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Copyright Robert Cole 2015
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SANJO KOKAJI Technical: SUGATA - HEIAN style, deeply curved KOSHIZORI or TORII with FUNBARI (tapering width) to KO-KISSAKI. Blades are narrow and SHINOGI-JI is wide. HADA - Very fine KO-MOKUME. Deep blue. A feeling of purple is reputed. CHIKEI and fine JI-NIE. HAMON - SUGUHA. SUGU KO-MIDARE with YO and KO-ASHI or SUGU KO-CHOJI MIDARE. The concentration of temperature brought an abundance of fine KO- NIE attending the NIOI-FUKASHI line. Some blades show temperature differential during quench in the MONOUCHI. These might appear as overlapping or double HAMON lines. Pursuit of UCHI-NOKE (small crescent patterns next to the HAMON) is expected of all generations. Some have YAKIOTOSHI (temper-line drops from the HA before MACHI). KINSUJI and INAZUMA. BOSHI - Some O-MARU and KAEN. Some KO-MARU. NIE. Little turnback. NAKAGO - Long with curve. Some KIJI types. KURI-JIRI. Early signatures are usually smith name alone. |
___________________ _________ SANJO MUNECHIKA Founder EI-EN 987 YOSHINORI ______ _________________|_________ ________ __________________ _|__ __|____ ___________|___ ____|____ ___|_____ | HISA ARIKUNI KAWACHI ARINARI SANETOSHI CHIKANORI | |_______________ |________ _______ | ________|____ _________|_____ ____|___ ____|___ ___|____ | GOJO KANENAGA KAWACHI ARIKUNI SANEKUNI MUNENAGA SANEKIYO | |_________ _________ | ________|____ ____|___ ____|____ ________ | GOJO KUNINAGA KANEYASU KANETSUGU YASUNORI | KANETSUNE NORISUYE | ________ ________ ________ __________ _____________________| ____|____ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ ____|___ MUNETOSHI MUNEYASU MUNENORI SANENORI YOSHIIYE MUNETADA MUNENOBU |_________ MORICHIKA ____|____ ___|_____ CHIKAMURA YOSHISUKE |
YAMASHIRO SANJO KOKAJI
________ _________________ _________ ________ SUYEYUKI HEIANJO KUNISHIGE KANETSUGU SUKETOMO EI-KAN 983 - EI-EN 987 - KAN-KO 1004 _______ _________ ARITADA CHO-WA 1012 YOSHINORI EI-EN 987 _________ ____|____ _________ YOSHIMORI TEN-KI 1053 YOSHINORI YOSHIHIRO _______ - CHO-KYU 1040 - ARIKIYO KO-HEI 1058 ___________________ SANJO MUNECHIKA Founder EI-EN 987 ______ _________ ___________|____________________________ ____ _|__ __|____ ____|____ ____|___ ___________|___ | HISA ARIKUNI MUNECHIKA YOSHIIYE KAN-KO 1004 KAWACHI ARINARI | | KAN-KO 1004 - ____|____ CHO-WA 1012 | |_______________ CHIKAMURA CHO-KYU 1040 | ________|____ _________|_____ _______________| GOJO KANENAGA KAWACHI ARIKUNI __________|____ | | - CHO-GEN 1028 - SANJO KANETSUGU EI-EN 987 | |___________ ___________________________ | ________|____ ____|___ _________|____ | GOJO KUNINAGA KANEYASU EI-SHO 1046 GOJO KANETSUGU | TEN-KI 1053 ____|____ EI-SHO 1046 | KANETSUNE TEN-KI 1053 | __________________________ ________________________________| ____|____ ___|_____ ________ | SANETOSHI CHO-KYU 1040 CHIKANORI YASUNORI EI-SHO 1046 | |__________ _________ KO-HEI 1058 ___|____ | ____|___ ____|___ ___|____ NORISUYE TEN-KI 1053 | SANEKUNI MUNENAGA