* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Nobukuni Yoshimasa I
初代信国吉政
Description
Origins of First-Generation Nobukuni Yoshimasa and His Move to Chikuzen
First-generation Nobukuni Yoshimasa was the eldest son of Nobukuni Yoshisada, founder of the Chikuzen Nobukuni school, and a swordsmith who moved with his father from Buzen to Chikuzen (present-day Fukuoka Prefecture) in Keichō 7 (1602). He trained under his father Yoshisada and died in Jōō 2 (1653).
Sent by Kuroda Nagamasa to Bizen (Okayama), he is said to have studied under Ichimonji Sukemune. Because he received a separate transmission in Bizen, the main line of the Nobukuni house was carried on by the line of the second son Yoshitsugu, and Yoshimasa established a separate house. This training in Bizen is said to have greatly shaped Yoshimasa's style.
Style and Representative Works
Yoshimasa's swords are distinctive works that, while based on the traditional techniques of the Yamashiro Nobukuni school, strongly reflect the influence of his training in Bizen. The hamon is mostly gunome-midare or chōji-midare with frequent kinsuji, and nie is abundant, giving the hamon edge a lively impression. The jigane is itame mixed with nagare-hada, and the jihada shows a Bizen-style surface with a dark, substantial ground.
Signed works include a sword dated Kan'ei 16 (1639) inscribed “Chikuzen no kuni jū Minamoto Nobukuni Heishirō Yoshimasa saku.” He is also said to have excelled at forging naginata.
The Second-Generation Yoshimasa and the Development of the Chikuzen Nobukuni School
The second-generation Nobukuni Yoshimasa, who succeeded to the name Yoshimasa (Genna 8 (1622) to Jōkyō 5 (1688)), was mainly active during the Kanbun to Enpō eras (1661–1681), and works up to Jōkyō 2 (1685) survive.
The Chikuzen Nobukuni school traces its founding to Yoshisada and was divided into three houses of his sons Yoshimasa, Yoshitsugu, and Yoshisuke. Throughout the Edo period it became the mainstream of swordsmiths in the Fukuoka domain.
Famous Works
- Katana signed “Chikuzen-kuni-jū Minamoto Nobukuni Heishirō Yoshimasa saku” (dated Kan'ei 16)
Related Swordsmiths
堀川国広
Soshu tradition (New Sword)Horikawa Kunihiro
Momoyama to Early Edo period (New Sword genesis era)
山浦真雄
Sōshū and Bizen traditionYamaura Saneo
Late Edo Period (Shinshintō era)
肥後守輝広
ShintōHigo no Kami Teruhiro
Azuchi-Momoyama to early Edo period (around Keichō)
越前下坂
Sōshū tradition lineage (Shintō period)Echizen Shimosaka
Early Edo period (Shintō era)