© Copyright Robert Cole 2023 - No copying or distributing
The Eight DO
SAIKAIDO -
The Eight Roads of KOTO




In Hideyoshi's Korean Van, the famous Ki-Sho-Gan (Oni-Shogun) "The Devil-General," Kato Kiyomasa, awarded Kumamoto home sword-smith,  Higo Kunikatsu his own "Masa" creating, Koyama Samasuke Masakuni, KOSUKE no SUKE 
HIGO DOTANUKI:  
              Very powerful SUGATA for the master of KUMAMOTO. 
Slight SORI or SAKI-ZORI to strongly done, well-shaped blades. 
MOKUME. SUGUHA and GUNOME-MIDARE HA. BOSHI: KO-MARU.
________  
KUNIHIRO TEN-MON 1532
     HIGO DOTANUKI KOZUKEnoSUKE KUNIHIRO
_________  
NOBUYOSHI EI-ROKU 1558 
        KIKUCHI JU. Thick-backed, wide blades with O-KISSAKI.
        SUGUHA with ASHI. KO-MIDARE with MURA-NIE.
_________ 
YOSHINOBU GEN-KI 1570
          KIKUCHI JU. CHIKUZEN style. HIRO-SUGU with ASHI and YO. 
_________  
YOSHIHARU GEN-KI 1570
           O-GUNOME MIDARE, GUNOME-TOGARI BA. 
_________ 
MATAHACHI TEN-SHO 1573 
           KIKUCHI JU. SUGU KO-MIDARE KO-GUNOME. 
_____     _____ 
UEMON and HYOBU TEN-SHO 1573
           KO-MIDARE or SUGU-KUZURE BA. WAZAMONO.
   HIGO DOTANUKI HYOBU

________
MASAKUNI (1st MEI: KUNIKATSU) TEN-SHO 1573
        KOYAMA SAMASUKE. Accepted KATO KIYOMASA's "MASA" as gift.
        Little SORI on wide, thick blades. Elongated or O-KISSAKI. 
        Powerful SUGATA. Standing SHIRA-KE on running ITAME. 
        MASAME in the SHINOGI. SUGU or GUNOME-MIDARE HA in KO-NIE
        DEKI and thin NIOI.   
________ 
SUKEKUNI TEN-SHO 1573
        O-KISSAKI on powerful, wide blades. Standing ITAME that 
        runs. SUGU KO-MIDARE or GUNOME in KO-NIE DEKI. MURA-NIE.
________   
KIYOKUNI BUN-ROKU 1592
        Worked under KATO KIYOMASA, accepting his "KIYO" as 
        favor. Made stout blades in evenly running ITAME. KO-NIE
        DEKI CHU-SUGU NOTARE BA and GUNOME-MIDARE of MURA-NIE 
        found in YAKI-KUZURE on the line.

GENZAEMON: KIKUCHI JU. SUGUHA and KO-MIDARE BA.
     DOTANUKI GENZAEMON
     KYUSHU HIGO DOTANUKI GENZAEMON

______________ 
KOZUKE no SUKE (KUNIHIRO) KEI-CHO 1596
        Little FUNBARI. Elongated SHINTO-style KISSAKI and thick
        KASANE. Coarse and running ITAME that stands. HIRO-SUGU
        GUNOME HA of MURA KO-NIE on slight NIOI.
     KYUSHU DOTANUKI KOZUKEnoSUKE
     HIGO KIKUCHI JU DOTANUKI KOZUKEnoSUKE
     HISHU KIKUCHI JU KUNIHIRO SAKU
_______
MASAAKI TEN-SHO 1573
        To BUN-ROKU 1592 making SUGUHA and KO-MIDARE BA. 
     NIHON ICHI MASAAKI
_______
MASAAKI TEN-SHO: DOTANUKI MASAAKI
Dotanuki Daito
27 3/4" Nagasa
 7 1/4" Nakago
Wide blade, Kamasu "Barracuda" O-Kissaki. Bo-Hi.
Mounding Gunome-Choji Midare Ba gently undulates.
Ashi-iri define Gunome and Togari figures that jut and push through Sunagashi and Hotsure.
Ubu Kurijiri Nakago has two Mekugi-ana and Red-Lacquer Shumei by Honami Koson.
Dotanuki Kozuke-no-Suke





Higo Dotanuki
Nagasa: 69.7cm
Shinogi-tsukuri, Ihori-mune with broad, elongated Chu-Kissaki.
Bo-Hi to both sides.
Knit and flowing Itame with Masame Hada has Chikei and Ji-Nie.
Nie Midare Ba flows in a wide Aski-Notare, undulating line.
Ubu Ha-agari Nakago has one Mekugi-ana.






































Images with permission. - Darcy  


Sotheby's, London
Dotanuki Kozuke-noo-Suke
Nagasa: 72.1cm

Shinogi-Tsukuri, Ihori-Mune, O-Kissaki.
Itame Hada.
Nioi-Deki and profuse Ko-Nie O-Gunome-Midare Ba with Yubashiri and Tobi-yaki.
Midare-Komi, Saagari Hakikake Boshi.
Ubu Kurijiri with one Mekugi-ana.
Kyushu Higo Dotanuki Kozukenosuke



Kyushu Higo Dotanuki Kozuke-no-Suke
18" Nagasa
15 1/2" Ubu Nakago

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