Sōshū Akihiro

Sōshū Akihiro — Carrying the Sōshū Tradition of the Nanboku-chō Period

Sōshū Akihiro was a swordsmith active mainly in Sagami Province (present-day Kanagawa Prefecture) from the Nanboku-chō period into the early Muromachi period. He belongs to the generation of Masamune's grand-disciples and was an important carrier of the Sōshū-den. In the genealogy of the Utsunomiya Meikan, Akihiro is recorded as a son of Hiromitsu (there is also a theory that he was a son of Sadamune). He has long been highly regarded by later generations as a swordsmith who inherited the Sōshū-den techniques of Masamune's school.

The Nanboku-chō period, a turbulent era also called the "age of the great tachi" in the stylistic history of Japanese swords, saw the conflict between the Northern and Southern Courts create strong demand for large, bold nodachi and ōdachi. Akihiro is positioned as a swordsmith who responded to these demands of the age while maintaining, at a high technical level, the beauty of nie-deki unique to the Sōshū-den established by Masamune.

Direct Successor of the Sōshū Tradition

The Sōshū-den reached its peak under Masamune, but how his successors inherited and developed its techniques is an important question in the history of Japanese swords. In this context, Akihiro is valued as one of the swordsmiths who faithfully inherited the Sōshū-den techniques handed down since Masamune, especially the bold yaki that made use of large-grained nie and ara-nie, and the flowing beauty of the forging of the jigane.

The Masamune Juttetsu (the ten senior disciples of Masamune) include Sadamune, Rai Kunitsugu, Hasebe Kunishige, Shizu Kaneuji, Kaneshige, Gō Yoshihiro, Norishige, Kanemitsu, Chōgi, and Samonji, among others. Akihiro himself is not included among these ten. Instead, he is positioned, together with Hiromitsu, as a swordsmith of the generation of Masamune's grand-disciples who carried on the Sōshū-den.

Characteristics of His Work — The Grandeur of the Nanboku-chō Sōshū Tradition

The greatest feature of Akihiro's work lies in the combination of the bold atmosphere peculiar to the Nanboku-chō period with the beauty of the nie-deki of the Sōshū-den. Besides hamon in large, sweeping gunome-midare, works are known that display hitatsura, which he popularized together with Hiromitsu.

The jigane is a somewhat rough-textured itame-hada mixed with mokume, with ji-nie and chikei, presenting the distinctive Sōshū-den "nie no keshiki." The nie in the hamon is rich, ranging from large-grained to ara-nie, and portions showing nie-kuzure are highly valued as a highlight of the Sōshū-den. A wealth of activity derived from nie unfolds within the blade, including kinsuji, inazuma, and yubashiri, combining an overwhelming force with a beauty that overpowers the viewer.

As a Sōshū-den swordsmith of the Nanboku-chō period, Akihiro's style had a great influence on swordsmiths of later generations.

Extant Works and Evaluation

Unlike the Sōshū smiths before him, many of Akihiro's works are signed and dated, and his extant dated works span from Enbun 2 (1357) to Meitoku 3 (1392). A tantō at the Kyoto National Museum (signed "Sōshū-jū Akihiro" and dated Eiwa 2) and a katana at Kagoshima Jingū (signed "Sōshū-jū Akihiro" and dated Meitoku 3) are designated Important Cultural Properties.

In modern sword research as well, Akihiro's works, which carried on the Sōshū-den as members of the generation of Masamune's grand-disciples, are an important subject of study for the Sōshū-den and indispensable sources for understanding the stylistic development of Japanese swords in the Nanboku-chō period.

TOUKENZA and Sōshū Akihiro

TOUKENZA presents Sōshū Akihiro as a master who directly inherited the supreme achievement of the Sōshū-den attained by Masamune and who continued forging grand swords through the turbulent Nanboku-chō period. As a bearer of the Nanboku-chō Sōshū-den alongside Hiromitsu, Akihiro's existence proves that the lineage of the Sōshū-den did not end with Masamune's generation but was surely transmitted to the next generation. His bold yet beautiful body of work is a precious historical testimony embodying the Nanboku-chō period, a turning point in the aesthetics of Japanese swords.