* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Hoei Era
宝永（ほうえい）
Hōei (1704–1711) is an era falling between Genroku and Shōtoku, during the reigns of Emperor Higashiyama and Emperor Nakamikado and the time of shoguns Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and Ienobu. Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (son of the first-generation Tadatsuna) was a representative Osaka shintō smith distinguished by personally executing blade carving and signing "dōsaku," and an Important Cultural Property tachi in the Kyoto National Museum bears the date inscription "Hōei 6, eighth month, auspicious."
- Period
- 1704-1711
- Sword Classification
- Mid-Edo Period — A Master of Horimono in Osaka Shintō
Description
Position of the Hōei Period
Hōei (1704–1711) was an era sandwiched between the splendor of Genroku and the consolidation of Shōtoku. It was a period in which the succession moved from Emperor Higashiyama to Emperor Nakamikado, and from shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi to Ienobu. In Hōei 4 (1707), the Hōei earthquake occurred, followed by the "Hōei great eruption" of Mount Fuji, and volcanic ash is recorded as having reached as far as Edo. During this period, as the age of peace continued, demand for swords gradually declined, and the sword world as a whole is said to have entered a transitional period moving toward some stagnation. Even so, in the Osaka region, smiths of outstanding skill continued to be active.
Ikkanshi Tadatsuna and the Lineage of Horimono Dōsaku
Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, son of the first-generation Awataguchi Tadatsuna, is one of the smiths representing Osaka shintō. "Ikkanshi" was the gō of the second-generation Tadatsuna and was mainly used in the signatures of blades with carving from around the Genroku and Hōei periods. His greatest distinguishing feature is that he did not commission specialist carvers for the blade carving (horimono) but personally executed it himself. By inscribing "dōsaku" or "horimono dōsaku" on the signature, he made clear that he had carried out both the forging of the blade and its carving. The fine horimono, such as kurikara and bonji, are highly regarded as designs integrated with the blade itself, going beyond mere decoration.
The Hōei 6 Tachi and Cultural Property Designation
A tachi in the Kyoto National Museum bearing the inscription "Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna horimono dōsaku, Hōei 6, eighth month, auspicious" is designated an Important Cultural Property. This tachi was formerly owned by Kunizamahiko Shrine in Tokushima city and was designated a former National Treasure in Taishō 6 (1917), which substantiates the high level of its skill. This tachi tells of Tadatsuna's most productive period of creative activity during the Hōei era.
Technical Achievement in a Period of Stagnation
Although practical demand for swords was waning as the age of peace lasted for a long time, the works of Ikkanshi Tadatsuna from the Hōei era show one of the high points of Osaka shintō, which fused forging technique with the art of carving. The era is positioned as one that opened up the possibilities of the Japanese sword as a decorative art, not solely a practical one.
Records of Natural Disasters and Stagnant Sword Demand
The Hōei era was also a time when records of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and eruptions, were concentrated. As society as a whole devoted its efforts to recovery, practical demand for swords waned further. Amid such headwinds, the existence of a smith who mastered carving, such as Tadatsuna, shows that Osaka shintō was seeking new value as a decorative art.
Characteristics of This Era
- Hōei (1704–1711) falls between Genroku and Shōtoku, a transitional period in which peace continued and sword demand was moving toward some stagnation
- Ikkanshi Tadatsuna, son of the first-generation Awataguchi Tadatsuna, was active as a smith representing Osaka shintō
- He personally executed blade carving (horimono) without relying on specialist carvers, and signed his blades "dōsaku" or "horimono dōsaku"
- The tachi inscribed "Hōei 6, eighth month, auspicious," in the Kyoto National Museum, is designated an Important Cultural Property
- This tachi was formerly owned by Kunizamahiko Shrine in Tokushima and was designated a former National Treasure in Taishō 6 (1917)
- An era that marks a high point of Osaka shintō, fusing forging technique with sculptural art