* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tenna Era
天和（てんな）
Tenna (1681–1684) is a brief early-Edo era falling between Enpō and Jōkyō. Tatara Nagayuki, who studied under Kawachi-no-Kami Yasunaga in Kii Province, is said to have moved to Osaka during the Tenna era and was active as the representative smith of the Osaka Ishidō School. Nagayuki was graded as saijō ōwazamono, the highest rank, in the Edo-period cutting-test record Kaihō Kenjaku, and was noted for the bold chōji-midare hamon reminiscent of Bizen Ichimonji.
- Period
- 1681-1684
- Sword Classification
- Early Edo Period — Tatara Nagayuki of the Osaka Ishidō School
Description
Position of the Tenna Era
The Tenna era (1681–1684) is a brief early-Edo era falling between Enpō and Jōkyō. It corresponds to the shogunate of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and the reign of Emperor Reigen, and was also a period when Tsunayoshi pursued the shift toward civil governance known as the Tenna no Chi. Sword history rarely discusses it on its own, but it is notable as the period when Tatara Nagayuki, a master of the Osaka Ishidō School, a major school of Osaka Shintō, was active in Osaka.
Tatara Nagayuki's Move to Osaka and the Osaka Ishidō School
Tatara Nagayuki (commonly known as Tatara Shirōbei), who studied under Kawachi-no-Kami Yasunaga in Kii Province (present-day Wakayama Prefecture), is said to have moved to Osaka during the Tenna era. The Ishidō School was originally a lineage descending from the Bizen tradition, and Nagayuki, as its representative smith in Osaka, displayed craftsmanship of the highest standard. Since the Kanbun era, Osaka had been a major center of Osaka Shintō production that produced master smiths such as Inoue Shinkai and Tsuda Sukehiro, and Nagayuki's move further thickened this layer of Osaka Shintō smiths.
Bold Chōji-Midare and Admiration for Bizen Ichimonji
Nagayuki's style is characterized by bold chōji-midare reminiscent of the Bizen Ichimonji of the Kamakura period, and his works imitating old blades were of such accomplishment that they were often mistaken for Ichimonji blades. Works in the late-Bizen style that mix gunome-chōji also survive, and the fact that he could freely reproduce the diverse styles of the Bizen tradition in Osaka reveals the height of Nagayuki's skill.
Highest Rank in the Kaihō Kenjaku
In the Edo-period cutting-test record Kaihō Kenjaku, Nagayuki was graded as saijō ōwazamono, the highest rank in a grading system based solely on cutting performance (sharpness). This evaluation was attained by only a very limited number of smiths among his contemporaries, and it is one example of the pinnacle reached by Osaka Shintō, which combined aesthetic appeal with practical performance. The Tenna era, as the period of Nagayuki's activity in Osaka, holds an important place in sword appraisal and research.
Influence on Later Generations
The style of Nagayuki and the Osaka Ishidō School was subsequently inherited as one lineage within later Osaka Shintō that aspired to the Bizen tradition, and it served as a model for later smiths. Although a short-lived era, Tenna is remembered as a turning point that broadened the base of Osaka, a center of Shintō production.
Characteristics of This Era
- Though a short era between Enpō and Jōkyō, Tenna (1681–1684) is the period when Tatara Nagayuki of the Osaka Ishidō School is said to have moved to Osaka
- Tatara Nagayuki, who studied under Kawachi-no-Kami Yasunaga in Kii Province, is said to have moved to Osaka during the Tenna era and became the representative smith of the Osaka Ishidō School
- Nagayuki's style features bold chōji-midare (ō-chōji-midare) reminiscent of Bizen Ichimonji, with a level of accomplishment such that it was mistaken for old blades
- Also produces works in the late-Bizen style that mix gunome-chōji
- Graded as the highest rank, saijō ōwazamono, in the Edo-period cutting-test record Kaihō Kenjaku
- An era showing that Osaka Shintō reached a standard combining practical use and aesthetic appeal