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OSAFUNE NAGAMITSU and his SAN-SAKU "The Three Makers" NAGAMITSU - KAGEMITSU - SANENAGA - CHIKAKAGE -Showing NAGAMITSU "SAN-SAKU" BOSHI -Showing OSAFUNE MONOUCHI - CHU-width of less pattern -Showing CHOJI-UTSURI - may be spotty NAGAMITSU - GUNOME-CHOJI MIDARE BA with NIOI "Smoke" TOGARI Pattern has gentle undulations of height. KAGEMITSU - Leaning "Stooped Shoulders" GUNOME with SAKA-ASHI The pattern is somewhat even in height. CHIKAKAGE - Gently undulating KO-GUNOME with ASHI or CHOJI BA SANENAGA - Tight NIOI SUGUHA of KO-MIDARE or KO-CHOJI SAKA-ASHI _________ MITSUTADA RYAKU-NIN 1238 |______________________ _____________________ ___|_____ ___|____ ___|____ NAGAMITSU SHO-O 1288 KAGEYASU SHO-O 1288 SANENAGA KA-GEN 1303 |___________________ _____________ _______________ __________ ___|_____ ___|____ ___|_____ ___|______ | KAGEMITSU(1) MORITADA SANEMITSU(1) SHIGEMITSU(1) | | GEN-KYO 1321 GEN-KO 1331 | SHO-O 1288 ___|_____ | | _____________ ____________| NAGAMITSU(3) | | ____|_____ ___|_____ ___|_____ | | TOSHIMITSU MITSUNAGA SANEMITSU(2) SHO-KEI 1332 | | GEN-KYO 1321 EN-BUN 1356 ___|_____ | | See following SANEMITSU(3) MEI-TOKU 1390 | | _______________________ _________________ ___| | ___|____ ___|_____ ________|____ | KAGEMASA BUN-PO 1317 NAGACHIKA RAI MITSUKANE | ___|_____ GEN-KYO 1321 See OMI | CHIKAKAGE(1) GEN-O 1319 | _________|______________ __________ | ___|____ ___|_____ ____|____ ____|____ | HIDEKAGE CHIKAKAGE(2) CHIKAMUNE YOSHIKAGE(1) KEM-MU 1334 | ___|_____ - TEI-WA 1345 - |_________________ | SHIGEHIDE __________|____ _____|___ | MEI-TOKU 1390 KOZORI IYESHIGE YOSHIKANE |_________________________ KO-RYAKU 1379 MEI-TOKU 1390 ___|_______ ___|_____ O-KANEMITSU KEM-MU 1334 KAGEMITSU(2) KEM-MU 1334 ___|_____ ___|_____ YOSHIKAGE(2) O-AN 1368 KAGEMITSU(3) O-AN 1368 ________ _________ ________ ________ NAGAMITSU Students: NAGAMOTO YOSHIMOTO NAGAMOTO NAGAKAGE - KO-AN 1278 - - SHO-AN 1299 - _________ _________ ________ _________ ________ _________ HISAMITSU MUNEMITSU(1) IYEMITSU NORIMITSU NAGAMUNE YOSHITADA - SHO-WA 1312 - (f: TADASADA) ________ ________ _________ MUNENAGA NAGAMORI TOSHIMUNE - BUN-PO 1317 - SHO-CHU 1324 |
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NAGAMITSU(1) KEN-CHO (f: MITSUTADA): Often recorded working dates give: BUN-EI 1264, KO-AN 1278 and SHO-O 1288. Most NAGAMITSU MEI appear from BUN-EI 1264 to GEN-O 1319. NAGAMITSU(1): Born: TEI-O 1222, Died EI-NIN 5, 1297 with following work belonging to coming generations. SAEMON-JO. His fame and reputation earned SAKON SHOGEN and he is thought to have signed JUNKEI in retirement. Early work resembles father, MITSUTADA with large patterned O-CHOJI MIDARE BA on mid-KAMAKURA wide upper and full IKUBI-KISSAKI. Later: NAGAMITSU blades lose their powerful KEN-CHO upper for the graceful FUNBARI of the mid/late KAMAKURA SUGATA transition. Time lessens his emphasis from MITSUTADA-style YAKIBA undulation to a more subtle variation in height. GUNOME makes its KO-AN 1278 