Taima Kuniyuki

Taima Kuniyuki — Founder of the Taima School, One of the Five Yamato Schools

Taima Kuniyuki was a swordsmith who worked in Taima in Yamato Province (present-day Taima district of Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture). He is regarded as the founder of the Taima school (Taima-ha), one of the principal schools of Yamato-den. He is said to have used the title Hyōe-no-jō. Records of him appear around the Shōō era (1288–1293), and during the Nanboku-chō period the Taima school held a distinguished position within Yamato-den.

The Taima school is said to have been a smith group affiliated with Taima-dera, and some say it arose within Kōfuku-ji's estate. Taima-ha sword production, said to have the most solid forms among Yamato works, begins with Kuniyuki. However, there are no examples bearing a dated inscription (nengi), and few extant signed works can be definitively identified as the first generation. Many unsigned works are also attributed to "Taima."

Characteristics of Style

Taima-ha blades stand out from other Yamato schools for their greater length, broad width, and pronounced ikubikissaki points. The sori is shallow, and the blades have a practical, imposing build that embodies the character of the late Kamakura period.

The jigane shows itame-hada that becomes flowing with masame mixed in, a feature common to Yamato-den. The pronounced strength of the nie, however, distinguishes Taima-ha from other schools. The hamon is mainly notare mixed with gunome, with sunagashi, deep nioi, and abundant ko-nie. The school is said to have been influenced by Sōshū-mono, and it is sometimes described as "a hair's breadth apart in quality from Sōshū Yukimitsu."

The National Treasure tachi signed "Kuniyuki" (blade length 69.7 cm, sori 1.5 cm, motohaba 2.8 cm, nakago length 17.6 cm) is held by the Japanese Sword Museum (Sumida, Tokyo). It is praised as "a typical example of the mid-Kamakura tachi form, with a broad blade, thick kasane, and a dignified shape," and it was designated a National Treasure on March 20, 1954 (Shōwa 29). The hamon is notare mixed with gunome, with sunagashi, and it is a typical masterpiece by Kuniyuki.

Evaluation and Lineage

Kuniyuki is said to have been the first smith of the Taima school to sign his works, and his output is highly valued as a rare example in which Sōshū vigor and Yamato dignity merge. The famous Taima meibutsu tanto "Kuwayama Taima" and "Ōsaka Taima" are both unsigned and certified as Taima, and both are listed in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō.

Few works by Kuniyuki survive, and the designation of a signed work as a National Treasure demonstrates its excellence as cultural property. The character of the Taima school, which aimed for the most powerful forms within Yamato-den, is rooted in the style that Kuniyuki founded.