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The Eight DO
SANINDO
- The Eight Roads of KOTO



INABA KOKAJI School 

                        INABA KOKAJI: AWATAGUCHI style roots 
Note: KOKAJI fades        O-EI: KAGENAGA brings BIZEN style
    following O-EI         KO-ITAME HADA with MASAME. 
                            HOSO-SUGU GUNOME-MIDARE KUICHIGAI BA.
____________________  
AWATAGUCHI YOSHIMASA KEN-CHO 1249
___|____                          ________       
KAGENAGA(1) KA-GEN 1303           KAMIMOTO BUN-EI 1264 
   |________________ ____________ _________ 
___|____         ___|____     ___|____  ___|____ 
KAGENAGA(2)      YUKIKAGE(1)  KANENAGA  KAMIMOTO   
   | KEM-MU 1334         - RYAKU-O 1338 -         
   |____________________________________ _______________________
___|____                             ___|____                   |
KAGENAGA(3) O-AN 1368                YUKIKAGE(2) TEI-JI 1362    |
___|____             ________ __________|                       |
KAGENAGA(4)      ___|____  __|_____  ___|____                   |
   | O-EI 1394   NORIKIYO  YUKITADA  YUKIKAGE(3) KA-KEI 1387    |
   |                - O-EI 1394 -       To BIZEN YASUMITSU      |
   |                                           _________________|  
   |                   ________            ___|____             
   |                   NAGAKAGE O-AN 1368  KIYONAGA O-AN 1368   
   |                   ________  ________  ___|____             
   |                   KAGENAKA  MUNENAGA  KIYONAGA O-EI 1394   
   |                      - O-EI 1394 -    ___|____             
   |_________________________              KIYONAGA KA-KICHI 1441
___|____                     |             ___|____            
KAGENAGA(5) EI-KYO 1429      |             KIYONAGA CHO-ROKU 1457
___|____                  ___|____    ________ ________ 
KAGENAGA(6) CHO-ROKU 1457 YUKIKAGE(4) YUKINAGA YUKIKAGE     
___|____                         - CHO-ROKU 1457 - 
KAGENAGA(7) MEI-O 1492     _______             
___|____                   KAGEIYE BUN-GI 1501 
KAGENAGA(8) TAI-EI 1521                                 

                                               
Earlier KAGENAGA: Gently moving HOSO-SUGU with ASHI in tight NIOI
Later: HOSO width SUGU KO-GUNOME KUICHIGAI BA. NIOI is deeper



INABA KOKAJI Founder
KAGENAGA(1) KA-GEN (t: YOSHIMASA, YOSHIMITSU School): AWATAGUCHI.
        TOZAEMON. Born: BUN-O 1260, died: EN-KEI 2,1309. Old 
        reference states he moved from the AWATAGUCHI in 
        YAMASHIRO to begin the KOKAJI in SHO-O 1288. Newer work 
        propounds the INSHU KOKAJI to SHI-TOKU 1384, which is 
        time of the 3rd. Do not expect long swords of the first
        KOKAJI smith. Narrow and thick TAKENOKO TANTO. ITAME with
        MASAME has JI-NIE, in the moist AWATAGUCHI style. SUGU 
        KO-MIDARE BA with ASHI.
    MEI: KAGENAGA
         INSHU JU KAGENAGA