appearance, interdicting the mid-KAMAKURA O-CHOJI patterns popular of the ICHIMONJI and MITSUTADA's KAWAZU. Note: The OSAFUNE, KO-AN GUNOME style-innovation became vogue throughout the country, spreading to SOSHU with popularists such as SABURO KUNIMUNE. Mark: GUNOME juts and boulders push through KO-CHOJI. SUGATA: Raised SHINOGI TACHI are most encountered. Mid-KAMAKURA strength resolves to the graceful transition-period FUNBARI. KO-DACHI and KEN are rare. MU-SORI TANTO are attributed as late work. Steel: Refined KO-ITAME has O-HADA. NAGAMITSU and his school, KAGEMITSU, SANENAGA and CHIKAKAGE, etc. will show standing MIDARE-UTSURI, the OSAFUNE special mark. UTSURI may spot in BOTAN "Peony" UTSURI or join and dance as CHOJI-UTSURI. CHOJI-UTSURI? - Think NAGAMITSU. OSAFUNE MONOUCHI: YAKIBA line descends from pattern to a fairly deserted KO-MIDARE or KO-CHOJI defined of ASHI where the tops hold together on a slightly varying CHU-width. BOSHI: Early: CHOJI-MIDARE or MIDARE-KOMI. Later: SAN-SAKU BOSHI, a style seen in and named for his "Three Makers." The SAN-SAKU: YAKIBA dips toward the edge just above the YOKOTE, then widens in a bump which thins and may take a smaller, second bump before a small KO-MARU. MEI: NAGAMITSU OSAFUNE NAGAMITSU BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU NAGAMITSU BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JUNIN SAKON NAGAMITSU TSUKURU BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU SAKON SHOGEN NAGAMITSU TSUKURU NAGAMITSU Recap: Early: Strong, mid-KAMAKURA SUGATA. Undulating O-CHOJI MIDARE BA. Later: Graceful mid/late KAMAKURA transition FUNBARI SUGATA. Less undulation to GUNOME-CHOJI BA. NAGAMITSU also seen in KEM-MU 1334, SHO-HEI 1346, O-EI 1394, BUN-MEI 1469, EI-SHO 1504, EI-ROKU 1558 and BUN-ROKU 1592. |
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KOKUHO DAIHANNYA NAGAMITSU
National Treasure
During the MUROMACHI, the value of ROKU BYAKU KAN or Six Hundred KAN set for this blade rhymed with the DAIHANNYA KEI Sutra ROKU BYAKU KAN (MAKI), or Six Hundred Books of the DAIHANNYA "Great Wisdom Personified" Sutra; and this greatest of NAGAMITSU's works has been known as the DAIHANNYA NAGAMITSU ever since. The DAIHANNYA walked through the changing hands of MUROMACHI power. ASHIKAGA YOSHITERU presented it to the KYOTO conquering, MIYOSHI CHOKEI. Later, ODA NOBUNAGA's "falling-domino" unification plan took the sword and the life of last remaining MIYOSHI, CHOKEI's adopted son, YOSHITSUGU. NOBUNAGA presented the DAIHANNYA to IYEYASU for his help in crushing ASAKURA YOSHIKAGE and ASAI NAGAMASA (YODO-GIMI's father) at the battle of ANEGAWA River, 1570. See history In 1573, OKUDAIRA NOBUMASA, with his father SADAYOSHI, returned from the changing TAKEDA Clan into the service of IYEYASU, who installed them at NAGASHINO Castle. |
| Hot-headed TAKEDA KATSUYORI, See
Shingen soon to earn the disservice of all, attacked
his defectors at NAGASHINO, allowing IYEYASU and NOBUNAGA a bloody opportunity
to begin dismantling dead SHINGEN's great TAKEDA power base.