SANEKIYO | - EN-KYU 1069 - KA-HO 1094 | _______________________ ______________________ ________ ___| ____|____ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ MUNETOSHI CHO-RYAKU 1037 MUNEYASU CHO-KYU 1040 MUNENORI SANENORI ____|___ __________|____ - CHO-KYU 1040 - MUNETADA (OMIYA) MUNENOBU O-TOKU 1084 SHO-RYAKU 1077 ___|_____ MORICHIKA KAN-TOKU 1044 |
MUNECHIKA EI-EN: SANJO KOKAJI Founder. Born: 938, Died: 1014 Originally from KAWACHI. KAWACHI ARINARI is either the same man or MUNECHIKAs' son. Said to have made a blade named for a rescued fox called KO-KITSUNE - "Little Fox." Deep KOSHIZORI, FUNBARI TACHI draws great length along a narrowing MONOUCHI to balance his almost miniature KO-KISSAKI. Profuse JI-NIE over compacted KO-MOKUME where CHIKEI outlines O-HADA. UTSURI is possible. Thinning YAKIBA of KO-NIE in NIOI-FUKASHI appears layered. KUICHIGAI couples layered and inter-linked NIJUBA and SANJUBA while KO-ASHI pulls on the line. SANJO famed for UCHINOKE, which suspend like standing waves. Small MUNEYAKI may grace the back. MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI has UCHINOKE. The grain may tug a slight TOGARI within KO-MARU to a short KAERI. Story has SHOTOKU-TAISHI's famous HEI-SHI-SHO-RIN Sword of the SHI-TENNO-JI Temple his inspiration for steel and HAMON although, technically, they differ. Reference writes of UTSURI flared YAKIOTOSHI, but this could not be expected. Two KOSHIGATANA Belt Swords: UMA-EBI "Sea Shrimp" MYO KOKAJI KATAKIRI BA TSUKURI NAGASA: 1 SHAKU 1.2 SUN with 9.8 SUN RYOBA TAKA-no-SO "Falcon's Nest" MUNECHIKA HIRA-TSUKURI NAGASA: 1 SHAKU 4 SUN School work began to show the SANJO inscription in the later HEIAN, becoming MUNECHIKA's nom de guarre only at the behest of history. His SANJO MEI is to be found on the URA above the MEKUGI-ANA. MUNECHIKA MEI will be found on TACHI OMOTE. Also signed YUKIZANE. See MIKAZUKI MUNECHIKA following |
YAMASHIRO SANJO School
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SANJO School
ARIKUNI KAN-KO (t: MUNECHIKA): KO-MOKUME. KO-NIE KO-MIDARE BA. ARIKUNI ARINARI CHO-WA (f: MUNECHIKA): To KAWACHI. Either MUNECHIKA or his son. KO-NIE KO-MIDARE BA. ARINARI ARIKUNI CHO-GEN (t: ARINARI, f: ARIKUNI): To KAWACHI. MOKUME with MASAME. KO-NIE KO-MIDARE BA. ARIKUNI SANETOSHI CHO-KYU (f: MUNECHIKA): Work from KAN-NIN 1017. MOKUME with MASAME. KO-MIDARE BA to CHOJI-BA. SANETOSHI MUNENORI CHO-KYU (f: MUNECHIKA): Work from CHO-GEN 1028. MOKUME. HOSO-SUGUHA, KO-MIDARE, GUNOME and CHOJI patterns. MUNENORI MUNETOSHI CHO-KYU (f: MUNECHIKA): KO-MIDARE KO-CHOJI BA in the style of his father. MUNETOSHI MUNETADA SHO-RYAKU (f: MUNETOSHI): MOKUME. KO-MIDARE BA with ASHI to CHOJI YAKIBA patterns. MUNETADA SANENORI CHO-KYU (f: MUNECHIKA): MOKUME NASHIJI JI-HADA. SUGU lines of KO-MIDARE KOCHOJI BA. SANENORI |
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Five Great Swords
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Sanjo
