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BIZEN SABURO KUNIMUNE - SAGAMI-SABURO Deeply curved in MOKUME. Early are tall KAWAZU from KO-CHOJI and later is more conservative: GUNOME/CHOJI mix. SUGUHA or KO-MIDARE with YO. MONOUCHI may be held quiet and then expanded to pattern. _____________________ BIZEN SABURO KUNIMUNE(1) JO-EI 1232 |________________________ ____________ ___________ _______ ___|____ ___|_____ ___|____ ___|____ | KUNIMUNE(2) SHO-O 1288 KUNISHIGE KUNISADA SADAZANE | | BUN-EI 1264 SHO-O 1288 KO-AN 1278 | |_____________ ____________ ____________ | ___|_____ ___|____ ___|__ ___|_____ | KUNIYOSHI MASAZANE NAOIYE KUNIMITSU | KEN-GEN 1302 KA-GEN 1303 EN-KEI 1308 GEN-O 1319 | _______________ __________________________ ______| _________|___ _________|___ ____________________|___ | HOKI MASAMUNE HOKI KUNIMUNE MIKAWA NAKAHARA KUNIMUNE | BUN-EI 1264 EI-NIN 1293 KA-GEN 1303 | ________________________ ___________ ___________________| __|______ ___|_____ __|______ KUNITSUNA BUN-EI 1264 SADATSUNA KUNITSUGU SHO-GEN 1259 __|______ BUN-O 1260 __|_______ KUNITSUNE TOKU-JI 1306 YOSHITSUNA SHO-GEN 1259 Traditional theory had KUNIMUNE a student to SHINTOGO, however comparisons have disagreed. Present understanding sets his line: _______ NAOMUNE KA-O 1169 (see School) ____|___ KUNIZANE SHO-AN 1171 |_______________ _________________ _______________ _________|___ _________|___ ___________|___ _________|____ TARO KUNIZANE JIRO KUNISADA SABURO KUNIMUNE SHIRO KUNIYASU 1st brother 2nd brother 3rd brother 4th brother KUNIMUNE(1) JO-EI (f: KUNIZANE 1): SABURO KUNIMUNE. 3rd son of KUNIZANE of KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE School was born: JI-SHO 1, 1177 and died: BUN-EI 7, 1270. Residing in NITTA-SHO WAKI, this long lived BIZEN patriarch was a contemporary of OSAFUNE MITSUTADA and HATAKEDA MORIIYE. It has been taught that MORIIYE and KUNIMUNE have similar YAKIBA patterns, but KUNIMUNE will lack MORIIYE's HA-HADA. KUNIMUNE swords should be expected from JO-EI 1232 to SHO-GEN 1259, although logic tells us his career probably began much earlier. See KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE KAMAKURA drew many artisans to SAGAMI to work and teach in the exploding energy of the HOJO capitol. Three invited swordsmiths became the genesis of the newly evolving SOSHU-DEN roots: BIZEN ICHIMONJI SUKEZANE BIZEN SABURO KUNIMUNE AWATAGUCHI KUNITSUNA |
Although KUNITSUNA had been an OKI GOBAN, BIZEN SUKEZANEs' SAGAMI sword school has become known as the KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI. The true SOSHU School masters, which include the famous MASAMUNE, fall from SHINTOGO KUNIMITSU and are considered descendants of the AWATAGUCHI KUNITSUNA Group. See SAGAMI. Note: The earliest members of all three groups have been loosely called KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI, but the term properly refers to the SUKEZANE group. The few existing swords tell us SABURO KUNIMUNE must have been a temporary KAMAKURA resident. His KAMAKURA endeavor allows a style change to be recognized. Normally, these pieces would be assigned as the work of a 2nd or 3rd generation, however his long life and the rarity of examples has left scholarship to place two style periods for KUNIMUNE(1): Early - Before SOSHU Later - After SOSHU SABURO KUNIMUNE made TANTO and TACHI. Always in BIZEN style of the highest degree of development, his TACHI have an elongated IKUBI-KISSAKI that may appear somewhat stout after KEN-CHO 1249. KUNIMUNE SUGATA will show a healthy NIKU. Note: 1st generation special mark: NIOI-FUKASHI. - A tightly defined line labels KUNIMUNE(2). Also: SHIRAKE Steel is his noted special color. SUGATA Early: Narrow blade - thick KASANE Later: Wide blade - thin KASANE Steel Early: Tight KO-MOKUME with CHIKEI appearing. Later: KO-MOKUME has O-HADA and MIDARE-UTSURI. HAMON - Like MITSUTADA, his YAKIBA undulates in height. Early work shows tall KAWAZU reaching from jumbled KO-CHOJI while round TOBI-YAKI of different size dot along the HABUCHI. Conservatism follows with time: Undulations are less dynamic in later work and the MONOUCHI may seem deserted, or restrained of pattern. GUNOME pushes into uneven mountain ranges that support an easily followed horizon. All work in KO-NIE and particularly notable NIOI-FUKASHI. YAKIBA Recap - Early: KAWAZU from KO-CHOJI with TOBI-YAKI dotting. Later: GUNOME joins together in an uneven, mountainous CHU-width. BOSHI - MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI to small KO-MARU. Early might be complex HOSO-width MIDARE with TOBI or JI-BA to small KO-MARU near the MUNE. Later swords may show CHU-SUGU with KO-MARU. MEI: Two-character MEI is balanced and open. Thick strokes lay straight-standing horizontal and vertical lines. KUNI center pole separates three diagonal interior strokes on the left from two on the right, all five slant parallel like falling rain. All five have sharp ends that point to the pole. |
