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The Eight DO
SANINDO - The Eight Roads of KOTO   





    

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TAJIMA HOJOJI   

Famous for making unsigned NAGINATA and NAGAMAKI. MOKUME with 
MASAME has O-HADA. GUNOME CHOJI-MIDARE mix, O-CHOJI BA and some 
CHOJI-TOGARI MIDARE. TSUBOMI-CHOJI"Flowerbud CHOJI" also called 
KIKU-MIDARE BA and CHABANA "Tea Flowers" CHOJI. 


"Three Students of SADAMUNE" SANTETSU
TANSHU YUKISADA HOJOJI KUNIMITSU (SAGAMI) TEI-JI 1362                 EN-BUN 1356     |_____________ _______________ ______________________ ______ ____|____     ____|____        ___|_____             ____|_____ | KUNIMITSU(2)  SADATSUGU        SHINISAKU O-EI 1394   MITSUTOSHI |    _|_ - O-EI 1394 -   ___________|_____             O-EI 1394  | ____|____              TOHACHI SHIGESADA(2) BUN-AN              | KUNIMITSU            _____________________ ____________ ________| EI-SHO 1504      ___|___               ___|____     ___|___                        SADAOKI TEI-JI 1362   KUNIYASU     SADAAKI                           |_____________     TEI-JI 1362  KO-RYAKU 1379                  ___|_____     ___|_____                       SHIGESADA(1)  SADATSUGU       ________                       - O-EI 1394 -             NORIHIRO O-AN 1368                                                ________                                                          KUNINAGA O-EI 1394            ___________________|____                          HIRATA-TOHACHI SHIGEZANE EI-KYO 1429  O-EI 1394   ___________________|____                           ____________ HIRATA-TOHACHI SHIGESADA(2) BUN-AN 1444            UDA NAGANOBU                ____|____                           KAN-SHO 1460                SHIGESADA(3) MEI-O 1492         ________________                HARIMA MUNESHIGE EI-SHO 1504


TAJIMA - HOJOJI KUNIMITSU
"The Three Students" SANTETSU
KUNIMITSU TEI-JI: ASAKO-GORI DAI SHO, HOJOJI JU. He is 
famous as one of SOSHU SADAMUNE's three students.             The SANTETSU:    KYO NOBUKUNI                            BIZEN MOTOSHIGE                           HOJOJI KUNIMITSU        Comparison of styles has allowed published doubts.
There are many sacred-cows in sword scholarship,
the "Three Students" is one. Association of famous
artists of disparate style is suspicious, and there
are many reasons for erroneous information. False
appraisal to highly placed gift-swords are a cause;
but most of these legends were inherited from the
endless fiction spun by EDO writers who wrote popular
fancy on any and every aspect of Japanese history and
lore. The "Ten Students of MASAMUNE" is such.       - As most have been cut down, signatures are usually        absent. O-SURIAGE MU-MEI NAGAMAKI and NAGINATA are
most encountered. These have most often been re-
shaped for use as a sword. Re-shaping is expected and
presents no affect on the value of such rare and
coveted pieces.        - TACHI will be NAMBOKUCHO wide, with raised SHINOGI
and O-KISSAKI. Shallow FUKURA.        - TANTO are usually altered as well. Expect wide and
long HIRA-TSUKURI with MARU-MUNE or MITSU-MUNE.        - BO-HI, BO-HI SOE-BI or double HI stands below the        KISSAKI. TANTO show SU-KEN, GOMABASHI and BONJI.        - O-MOKUME where CHIKEI attends O-HADA, an old
appraisal point. HOJOJI School is known for its large
and fancy, unique CHOJI pattern called CHABANA "Tea
Flowers" CHOJI. Its definer will be rounded, double-
petal heads. Lines appear as a flowery GUNOME-CHOJI
mix in NIOI with KINSUJI and SUNAGASHI. While long
swords show large and varied CHOJI patterns, TANTO
have simple KO-MIDARE BA. Patterns of SUGUHA or
KO-MIDARE BA vary on ZAI-MEI TANTO. NIE appears to
breakup. NAKAGO in KURI-JIRI.   MEI: HOJOJI KUNIMITSU        HO-SHO JU KUNIMITSU        TANSHU JU KUNIMITSU        HO-GORI JU KUNIMITSU KUNIMITSU(2) O-EI:HOJOJI JU. Most intense work period was
 prior to O-EI. Many ZAI-MEI. TANTO and KO-WAKIZASHI
of 9 SUN to 1 SHAKU 2 or 3. HIRA-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE,
 MU-SORI. Strongly running ITAME with JI-NIE.
NOTARE-GUNOME HA in KO-NIE shows SUNAGASHI and
KINSUJI.
MIDARE-BOSHI to KO-MARU and long-falling KAERI.
Block MEI in thick strokes. Appears like
Native-American hieroglyphs.   MEI: TANSHU JU KUNIMITSU        TANSHU JU HAITOSUKE KUNIMITSU SAKU