Mune- Den Munechika - Kokuho Sanjo Mune- Den Munechika - Kokuho Nagasa: 78.8cm Moto-Haba: 2.8cm Shinogi-Tsukuri, Ihori-Mune, deeply curved to Ko-Kissaki. Ura has raised Taka-Shinogi and a Koshi-Hi carved. Robust Itame Hada with O-Hada with Ji-Nie of particular deep hue. Hoso-Sugu Ko-Nie and Nioi-Fukashi Ko-Midare Ba. Sugu KoMaru Boshi. Ubu Kurijiri, three Mekugi-ana. Mune(x) Saku |
YOSHIIYE KAN-KO (f: MUNECHIKA): It is popular with professionals, in all walks, to pipe a common Law School quote: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck ...IT'S A DUCK. Discussions of SANJO YOSHIIYE invariably include more than casual reference to BIZEN ICHIMONJI YOSHIIYE. There have been several YOSHIIYE swords passed as presentation pieces from old families. However an important gesture, the bestowed mantle of SANJO to younger swords, has left an awkward posture for curators and more than one historiographer. Often one reads of the difficulty accounting similarities between SANJO and ICHIMONJI YOSHIIYE. Specimens with the YOSHIIYE MEI are a fairly CHU-width CHOJI-MIDARE, GUNOME-MIDARE mix of KO-NIE and defined NIOI that show some DAI-BO rises in the mid and lower. Of the signed swords accepted as KAN-KO SANJO YOSHIIYE, I do not see HEIAN SUGATA. Note: The names, SADACHIKA and YOSHISUKE are said to be other signatures. See SANJO YOSHIIYE of KEN-RYAKU 1211. With YOSHIIYE - 2 questions: -Is it HEIAN or KAMAKURA SUGATA? -Is it YAMASHIRO or BIZEN? CHIKAMURA CHO-KYU (f: MUNECHIKA): Supposed adopted son or student of YOSHIIYE. MOKUME HADA. KO-NIE DEKI HOSO- SUGUHA. CHIKAMURA KANENAGA CHO-GEN (f: SANJO ARIKUNI): GOJO BOMON Gate. YATARO and CHUJIRO. Made SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, KOSHIZORI TACHI in FUNBARI to KO-KISSAKI HEIAN SUGATA. KO-MOKUME has JI-NIE. KO-NIE in NIOI KO-MIDARE BA from which GUNOME and CHOJI rises stand up and parley. May have subtle NIOI outlines of a failed HAMON in the JI, but the balance of figures will be striking. KINSUJI walks the HAMON and thread-like KINSUJI mark YAKIBA forms much like the many tiered stains on a reservoir wall. MEI: Above the ANA, KANE is somewhat larger than NAGA. KANETSUGU(1) EI-EN: SANJO smith. Work from EI-EN through EI-SHO 1046. Died in 1050. KANETSUGU(2) EI-SHO: GOJO Group. |
SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, FUNBARI TACHI. Narrow bodied KOSHIZORI rises to a small KO-KISSAKI. Tight KO-MOKUME grips CHIKEI under JI-NIE. MURA KO-NIE in NIOI sketch a deflated KO-MIDARE floor from which remaining GUNOME and CHOJI boulders jut in lonely groups. KINSUJI etches multiple lines and faint JI-BA hint of absent CHOJI. HOSO-SUGU BOSHI hosts a NIJU ghost that whispers of a disappeared line. Excellently preserved UBU NAKAGO to a sharp HA-AGARI. Signed
above the single ANA near the MUNE:
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YAMASHIRO SANJO School
KANEYASU EI-SHO (t: KANENAGA): KO-NIE FUKASHI KO-MIDARE BA |
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YAMASHIRO SANJO School
YOSHIIYE KEN-RYAKU: Kanko Yoshiiye, the son of Munechika |
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Sanjo
