Heianjō Nagayoshi

Lineage and School

Heianjō Nagayoshi was a swordsmith active in Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto Prefecture) during the Muromachi period. He is said to have been the son of Kyō Sanjō Yoshinori, and together with his father he is counted among the representative Yamashiro smiths of the Muromachi period. "Heianjō" is an elegant name for Kyoto, and he signed his blades "Heianjō Nagayoshi saku" or "Heianjō jū Nagayoshi saku." The smith known as Sanjō Nagayoshi is considered to correspond to the second generation of Heianjō Nagayoshi. His father Yoshinori, who together with Nagayoshi represents Muromachi-period Yamashiro smithing, is said to have produced most of his works around the Bunmei era (1469–1487), with works recognized as late as the Eishō era (1504–1521).

Relationship to Muramasa

Nagayoshi is said to have been the teacher of Sengo Muramasa of Kuwana in Ise Province. Sword dealers' descriptions frequently introduce him as "Muramasa's teacher." Through this tradition, Nagayoshi is placed as a link between the Kyoto smiths of the Muromachi period and the Sengo school of Ise, and his name comes up in discussions of the origins of Muramasa's style.

Style

His output consists mostly of small pieces such as tantō and ko-wakizashi rather than long katana. His hamon include some in the Sue-Seki manner and some suggesting the influence of the Hasebe school.

Nagayoshi is also known as a master of blade carving (tōshin chōkoku), and many of his works bear finely detailed carvings such as a sword entwined by a dragon (Kurikara) or Fudō Myōō. A "Tantō signed Heianjō Nagayoshi" preserved in Iwate Prefecture, regarded as a mid-Muromachi work, is deeply carved with a Kurikara dragon on the front and a sanko-ken (three-pronged vajra sword) on the back.

Transmitted Works

The Kunōzan Tōshōgū Museum in Shizuoka City holds a "Katana signed Heianjō Nagayoshi saku," recorded as having been bestowed on Tokugawa Yoshinobu. It measures 68.3 cm with 1.2 cm of curvature and is accompanied by an itomaki-tachi mounting with chrysanthemum-and-paulownia crests in maki-e. Among Nagayoshi's output, dominated by tantō and ko-wakizashi, it has come down as a blade associated with the shogunal house.

Significance

One of the representative swordsmiths of Muromachi-period Kyoto, Nagayoshi occupies a place in the lineage leading to the Sengo school of Ise through the tradition that he taught Muramasa, as well as through his exceptional skill at blade carving. Among Yamashiro smiths, he conveys to the present the style and carving standards of Muromachi-period Kyoto smithing.