* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Koka Era
弘化（こうか）
Kōka (1844–1848) was an era falling between Tenpō and Kaei. Minamoto Kiyomaro (1813–1854), the shinshintō smith who led the revival of the Sōshū tradition, took the name "Kiyomaro" in Kōka 3 (1846), receiving the character "kiyo" (清) from his mentor and patron Kubota Sugane. Works produced after this renaming are regarded as belonging to Kiyomaro's mature period.
- Period
- 1844-1848
- Sword Classification
- Late Edo Period — Maturation of the Shinshintō Sōshū Revival
Description
Position of the Kōka Period
The Kōka era (1844–1848) was a late Edo-period era that followed the upheaval of the Tenpō Reforms and led to Kaei, as the Bakumatsu period drew near. In the history of swords, it is important as the time when Minamoto Kiyomaro, the master smith who led the Sōshū tradition revival in Shinshintō, reached the height of his maturity.
From Youthful Training to Moving to Edo
Born the son of Yamaura Nobutomo, a rural samurai of Komoro domain in Shinano Province, Kiyomaro studied around the age of 17, together with his elder brother, under Kawamura Toshitaka, a smith retained by Ueda domain. In Tenpō 5 (1834), Kiyomaro went to Edo. At first he went by the name Yamaura Tamaki, and with support from Kubota Sugane, he continued his training and developed his skill as a smith.
Mentorship with Kubota Sugane and the Change of Name to "Kiyomaro"
Kiyomaro's patron was Kubota Sugane, a military scholar connected with the shogunate's Kōbusho academy. Sugane recognized Kiyomaro's talent and continued to give him financial and social support. In Kōka 3 (1846), Kiyomaro is said to have received the character "kiyo" from the name of his master, Kubota Sugane, and to have begun signing his blades "Kiyomaro" in place of earlier signatures such as "Masayuki" and "Shūju." This change is known as an anecdote showing the strength of the bond between master and disciple.
The "Yotsuya Masamune" Epithet and the Sōshū Tradition Revival
Kiyomaro set up a forge in Yotsuya, Edo, and was praised under the epithet "Yotsuya Masamune," after the Kamakura-period master Masamune. The epithet derives from his practical, spirited style, rich in jigane activity and modeled on the Sōshū tradition of the Nanbokuchō period. In later years, Kondō Isami of the Shinsengumi is also said to have favored his blades. Works from the Kōka period hold an important place as representative works of Kiyomaro's mature period, and this era is indispensable to Shinshintō research.
Style That Captivated Bakumatsu Activists
Kiyomaro's spirited style is also known for having strongly attracted Bakumatsu-period activists in later years. The mature output of the Kōka period, on the eve of the turbulent age, is still highly regarded today as showing the culmination of the Shinshintō Sōshū tradition revival.
Characteristics of This Era
- Kōka (1844–1848) was a late-Edo era between Tenpō and Kaei, as the Bakumatsu period approached
- The era in which Minamoto Kiyomaro, leader of the shinshintō Sōshū revival, reached his mature period
- In Kōka 3 (1846), Kiyomaro took the character "kiyo" from his mentor Kubota Sugane's name and began signing as "Kiyomaro"
- Established a vigorous, combat-ready style modeled on Nanbokuchō-period Sōshū work, rich in jigane activity
- Earned the epithet "Yotsuya Masamune," and is said to have later been favored by Kondō Isami of the Shinsengumi
- His Kōka-era work is considered representative of his mature period, holding an important place in shinshintō research