Swordsmith: Kunitomo           

Location: Yamashiro

Worked: 1615-1624 AD.                   

Nagasa (cutting edge length):   26 15/16" ~ 68.3 cm   Sori (curvature):  1/2" ~ 1.2 cm   Motohaba (width):  1 1/4" ~ 3.1 cm    

Hada: Ko-itame, with itame & masame mixed in shinogi-ji                   

Hamon: medium to wide Suguha-chô mixed with Gunome, Ultra fine ko-nie

Signature: Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo (越中守藤原国儔)

Nakago: Ubu, One mekugiana

Saya-gaki: This blade has an ubu-nakago and bears a seven character signature. It is said that this smith was the nephew of Kunihiro. Kunitomo was not only an outstanding smith of the Horikawa School, he also acted as de facto master of the last and youngest Kunihiro students Oya-Kunisada and the 1st generation Kunisuke. The forging of this blade is fine and beautiful and it is hardened in a gentle suguha-chô that is mixed with gunome. Both deki and condition are magnificent. Examined and written by Tanzan Hendô on a lucky day in September in the year of the rat of this era (2008) + kaô

Certificate: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon (a sword Extraordinarily Worthy of Conservation by the Society for the Preservation of the Japan Art Sword)

 

Ratings: Fujishiro's Jo-jo saku (Superior-superior made (i.e. highly superior), Toko-taikan ¥8.5m.

  Included: Shirasaya, carry bags.

  Note: two sections with blade strike damage (kirikomi) are on the mune indicating it was used in a sword fight.

 

"Kunitomo (国儔), Genna (元和, 1615-1624), Yamashiro – „Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo“ (越後守藤原国儔), „Fujiwara
Kunitomo“ (藤原国儔), according to transmission the nephew of Horikawa Kunihiro (堀川国広), he was like the latter from Hyūga´s Obi
(飫肥), both went to Kyōto whereas it is said that Kunitomo also took care of the training of Kunihiro´s students Kunisada (国貞) and
Kunisuke (国助) after the death of Kunihiro, dense itame mixed with mokume and ji-nie, also chikei appear and the hada stands out as
characteristical zanguri, the hamon is a notare mixed with gunome and is mostly rather simple or calm, the bōshi has a ko-maru-kaeri and
appears sometimes as midare-komi, in his early years he signed the part „Echigo no Kami Fujiwara“ noticeably smaller than the two
characters of „Kunitomo“, over the years the difference in size decreased"

Courtesy Markus Sesko, author of Index of Japanese Swordsmiths, purchase the book.

 

Courtesy Markus Sesko, author of Nihon-shintō-shi, purchase the book.

 

 

 

Click for high-resolution images

 

 blade strike damage (kirikomi), high-resolution

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate translation:

kantei-sho (鑑定書) No 153645

katana, mei: Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo (越中守藤原国儔)

nagasa 2 shaku 2 sun 5 bu han

Migi wa tô-kyôkai ni oite shinsa no kekka, tokubetsu-hozon-tôken to kantei-shi kore o shô-suru.

(右は當協會に於て審査の結果特別保存刀剣と鑑定しこれを証する)

Heisei nijûichinen ichigatsu nijûkyûnichi (平成二十一年一月二十九日)

zaidan-hôjin (財團法人): Nihon Bijutsu Tôken Hozon Kyôkai (日本美術刀劍保存協會)

Appraisal

katana, signed: Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo

nagasa ~ 68.3 cm

According to the result of the shinsa committee of our society we judged this work as authentic and designate it as tokubetsu-hozon-tôken.

January 29th 2009

[Foundation] NBTHK

 

 

 

Saya-gaki translation:

越中守藤原國儔

 

生茎七字銘有之同工国廣甥ト傅ヘ堀川一門ノ逸材而同門ノ末弟ナル親国貞與初代国助ノ事實上 ノ師トシテモ被知候本作鍛錬精美ナリテ直刃調ニ互乃目ヲ交ヘル穏和ナル作域ヲ示シ出来・保 存共ニ見事矣

 

惟時戊子暦長月良宜日 探山邊道観併誌

 

Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo

 

Ubu-nakago shichiji-mei kore ari dôkô Kunihiro oi to tsutae Horikawa ichimon no itsuzai shikamo dômon no battei naru Oya-Kunisada yo shodai Kunisuke no jijitsu-jô no shi toshite mo shirasu sôrô. Honsaku tanren seibi narite suguha-chô ni gunome o majieru onwa naru sakuiki o shimeshi deki hozon tomo ni migoto.

 

Koretoki tsuchinoe-nezumidoshi nagatsuki ryôgijitsu Tanzan Hendô mite narabi ni shirushite + kaô

 

Echigo no Kami Fujiwara Kunitomo

This blade has an ubu-nakago and bears a seven character signature. It is said that this smith was the nephew of Kunihiro. Kunitomo was not only an outstanding smith of the Horikawa School, he also acted as de facto master of the last and youngest Kunihiro students Oya-Kunisada and the 1st generation Kunisuke. The forging of this blade is fine and beautiful and it is hardened in a gentle suguha-chô that is mixed with gunome. Both deki and condition are magnificent.

 

Examined and written by Tanzan Hendô on a lucky day in September in the year of the rat of this era (2008) + kaô