Omi no Kami Hisamichi

近江守久道

Period

early Edo period

School

Mishina school (Five Kyoto Smiths)

Active Years

寛文5年(1665)〜元禄末年頃

Tradition

Yamashiro tradition

Rank

Description

Lineage

Omi no Kami Hisamichi was a Shinto-period swordsmith who worked in Kyoto (Yamashiro Province) in the early Edo period. A native of Omi Province, he is also known as Hori Rokurobei. He belonged to the Mishina school and is counted among the Five Kyoto Smiths (Kyo Gokaji).

Career

He is recorded as born in Kan'ei 3 (1626) and dying in Shotoku 1 (1711) at age 85. He moved to Kyoto and studied under Echigo no Kami Kaneyoshi (Kaneyoshi of the Kikanedo line, the second head of the Mishina school), was granted the Mishina surname and signed as Hisamichi. His dated work is known from Kanbun 5 (1665) to the late Genroku era. During Genroku his eldest son Hisatsugu (the second Hisamichi) co-signed works with him.

Style

His work is said to resemble that of his teacher Kanemichi: some blades have angular shoulders on the gunome and yahazu-gake, others a wider gunome spacing approaching suguha, mixed with notare, sunagashi and tobiyaki. The nie is deep, the nioiguchi bright, and the kissaki follows the Mishina manner.

Reputation

He is ranked as an upper-grade Shinto smith (Shinto jojo-saku) and listed among the Yoki Wazamono (good cutters).

Related Swordsmiths

和泉守国貞

Osaka Shinto (Settsu Province). Carrying on the Osaka tradition of refined shinto swordmaking, Kunisada inherited the techniques of his predecessor (Kunisada I) and refined them further, becoming recognized as the foremost swordsmith in Osaka.

Izumi no Kami Kunisada

Active during the mid-Edo period (late 17th to early 18th century), coinciding with the flourishing Genroku era of Osaka culture. Under the peaceful governance of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, demand for swords shifted toward artistic refinement, and Kunisada embodied this spirit with his polished craftsmanship.