Yoshiiye Tachi Yoshiiye Tachi Nagasa: 74.5cm Sori: 2.3cm A long possession of the Shimazu Appears Hogen. Shinogi-tsukuri, Ihori-mune Tachi Sugata with elongated Ko-Kissaki. Itame Hada has Utsuri. Expected for Kantei of Sanjo Den Yoshiiye: Ko-Nie Deki of unevenly set Ko-Choji-Midare Ba. Becomes more pronounced in the mid. Suriage Nakago has three Mekugi-ana, one very of several mounts. Signed on the Ji, three character Mei. Yoshiiye Saku |
YAMASHIRO SANJO School
________ IYETOSHI HO-GEN 1156 Same as TAMEYOSHI. IYETOSHI HO-GEN: MOKUME HADA. NIE-DEKI HOSO-SUGUHA with KO-ASHI. ________ ________ ________ _______ _________ SUKEMUNE SANENARI KANEYASU IYEYASU SADACHIKA HEI-JI 1159 EI-RYAKU 1160 KA-O 1169 - YO-WA 1181 - _________ _________ YOSHIKUNI HIROTSUGU BUN-JI 1185 GEN-RYAKU ZEN _________ CHIKAMURA KEN-KYU 1190 CHIKAMURA KEN-KYU: Late HEIAN to early KAMAKURA SUGATA. KO-ITAME has JI-NIE. YAKIBA: KO-MIDARE KO-CHOJI BA pulls from YAKIOTOSHI. BOSHI is NIE NIJU-SUGU. Two-character MEI. ________ _____________ _____________ _________ SANEKUNI GOJO KUNINAGA GOJO SADANAGA KANETSUGU GEN-KYU 1204 KEN-PO 1213 KAN-KI 1229 BUN-RYAKU 1234 _________ CHIKANORI (possibly MUTSU) ____|__ SHIGETO KEN-RYAKE 1211 ________ KUNINORI KA-TEI 1235 KUNINORI KA-TEI: MOKUME with MASAME. NIE in NIOI SUGUHA with ASHI. ________ ________ ________ SANEKIYO SUKETOMO NORIMORI - KO-CHO 1261 - KO-AN 1278 Transferred to TAMBA _______ MORIIYE RYAKU-O 1338 MORIIYE RYAKU-O: YATARO. Strong FUNBARI would be expected. ITAME. GUNOME and KO-CHOJI BA in KO-NIE. MIDARE KO-MARU BOSHI or HAKIKAKE. HA-AGARI with SUJIKAI YASURI. |
YAMASHIRO - Late SANJO School SANJO YOSHINORI - Late SANJO smiths are HEIANJO School. YOSHINORI swords are to be attributed to smith by style as to time. See YAMASHIRO HEIANJO - YOSHINORI.
SANJO YOSHINORI(1) O-CHO 1311 |__________________________ __________|____ ____|____ SANJO YOSHINORI(2) KEM-MU 1334 YOSHIHIRO GEN-TOKU 1329 __________|____ SANJO YOSHINORI(3) TEI-JI 1362 to EI-TOKU 1381 |_____________ _____________ ______________ __________|____ ____|____ ____|_____ ____|____ SANJO YOSHINORI(4) YOSHIMORI YOSHITSUGU(1) YOSHIHIRO - O-EI 1394 - - O-AN 1368 - YOSHINORI KEM-MU: SUGUHA with ASHI. YOSHINORI EI-TOKU: Work starts in TEI-JI 1362. Wide, thin bodied MITSU-MUNE TANTO. A known SUGATA is HIRA-TSUKURI OMOTE with SHINOGI-TSUKURI URA. HAMON is KO-NIE KO-NOTARE BA. NOTARE - KO-MARU BOSHI with deep turnback. Late SANJO line is associated to HEIANJO. See YAMASHIRO HEIANJO - YOSHINORI line. YOSHITSUGU(1) O-AN (t: NOBUKUNI, f: YOSHIHIRO): SANJO YOSHITSUGU. YOSHINORI line smith apprenticed to NOBUKUNI. His work period runs to the O-EI. He and his line worked at the gate of KURAMA-DERA Temple, KYOTO. MOKUME HADA. SUGUHA and KO-MIDARE BA with ASHI. See HEIANJO - YOSHINORI. _________ MUNECHIKA KEM-MU 1334 MUNECHIKA KEM-MU: SANJO KOKAJI MUNECHIKA. GUNOME-MIDARE HA. ________ KANEYASU KA-KEI 1387 Descendants to IWAMI ________ _________ _________ _________ _________ NORISADA MUNECHIKA YOSHIHISA MUNETSUGU MUNEMITSU - O-EI 1394 - EI-KYO 1429 - BUN-MEI 1469 - Late SANJO smiths to HEIANJO. See HEIANJO. |
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