OKUDAIRA NOBUMASA received the DAIHANNYA following NAGASHINO and
handed it down in his
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 Battle of Nagashino |
| DAIHANNYA
SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, deeply curved KOSHIZORI. Its wide upper and round, mid-KAMAKURA IKUBI-KISSAKI surround a SHINOGI-wide BO-HI that falls from the KO-SHINOGI to MARU-DOME at the HABAKI-MOTO. Stately KO-ITAME HADA provides backdrop for an excited MIDARE CHOJI-UTSURI flux that hovers and dances in a vaporous tryst with the YAKIBA. Occasional KAWAZU and OBUSA squeeze from the low CHU-width KO-CHOJI MONOUCHI until single mounds of three-grouped OBUSA push into the JI. A cacophony of questioning KAWAZU, GUNOME and CHOJI protrude through the mid, unrestrained. TAMA-like TOBI find rest on cliff-tops before figures melt into a MIDARE swell in the lower, where brushed NIOI diffuses detail. Perfectly balanced SAN-SAKU BOSHI entertains MIDARE-UTSURI in the KISSAKI. The short, two MEKUGI-ANA NAKAGO has been abruptly KIRI-cut across the base. Two-character TACHI-MEI cut high on the
SHINOGI-JI side:
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Nagashino Today |
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| NAGASA: 78.0cm
SORI: 2.9cm Signed in reverence of NAGAMITSU's religious affiliation, akin to his Guardian Deity, the KUMANO SHINKO. The three KUMANO-no-SANZAN, HONGU, SHINGU and NACHI, along the KUMANO River in KII, are the most sacred SHINTO Shrines devoted to the Creation Mysteries. SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, KOSHIZORI. FUNBARI TACHI slopes to a KO-KISSAKI. Tight KO-ITAME HADA has standing MIDARE-UTSURI. A defined NIOI-GUCHI draws the refined CHOJI-MIDARE with GUNOME of ASHI and YO of his late period work. NOTARE-KOMI BOSHI finds KO-MARU at the head. Falling UBU-NAKAGO resolves in a slightly HA-AGARI KURI-JIRI. Two MEKUGI-ANA. Signed TACHI-MEI in the SHINOGI-JI:
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NAGASA: 70.0cm TAKENAKA SHIGEHARU, 1544 to 1575, known as "HAMBEI" was retainer to SAITO TATSUOKI, YOSHITATSU's soon vanquished son and last of the line. Thought the second generation, time has created a slender TACHI of later work. Remnents of HORIMONO stand testimony on the OMOTE. A strong SUGU-width of complex GUNOME-CHOJI is brushed with SUNAGASHI. UBU, with one MEKUGI-ANA, and signed in the upper:NAGAMITSU |
JUNKEI KO-AN: To EI-NIN 1293. Traditionally this was NAGAMITSU's priest or retirement name. The evidence is similarity of GUNOME within CHOJI showing TOGARI in the tops and a vividly clear MIDARE-UTSURI. The signatures, however, differ in style, among other documented doubts. In any event, NAGAMITSU and JUNKEI are closely akinned. JUNKEI: Made TACHI SUGATA. KO-ITAME has a thin JI-NIE veil and standing MIDARE-UTSURI. CHOJI-MIDARE or KO-MIDARE of KO-GUNOME with TOGARI in KO-NIE. BOSHI is CHU-MARU HAKIKAKE or YAKIZUME. NAGAMOTO SHO-AN (t: NAGAMITSU): Helped his master in NAGAMITSU's declining years. HADA with MIDARE-UTSURI. KO-CHOJI MIDARE - GUNOME mix. SAN-SAKU BOSHI. NAGAMOTO OSAFUNE JU NAGAMOTO SAKU BIZEN-no-KUNI OSAFUNE JU NAGAMOTO TAMEMUNE(1) GEN-KYO (f: NAGAMOTO): MOKUME HADA. CHOJI BA. 2nd to KOZORI. See KOZORI BISHU OSAFUNE TAMEMUNE NAGAMITSU(2) KO-AN (f: NAGAMITSU): SAKON SHOGEN. The title is synonymous for NAGAMITSU(2) with many statements that (1) did not use it. Born: KEN-CHO 1249, Died: SHO-WA 5, 1316. MOKUME. NIOI-DEKI MIDARE and CHOJI-MIDARE BA. OSAFUNE MONOUCHI: KO-MIDARE or KO-CHOJI defined of ASHI-IRI. BIZEN-no-KUNI SAKON SHOGEN NAGAMITSU TSUKURU SHIGEMITSU(1) O-CHO (f: NAGAMITSU): Considered with KAGEMITSU. See KAGEMITSU School NAGAMITSU(3) SHO-HEI (f: SHIGEMITSU): BIZEN-no-KUNI NAGAMITSU KAGEMASA BUN-PO (f: NAGAMITSU, br: KAGEMITSU): SHINSHI-ZABURO. UEMONnoJO. Swords much like his brother, KAGEMITSU. See KAGEMITSU School |
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