INABA KOKAJI School KAGENAGA(2) KEM-MU: 1st MEI: KIYONAGA. KOYAMA HOSUTO YASHIKI JU. Early NAMBOKUCHO, narrow SHINOGI-TSUKURI TACHI with KO-KISSAKI. TAKENOKO or few SHOBU TANTO. KO-MOKUME with JI-NIE. HOSO-SUGUHA in KO-NIE and tightly defined NIOI. KO-MARU BOSHI w/ slight KAERI. Signed INSHU JU (small) and KAGENAGA (large) - in thin, boxy characters. MEI: KAGENAGA INSHU JU KAGENAGA KAGENAGA(3) O-AN: First signed YUKINAGA. The INSHU pursuer of BIZEN style who also signed KANEMITSU, leading to a supposition of study and style. His work is of the NAMBOKUCHO: wide, with elongated KISSAKI. ITAME of MASAME. JI-NIE and CHIKEI. SUGUHA with KO-ASHI or shallow undulation of SUGUHA/KO-GUNOME mix in NIE. SUNAGASHI and KINSUJI. See KAGENAGA(4) MEI: INSHU JU KAGENAGA KAGENAGA(4) O-EI: BIZEN style, closely resembling KAGENAGA(3). So much so that O-EI KAGENAGA work is proposed possibly the aged hands of (3). Style and signature would seem to refute it, however. SHIRA-KE MIDARE-UTSURI is the INSHU O-EI mark. O-EI KAGENAGA embraces BIZEN, letting the KOKAJI fall into the past. Note: O-EI BIZEN work shows BO-UTSURI. O-EI style, short and shallow KOSHIZORI KATANA and short SHOBU-TSUKURI WAKIZASHI. Sometimes BO-HI or FUTASUJI. KO-MOKUME with MASAME preserves his forebears' style. HOSO-SUGU or CHU-SUGU ASAKI-NOTARE of GUNOME O-MIDARE in NIE. A smooth ripple of KO-GUNOME KO-CHOJI finds SUNAGASHI cutting KUICHIGAI to the HABUCHI. BOSHI is SUGUHA with NIE-HAKIKAKE for a medium-short KAERI. Also KO-MARU and low KO-MARU. KAGENAGA MEI are all thin stroked and boxy in appearance. O-EI KAGENAGA took care to contain his characters in a fairly defined column of approximately the same width. MEI: INSHU KAGENAGA INSHU JU KAGENAGA KAGENAGA(5)EI-KYO: The O-EI shows its influence. HOSO-SUGUHA, GUNOME-MIDARE and GUNOME-CHOJI patterns. MEI: KAGENAGA SAKU INSHU JU KAGENAGA KIYONAGA O-AN (f: KAGENAGA): From KEM-MU 1334 to O-AN 1368. Said to be a KIYONAGA from the NAMBOKUCHO through the early MUROMACHI, but long careers mislead casual histories. Look at SUGATA, then HADA and HAMON to place. MEI: INSHU JU KIYONAGA YUKIKAGE(1) RYAKU-O: AWATAGUCHI descendent. Work from GEN-O 1319. MEI: INABA-no-KUNI JU YUKIKAGE
INABA KOKAJI School YUKIKAGE KA-KEI (f: YUKIKAGE): YUKI form: KO "Good fortune." Another YUKIKAGE IN CHO-ROKU 1457, which is a main INSHU theater. KA-KEI BIZEN HYOEnoJO YUKIKAGE of late NAMBOKUCHO/O-EI (YUKI: KO "Fortune") was apparently this INSHU smith who traveled to BIZEN. It was either he, his son or possibly another who studied with O-EI YASUMITSU, as the student is EI-KYO BIZEN YUKIKAGE (KO: "fortune") having INSHU YUKIKAGE (YUKI form: KO, "Crossroads") as father. Many dates seem pulled by competing theory. See O-EI BIZEN, YASUMITSU MEI: INSHU JU YOSHIKAGE YUKIKAGE(2) TEI-JI (f: KAGENAGA): YUKI: "Crossroads." KO-MOKUME. KO-MIDARE BA. MEI: INSHU JU YUKIKAGE YUKIKAGE(3) EI-KYO: Style transfers solidly from YAMASHIRO roots to KAGENAGA camp. BIZEN YUKIKAGE (YUKI: KO "Fortune") of EI-KYO 1429, student of O-EI YASUMITSU is said the son of INSHU YUKIKAGE, see YUKIKAGE KA-KEI above. MEI: INSHU JU YUKIKAGE YUKIKAGE(4) CHO-ROKU (f: KAGENAGA): YUKI form: KO "Crossroads." His father is also stated as being KIYONAGA with the grandfather, KAGENAGA. CHO-ROKU is the flowering of the later INABA (post O-EI revolution), and YUKIKAGE is the strongest INSHU, CHO-ROKU smith. ITAME of MASAME. SUGUHA and GUNOME patterns are "swept." GUNOME-CHOJI KO-MIDARE BA. HAMON is KO-NIE on tightly held NIOI. MEI: INSHU JU YUKIKAGE INSHU JU TAROZAEMONnoJO YUKIKAGE TAMONTEN TAROZAEMONnoJO YUKIKAGE INSHU HATTO-GORI OITE YAMADA-MURA SAKU TAMONTEN TAROZAEMONnoJO YUKIKAGE KAGENAKA O-EI:O-EI stylist.ITAME MASAME. KO-NIE DEKI SUGUHA and HASU (oblique) MIDARE forms. MEI: INSHU JU KAGENAKA NORIKIYO O-EI: SHI-TOKU 1384 to O-EI 1394. ITAME with MASAME. SUGU and KO-MIDARE HA. MEI: INSHU JU NORIKIYO YUKITADA O-EI: Worked to BUN-AN 1444. ITAME with MASAME. SUGUHA, SUGU KO-MIDARE HA. MEI: INABA JU YUKITADA MUNENAGA O-EI: ITAME with MASAME. SUGUHA, KO-MIDARE and GUNOME. MEI: INSHU JU MUNENAGA INSHU JU MUNENAGA SAKU KAGEIYE BUN-GI: Called KOKAJI, but SENGOKU smith. MEI: INSHU KOHATA JU KAGEIYE
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