National Treasure returned by Walter Compton
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KOKUHO KUNIMUNE National Treasure NAGASA: 2 SHAKU 6.9 SUN MOTO-HABA: 1.1 SUN SORI: 8.8 BU SAKI-HABA: 7.2 BU NAKAGO: 7.6 SUN SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, wide KOSHIZORI TACHI. The forward reach of the KO-SHINOGI creates an overt elongation of the KISSAKI. YAKIBA is very much in the KO-OSAFUNE style: OBUSA and KAWAZU, resembling that of MITSUTADA, rise in tall stands from a KO-CHOJI ground. Round and oblong TOBI suspend through the upper but fade into JI-BA before the searching misdemeanor of a DAIBO mid. Long KINSUJI runs a soft line under the squat and rise of alternating stands that march to the lower. Undulating HOSO-width MIDARE-BOSHI has two TOBI laying forgotten in the HABUCHI while a small KO-MARU turns at the SAKI. Multi-bores, and a single, mark two MEKUGI-ANA in the midst of a KIRI-JIRI NAKAGO. Two- character MEI high in the SHINOGI-JI:
KUNIMUNE
KOKUHO SABURO
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KOKUHO SABURO National Treasure NAGASA: 81.8cm SORI: 3.3cm Large SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, CHU-IKUBI KOSHIZORI TACHI. BO-HI falls from the KO-SHINOGI to create its SHINOGI-JI and runs down to the NAKAGO. Strong KO-ITAME KITAE stands with flowery MIDARE-UTSURI. Solid CHU-width KO-NIE CHOJI KO-MIDARE BA mountains with ASHI and YO stand like a wall. KINSUJI carves definition in the tight NIOI-GUCHI. SUGU KO-MARU BOSHI. UBU, three MEKUGI-ANA NAKAGO is signed in the center:
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BIZEN SABURO KUNIMUNE School
KUNIMUNE(2) SHO-O (f: SABURO KUNIMUNE): Said to have studied under OSAFUNE NAGAMITSU. Work from SHO-O 1288 to SHO-WA 1312. His NIOI will be defined. If NIOI is deep and rich, look to his father. Made in the style of BIZEN CHIKAKAGE and SANENAGA. OSAFUNE attracted the KUNIMUNE School as it did most other schools when their founding light was gone. CHU-KISSAKI, late KAMAKURA TACHI SUGATA. MOKUME after his father but lacks the robust life. Tightly defined NIOI KO-CHOJI with KO-ASHI. Slight HA-HADA. Supposedly signed MASAMUNE as well. Signature appears slurred as compared with KUNIMUNE(1), and may be long. KUNIMUNE BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE KUNIMUNE BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JUNIN KUNIMUNE SAKU KUNIMUNE BIZEN-no-KUNI JU OSAFUNE SHO-WA 1st son TARO KUNIZANE(2) SHO-GEN (br: KUNIMUNE, f: KUNIZANE 1): BIZEN TARO. Title GONnoKAMI. Wide spread to reported dates. May have lived and worked in KYOTO signing KUNINAO. KO-MOKUME with JI-NIE. NIE follows an undualting line with valleys and ASHI. Family origins are thought NAOMUNE School, see KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE. KUNIZANE 2nd son JIRO KUNISADA SHO-KYU (br: KUNIMUNE, KUNIZANE): KO-MOKUME HADA has JI-NIE. Patterns of CHOJI-MIDARE KO-MIDARE BA. See KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE for KUNIMUNE family origins. KUNISADA 4th son SHIRO KUNIYASU RYAKU-NIN (:br KUNIMUNE, f:KUNIZANE): SHIRO. Transfered to SAGAMI. NIE KO-MIDARE TOGARI BA runs smoothy. KUNIYASU KUNITSUNA BUN-EI (f: KUNIMUNE): BUN-EI to SHO-AN 1299. NAOMUNE Group. BISHU OSAFUNE JU KUNITSUNA KUNITSUNE TOKU-JI (f: KUNITSUNA): Work from SHO-GEN 1259. MOKUME. KO-CHOJI BA. NAOMUNE Group. BIZEN-no-KUNI KUNITSUNE MASAMUNE BUN-EI (t: KUNIMUNE): From JO-EI 1232 to SHO-O 1288. Moved to HOKI, see HOKI. In his old age he took the priesthood and signed KUNIMUNE NYUDO. Standing ITAME runs under JI-NIE. Uneven NIE KO-GUNOME with ASHI and YO pushes an undulation to the line. Thick strokes seem fairly centered. See KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE and HOKI BIZEN-no-KUNI JU MASAMUNE |
BIZEN SABURO KUNIMUNE School
YOSHITSUNA SHO-GEN (t: KUNITSUGU): MOKUME shows NIE JI-BA. KO-MIDARE of KO-CHOJI BA. YOSHITSUNA YOSHITSUNA SAKU KUNIYOSHI KEN-GEN (f: KUNIMUNE): MOKUME. KO-MIDARE CHOJI BA. BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU KUNIYOSHI KUNISHIGE BUN-EI (t: KUNIMUNE): CHOJI-MIDARE BA. KUNISHIGE KUNISHIGE SAKU BISHU OSAFUNE KUNISHIGE BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU KUNISHIGE MASAZANE KA-GEN (t: KUNIMUNE): CHOJI-MIDARE BA. MASAZANE |
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