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Lot Essay
ACCOMPANIED BY A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION AS A JUYO TOKEN [IMPORTANT SWORD] NO.11998 ISSUED AT THE 50TH JUYO SHINSA ON OCTOBER 15TH 2004 AND A BLACK LACQUER BOX HAVING THE 'TAKE NI SUZUME' MON OF THE UESUGI.
THE SWORD IS ATTRIBUTED TO MORIKAGE OF THE OMIYA BIZEN GROUP. ACCORDING TO THE KEIZU HIDEN MYO THE GROUP WAS FOUNDED BY THE FATHER AND SON KUNINORI AND SADANORI WHO MIGRATED FROM OMIYA IN YAMASHIRO TO BIZEN PROVINCE, AND MORIKAGE WAS DESCENDED FROM THEM. IT HAS BEEN CUSTOMARY TO TREAT THE OMIYA GROUP AS SEPARATE FROM OTHER SMITHS IN OSAFUNE, ALTHOUGH THEIR BLADE CHARACTERISTICS MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY BE DIFFERENT. IN FACT THE OMIYA STYLE IS VARIED, WITH GUNOME CHOJI, A SQUARISH GUNOME, OR SUGUHA. BUT RECENT RESEARCH REFERED TO IN THE JUYO TOKEN CERTIFICATE HAS POINTED OUT CLEARER SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE WORK OF CHIKAKAGE, YOSHIKAGE, AND MORIKAGE. THE HORIZONTAL STROKES IN THEIR SIGNATURES ARE UNUSUALLY CUT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THIS FACT TOGETHER WITH BLADE CHARACTERISTICS SHOW THAT THE SMITHS TRADITIONALLY KNOWN AS THE OMIYA GROUP WERE IN FACT CLOSE TO THOSE OF THE KANEMITSU SCHOOL OF THE SAME VILLAGE, OSAFUNE (OGASAWARA NOBUO, NIPPONTO NO REKISHI TO KANSHO. KODANSHA, TOKYO 1989). TWO JUYO BUNKAZAI TACHI BY BISHU OSAFUNE YOSHIKAGE AND BISHU OSAFUNE MORIKAGE WHICH ARE SIMILAR IN BOTH SIGNATURE AND BLADE CHARACTERISTICS REINFORCE THIS POINT.
THIS BLADE IS A TYPICAL OSURIAGE TACHI OF THE NANBOKUCHO PERIOD, HAVING BEEN CUT DOWN TO THE EXTENT OF LOSING THE ORIGINAL TANG AND SIGNATURE. MANY LONG TACHI WERE CUT DOWN DURING THE TENSHO (1573-1592) AND KEICHO (1596-1615) ERAS. TO AN EXTENT THIS WAS DUE TO THE CHANGING FACE OF COMBAT, BUT TO A GREATER EXTENT DUE TO A DESIRE TO BE SEEN TO BE WEARING A VALUABLE OLD SWORD WHEN OUT AND ABOUT IN KYOTO DURING THE MOMOYAMA PERIOD. MANY SWORDS WERE CUT DOWN BY THE UMETADA AND HON'AMI FAMILIES IN KYOTO AT THE TIME.
THIS SWORD HAS KAKITOSHI BOHI GROOVES, BUT HALFWAY DOWN THE TANG ON THE SASHI-URA CLOSE AGAINST THE GROOVE IS THE REMNANT OF THE KISSAKI OF A KEN HORIMONO. THE INFERENCE IS EITHER THAT THE SMITH STARTED TO CUT THE KEN, AND THEN DECIDED TO CARVE THE BOHI INSTEAD, OR THAT THE BOHI WERE CUT AT THE TIME OF THE SURIAGE PROCESS. IF THE LATTER, WHICH IS MOST LIKELY, IT INDICATES THE CARE WHICH WAS TAKEN IN PRESERVING OLD SWORDS IN A CHANGING WORLD. DOUBTLESS THE WEIGHT AND BALANCE OF THE SWORD HAD TO BE ADJUSTED TO THE NEW LENGTH. THIS SWORD IS IN ITSELF THEREFORE AN IMPORTANT RECORD OF THE CUSTOM OF SURIAGE IN THE LATE MUROMACHI-MOMOYAMA PERIOD.
ACCORDING TO THE JUYO TOKEN CERTIFICATE THE SWORD WAS A BATTLE PRIZE, PRESUMABLY TAKEN DURING THE LATE 16TH CENTURY SINCE WHEN, AND UNTIL RECENTLY, IT HAS BEEN A TREASURED HEIRLOOM OF THE UESUGI. IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A BLACK LACQUER BOX BEARING THE UESUGI MON.
