTE that seems to exemplify the 
        deep arc and mute its pronounced FUNBARI. The most famous
        example of his SOSHU period work, the evenly CHU-width 
        HAMON rides a wide, strong blade. Wet KO-MOKUME mixes 
        with KO-ITAME where CHIKEI is found. Lazy KO-NOTARE and 
        GUNOME gently contend in the CHU-SUGU upper where the 
        smooth roll is notched by a few oblique KO-ASHI. KINSUJI
        and INAZUMA join complex NIOI SUNAGASHI to tug the line 
        with delicate ruptures that faintly hide falling ASHI. 
        The figures argue for form through the mid but release 
        into converging lines that paint a dramatic portrait in 
        the happenstantial lay of a large KOSHIBA: A still mist 
        cuts the peak of a high butte standing in a far off land.
        - In the distance, a massive rise looms like FUJI-SAN.
        OMOTE BOSHI runs straight for the FUKURA but turns 
        abruptly for the KO-SHINOGI SAKI and splays indistinct 
        tracers to a HIGE "Whiskers" like head. URA SAKI is a
        HAKIKAKE swept TOGARI. Deeply curved UBU NAKAGO falls to
        a small KURIJIRI. Small characters in thick strokes edge
        the MUNE above a many mounted, single MEKUGI-ANA:
        KUNITSUNA 

 Gotoba & the ICHIMONJI 

 Gotoba & the Power Play 

Go to: Gotoba & Gen-ryaku Kyotopdf