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ISE - SENGO MURAMASA School The BUN-GI Triad MURAMASA Buddhist Spirit Name: MYODAI MURAMASA: This is the famous nemesis-smith of the TOKUGAWA. It has been legend that he was student of MASAMUNE. Many old books have dates that support this probable fantasy. MASAMUNE and MURAMASA - God and his Lucifer. ITAME with MASAME SHINOGI laminate. Deep clear blue. JI-NIE. Some HIRO-SUGU, but repeating theme is GUNOME-MIDARE with HAKO-MIDARE. HAKO GUNOME-TOGARI with valleys that roll, MIMIGATA-like NOTARE -MIDARE and O-NOTARE TOGARI. KOSHIBA. Deep ASHI that reaches the HA. KO-NIE on deep NIOI. YAKIBA is "Frosty" on dark blue HADA.
-TORIIZORI -Elongated KISSAKI -Raised SHINOGI -MASAME in the SHINOGI-JI -Well-knit, ITAME/MASAME run together -GUNOME mounds separated by wide, lazy valleys where NIOI spills to the HA -ARA-NIE appears sprinkled strongly across the HAMON -HAMON on both sides to be uniform and similar -High-reaching, Two and Three-grouped GUNOME mounds, drop low to HOSO width line that shows a slight NOTARE roll -Bays or valleys disappear to a JIZO BOSHI -High rising mounds crest at different heights _________________ SEKI KANEHARU DEN From KUWANA to SENGO _________|____ SENGO MURAMASA(1) O-NIN 1467 to BUN-GI 1501 _____________|_________________________ ____________________ ___|____ ___|_____ ____|____ | SUKEMASA MURAMASA(2) TAI-EI 1521 MASASHIGE(1) BUN-GI 1501 | BUN-MEI 1469 |_____________ ____|____ | ___|_____ ____|____ MASASHIGE(2) | MURAMASA(3) MURASHIGE TEN-MON 1532 | - TEN-MON 1532 - | ______________________ _______________| ___|____ ___|____ FUJIMASA EI-SHO 1504 MASAZANE BUN-GI 1501 |_________ ___|_____ ___|____ ___|____ MASATOSHI FUJIFUSA SUKETADA TEN-MON 1532 - TEN-MON 1532 - _______________ _______ KUWANA MURAMASA BUN-GI 1501 MASAIYE TEN-MON 1532 __________|____ ___|___ KUWANA MURAMASA TEN-SHO 1573 MASAIYE TEN-SHO 1573 _______________ ________________ KUWANA HIROMURA KUWANA HIROCHIKA (SENGO) - TEN-MON 1532 - _________ _________ _________________ MUNESHIGE HIROTSUGU FUJIWARA MURAMASA - TEN-MON 1532 - TEN-MON 1532 |
| MURAMASA(1) BUN-GI (f: AKASAKA KANEMURA, t: SEKI
KANEHARU):
SENGO Founder. UEMONnoJO. Spirit name: MYODAI. Work from O-NIN 1467 to BUN-GI 1501. |
| There is a theory that HEIANJO NAGAYOSHI was his student. This is debateable, but the strongest influence on sword styles at the time was MURAMASA, NAGAYOSHI and SHIMADA YOSHISUKE. These three, the BUN-GI Triad, stand together as a style-block competing for position and shaping the direction of style progress with these other MUROMACHI influences on the rising SENGOKU: | 
BUNGI Triad |
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SENGOKU Influences
MURAMASA: Made 2.2 to 2.3 SHAKU SAKI-ZORI KATANA, 1.3 to 1.4 SHAKU HIRA-TSUKURI, SAKI-ZORI KO-WAKIZASHI and 9 SUN TANTO. Even, shallow NIKU. ITAME with MINO influenced MASA SHINOGI. JI-NIE. Very fine KO-NIE DEKI and NIOI HITATSURA BA and NIOI-DEKI SUGU-KOSHIBA. He is famous for his large mounding, NOTARE-like patterns. There are many variations to a similar theme. NOTARE-HAKO GUNOME mix, HAKO-MIDARE. TOGARI MITSU-GUNOME "Three-grouped" MIDARE BA. Wide, unevenly spaced valleys push against large mounding, two and three grouped GUNOME. The valley floor should incline to a small NOTARE roll or unevenness. NIOI may reach from the valleys for the HA. Profuse MURA KO-NIE and ARA-NIE sprinked like KAZUTATSU. MURAMASA: Pattern should be fairly equal on both sides of the blade. MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI appears JIZO with long falling, MIDARE-KAERI. MEI: The characters in the SHO-DAI signature have a certain symmetry over NI-DAI and SAN-DAI. The poles of the MURA are almost vertical and almost parallel, - and of almost even length. His MASA is more legible and does not appear as fragmented as the later. Note: There are book-dates that have the 1st MURAMASA in TEI-JI. Another line has MURAMASA(1) in O-NIN, the 2nd in EI-SHO and the 3rd in TEN-MON. MEI: MURAMASA KUWANA JU MURAMASA UEMONnoJO MURAMASA SAKU SEISHU KUWANA JU MURAMASA |