Hojoji Kunimitsu
Nagasa: 2 Shaku 6 Sun 6 Bu (80.6cm)
Sori: 1 Sun 2 Bu 5 Rin (3.8cm)
Moto-haba: 9 Bu 9 Rin (3.1cm)
Moto-kasane: 4 Bu 6 Rin (1.4cm)
Nakago: 4 Shaku 3 Sun 2 Bu (131.0cm)


Naginata. Ihori-mune strongly curved. Expertly carved Naginata Bohi resolves in Kaku-mune
Itame Hada.
Kawazu Choji and Gunome mix, with Ashi and Yo in deep Nioi-Fukashi
Midare-Komi Boshi to a short fall.
Katte Sagari Yasuri Kurijiri Naginata Nakago


Hojoji Kunimitsu - Bunkazai





Kunimitsu Shoto - Kokuho

Kunimitsu Shoto - Kokuho
Nagasa: 39.2cm
Moto-Haba: 2.5cm


Hira-Tsukuri, Ihori-Mune, shallow curve, thick Kasane, slender with elongated Kissaki.
Ko-Itame Hada runs strongly in the Koshimoto. Thin Ji-Nie with strong Chikei.
Intensely laid Nie-Deki Ko-Gunome Ba with Ko-Ashi where Nijuba develops in the upper.
Midare-Komi Boshi to Tsuki-age to deep Kaeri-naga.
Ubu kurjiri Nakago had three Mekugi-ana where two are joined.

    Tanshu Ju Kunimitsu
      Ura has Kusa "Grass"  inscription 


TAJIMA HOJOJI
SADAOKI O-AN (t: KUNIMITSU): Used the AO, "Interior rice room"
        character, also used for OKU. SUGUHA and KO-MIDARE BA.
    MEI: TANSHU JU SADAOKI

MITSUTOSHIO-EI (t: KUNIMITSU):MOKUME HADA.KO-MIDARE and GUNOME 
        CHOJI-MIDARE BA.
    MEI: TANSHU HOJOJI MITSUTOSHI

SADATSUGU O-EI: TANSHU JU SADATSUGU

SHINI O-EI (t: KUNIMITSU)
    MEI: SHINI SAKU      

SHIGESADA(1) O-EI (t: SADAOKI, f: SHIGEZANE): SADAOKI may be the
        father. O-AN to O-EI style.
    MEI: TAJIMA HOJOJI SHIGESADA

SHIGESADA(2) BUN-AN (t: SHINISAKU, f: SHIGEZANE): HIRATA TOHACHI.
        KO-MIDARE KO-CHOJI BA.
    MEI: HIRATA SHIGESADA
         TANSHU JU SHIGESADA
         TANSHU HOJOJI SHIGESADA

SHIGESADA MEI-O: TOHACHI SHIGESADA.

SHIGEZANE EI-KYO: O-EI-style KO-MIDARE BA and KO-CHOJI BA.
     TANSHU JU SHIGEZANE
     TANSHU HOJOJI SHIGESADA

ETCHU NAGANOBU KAN-SHO: UDA School. MOKUME. KO-MIDARE in NOTARE. 
    MEI: UDA NAGANOBU

TANSHU NAGANOBU EI-SHO 1504
    MEI: TANSHU JU NAGANOBU

KUNIMITSU EI-SHO 1504
    MEI: KUNIMITSU SAKU OITE TANSHU TATARAGI

SHIGENORI TEN-MON 1532
    MEI: TANSHU JUNIN SHIGENORI

KUNIYOSHI TEN-SHO 1573
    MEI: HOJOJI KUNIYOSHI
         TANSHU HOJOJI KUNIYOSHI
         TANSHU JU HOJOJI KUNIYOSHI 





Hojoji Nagamaki-Naoshi
1 Shaku 4 Sun 9 Bu (45.3cm)
Running Itame, Mokume mix has Ji-Nie and strongly profuse Chikei.
Undulating Ichimonji-like Choji O-Midare pattern of Hojoji Kunimitsu.
Sunagashi and Kinsuji run through moving figures.
O-Suriage Nakago with one Mekugi-ana.



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