THE SWORD IS ATTRIBUTED TO MORIKAGE OF THE OMIYA BIZEN GROUP. ACCORDING TO THE KEIZU HIDEN MYO THE GROUP WAS FOUNDED BY THE FATHER AND SON KUNINORI AND SADANORI WHO MIGRATED FROM OMIYA IN YAMASHIRO TO BIZEN PROVINCE, AND MORIKAGE WAS DESCENDED FROM THEM. IT HAS BEEN CUSTOMARY TO TREAT THE OMIYA GROUP AS SEPARATE FROM OTHER SMITHS IN OSAFUNE, ALTHOUGH THEIR BLADE CHARACTERISTICS MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY BE DIFFERENT. IN FACT THE OMIYA STYLE IS VARIED, WITH GUNOME CHOJI, A SQUARISH GUNOME, OR SUGUHA. BUT RECENT RESEARCH REFERED TO IN THE JUYO TOKEN CERTIFICATE HAS POINTED OUT CLEARER SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE WORK OF CHIKAKAGE, YOSHIKAGE, AND MORIKAGE. THE HORIZONTAL STROKES IN THEIR SIGNATURES ARE UNUSUALLY CUT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. THIS FACT TOGETHER WITH BLADE CHARACTERISTICS SHOW THAT THE SMITHS TRADITIONALLY KNOWN AS THE OMIYA GROUP WERE IN FACT CLOSE TO THOSE OF THE KANEMITSU SCHOOL OF THE SAME VILLAGE, OSAFUNE (OGASAWARA NOBUO, NIPPONTO NO REKISHI TO KANSHO. KODANSHA, TOKYO 1989). TWO JUYO BUNKAZAI TACHI BY BISHU OSAFUNE YOSHIKAGE AND BISHU OSAFUNE MORIKAGE WHICH ARE SIMILAR IN BOTH SIGNATURE AND BLADE CHARACTERISTICS REINFORCE THIS POINT.
THIS BLADE IS A TYPICAL OSURIAGE TACHI OF THE NANBOKUCHO PERIOD, HAVING BEEN CUT DOWN TO THE EXTENT OF LOSING THE ORIGINAL TANG AND SIGNATURE. MANY LONG TACHI WERE CUT DOWN DURING THE TENSHO (1573-1592) AND KEICHO (1596-1615) ERAS. TO AN EXTENT THIS WAS DUE TO THE CHANGING FACE OF COMBAT, BUT TO A GREATER EXTENT DUE TO A DESIRE TO BE SEEN TO BE WEARING A VALUABLE OLD SWORD WHEN OUT AND ABOUT IN KYOTO DURING THE MOMOYAMA PERIOD. MANY SWORDS WERE CUT DOWN BY THE UMETADA AND HON'AMI FAMILIES IN KYOTO AT THE TIME.
THIS SWORD HAS KAKITOSHI BOHI GROOVES, BUT HALFWAY DOWN THE TANG ON THE SASHI-URA CLOSE AGAINST THE GROOVE IS THE REMNANT OF THE KISSAKI OF A KEN HORIMONO. THE INFERENCE IS EITHER THAT THE SMITH STARTED TO CUT THE KEN, AND THEN DECIDED TO CARVE THE BOHI INSTEAD, OR THAT THE BOHI WERE CUT AT THE TIME OF THE SURIAGE PROCESS. IF THE LATTER, WHICH IS MOST LIKELY, IT INDICATES THE CARE WHICH WAS TAKEN IN PRESERVING OLD SWORDS IN A CHANGING WORLD. DOUBTLESS THE WEIGHT AND BALANCE OF THE SWORD HAD TO BE ADJUSTED TO THE NEW LENGTH. THIS SWORD IS IN ITSELF THEREFORE AN IMPORTANT RECORD OF THE CUSTOM OF SURIAGE IN THE LATE MUROMACHI-MOMOYAMA PERIOD.
ACCORDING TO THE JUYO TOKEN CERTIFICATE THE SWORD WAS A BATTLE PRIZE, PRESUMABLY TAKEN DURING THE LATE 16TH CENTURY SINCE WHEN, AND UNTIL RECENTLY, IT HAS BEEN A TREASURED HEIRLOOM OF THE UESUGI. IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A BLACK LACQUER BOX BEARING THE UESUGI MON.