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NAGASA: 66.7cm SORI: 2.1cm SHINOGI-TSUKURI, MITSU-MUNE SENGOKU SAKIZORI. Elongated CHU-KISSAKI. The OMOTE has SO-no-KURIKARA "Draon" HORIMONO. URA: An abbreviated SO-no-KURIKARA. SHIRAKE, complex KO-ITAME HADA has JI-NIE. Deep NIOI-GUCHI has MURA KO-NIE. The upper is SUGU with gentle NOTARE BA. The lower is ASAKI-NOTARE having TOGARI in GUNOME-MIDARE BA. SUGU BOSHI reaches a small KO-MARU to a quickly falling KAERI. An UBU, gently swept, one MEKUGI-ANA "Triad" NAKAGO falls to a small KURI-JIRI, SENGO MURAMASA style. KATANA-OMOTE:
MURAMASA MYOHO RENGE-KYO ("Lotus Sutra")
KATANA-URA: EI-SHO JU TEN MIZU-no-TO TORI JU-GATSU JU-SAN NICHI 10th year of EI-SHO, 1513 Year of the Tiger / Water-brother 10th Month, 30th Day |
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NAGASA: 70.9cm SORI: 2.4cm NAKAGO: 14.5cm SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, SENGOKU SAKIZORI KATANA. OMOTE has SO-no-KURIKARA "Dragon" HORIMONO and URA has BONJI, below which MARU-DOME BO-HI falls through the NAKAGO. SHIRAKE running ITAME HADA has JI-NIE. Large rising NOTARE of ASHI and YO grouped GUNOME-MIDARE BA reach toward to SHINOGI. TOBI-YAKI gather here and there as JI-NIE swirls densely. MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI is KUZURE. UBU, one MEKUGI-ANA NAKAGO falls to his small HA-AGARI KURI-JIRI. KATANA-OMOTE: SEISHU KUWANA JU UEMON-no-JO FUJIWARA MURAMASA KATANA-URA: BUN-GI GEN-NEN JU-GATSU HI |
MURAMASA(2) TAI-EI (f: MURAMASA): Work appears from EI-SHO 1504 to TEN-MON 1532. Very much in the style of the 1st. ITAME with MASAME. HAKO-MIDARE where open valleys push TOGARI-GUNOME. Valleys hold NOTARE and GUNOME-MIDARE separate. 2nd: Grouped TOGARI and MITSU-GUNOME are unevenly spaced - a mark. The MASA character of NI-DAI is stylistically more exaggerated. The right pole of the MURA (the vertical stroke of the SUN radical) is longer and therefore higher than the left. MEI: MURAMASA SEISHU KUWANA FUJIWARA ASON MURAMASA SAKU SEISHU KUWANA GORI MASUDA-SHO FUJIWARA ASON MURAMASA SAKU MURAMASA(3) TEN-MON: ITAME HADA. NOTARE-GUNOME HAKO-MIDARE with valleys. O-NOTARE BA. His signature is quite different from forebears'. The MASA and MURA seem pointed - and disjointed. Casual reference of published OSHIGATA will dispel any mysteries a piece might pose.
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FUJIMASA EI-SHO (br: MURAMASA): There is a theory that this smith and MURAMASA are the same. Mostly MIDARE BA and HAKO- MIDARE with valleys in MURAMASA style. MEI: FUJIMASA KUWANA JU FUJIMASA SEISHU-TSU FUJIMASA SAKU SUKETADA TEN-MON (t: FUJIMASA): TEN-MON 1532 to EI-ROKU 1558. ITAME HADA. MIDARE BA SENGO style. MEI: SEISHU JU SENGO SUKETADA MASAZANE BUN-GI (f: MURAMASA): Many TANTO. ITAME with MASAME. SUGUHA, NOTARE and GUNOME-MIDARE BA in the lower. A slight curve of the NAKAGO has his firmly set, medium stroked MEI. Clean KIRI-YASURI and small KURI-JIRI or slight KENGYO. MEI: MASAZANE FUJIWARA MASAZANE SEISHU KUWANA JU SENGO MASAZANE SUYENAGA EI-SHO: SEISHU MIE-GORI JU SUYENAGA MASAIYE TEN-MON: Work from BUN-GI 1501. ITAME with MASAME running. HAKO-NOTARE MIDARE, GUNOME-MIDARE separated by valleys. TOGARI pulls at the tops. Some drifting SUGU. MEI: SEISHU JU MASAIYE |
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UNRININ ? - Think TEGAI |
_____________________________________ ISE UNRININ BUN-GI: TEGAI KANENAGA(6) - Work from EI-SHO 1504 to (URIIN) TEN-MON 1532. MOKUME with MASAME - standing HADA. KO-NIE DEKI GUNOME-MIDARE and HITATSURA BA. MEI: SEISHU UNRININ JU KANENAGA TSUKURU KANENAGA(7) TEN-SHO: GUNOME-MIDARE HA. MEI: SEISHU UNRININ KANENAGA ________________ UNRININ MASAMORI BUN-MEI 1469: From YAMATO. ___________|____ UNRININ MASAMORI BUN-GI 1501 UJII BUN-GI: UNRININ. ITAME with MOKUME and MASA on the HA. SUGU GUNOME-MIDARE HA and HITATSURA BA. ________________ UNRININ MASAMORI(1) BUN-GI 1501 ___________|____ UNRININ MASAMORI(2) TEN-MON 1532 ___________|____ UNRININ MASAMORI(3) TEN-SHO 1573 MASAMORI(1) BUN-GI: ANO-GORI. Descendants of TEGAI. SUGUHA and GUNOME patterns where the HABUCHI is HOTSURE-swept, a TEGAI mark. Note: SHINTO JI-DAI to MUSASHI. _____________ MINO KANESADA(2) EI-SHO 1504 ________|___ ISE HIROMURA TEN-MON 1532 HIROMURA TEN-MON (t: IZUMI-no-KAMI KANESADA 2): UNRININ. NOTARE and O-GUNOME MIDARE HA. KANEKORE EI-SHO 1504 - UNRININ in YAMATO WASHU UNRININ JU KANEKORE |
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