Gendaito Muto Hidehiro

stephan_hiller · July 17, 2014

A few weeks ago I acquired this nice gendaito from Muto Hidehiro and would be happy to get your opinion on that blade as well as further information on Hidehiro. This is what I have gathered so far about the blade and the smith but would be happy for anything not yet covered.

Could someone send me a scan of page 100 of Ono Gendai Toko Meikan. I have been told that there are some more information about this smith but do not yet have this Meikan.

Ok, here are the facts:

Nagasa: 67,6 cm / 26.63”

Nagako: 21,5 cm / 8.5”

Moto-haba : 3.4 cm / 1.34”

Saki-haba : 2.2 cm / 0.87”

Moto-kasane : 0.7 cm / 0.3”

Saki-kasane: 0.5 cm / 0.2“

Sori: 1,6 cm / 0.63“

Mune: Ihori

Jihada: Very tight Ko-Itame Hada which reminds us of the konuka hada of the Hizen tradition

Hamon: Suguha with ashi

Boshi: O-maru

Kissaki: Rather large chu-kissaki

Activity: Nioi, Ashi

Nakago: Ubu

Mekugi-ana: 1

Nakago-jiri: Haagari

Yasuri-mei: Kesho

Mei: CHIKUGO NO KAMI MUTO HIDEHIRO

SHOWA NIJU NEN NI GATSU (February 1945)

Koshirae: Shirasaya

Habaki: Solid silver habaki with cat scratch design

Origiami: NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho paper from 1979

Muto Hidehiro is a gendai smith who worked during and after the war. His real name was Muto Hideyoshi and he lived in Fukuoka ken Ogawa shi. Hidehiro was born in Mei 24 (1891), he started making swords for the army in Showa 14 and re-started in Showa 32. He has won several prizes including the Army Gunto Skills Encouragement prize.

After the war he used Hizen style suguba. During WWII period he worked as a Rikugun Jumei Tosho(RJT). His blades were marked with a star stamp and have a very sharp pointy hamon almost nokogiri (saw teeth pattern), but more irregular. The hamon consists of clear nioi.

He is on page 100 of Ono Gendai Toko Meikan 1971. He descends from 8th gen Hizen Tadayoshi - 1st Gen is Muto Shinano no Kami Hisahiro (his father) - 2nd gen then is Muto Hidehiro

His yasurimei is kiri in WWII but sujikai after the war, with kesho. He died in 1989

Stephan

stephan_hiller · July 17, 2014

... and some more

Stephan

k morita · July 17, 2014

Hi,

Nice sword!

Mei is Chikugo no kuni-ju Muto Hidehiro, Not "CHIKUGO NO KAMI MUTO HIDEHIRO"

stephan_hiller · July 17, 2014

Hi Morita-san,

thanks for pointing that out. Yes, it is KUNI, not KAMI.

Stephan

cisco-san · July 17, 2014

Not much more information from Markus´s book (I guess you already now):

Hidehiro (秀弘), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Fukuoka – „Chikugo no Kuni-jū Mutō Hidehiro“ (筑後国住武藤秀弘), civilian name „Mutō Shūkichi“ (武藤秀吉), born 1891, he studied under the 2nd gen. Mutō Hisahiro (武藤久広) and worked as rikugun-jumei-tōshō

By the way, very nice blade

Uechi · July 17, 2014

Nice looking blade will you tell us about what you paid? I'm curious. Thanks

stephan_hiller · July 17, 2014

Hi Jeffrey,

that's not a secret. I paid 3.111 US$ (equals to about 2.300 €) which I think is a pretty good price for a papered blade in that condition. I have paid already more for other blades that aren't as nice as that one. If interested, this is the link to the ebay auction

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201085684714

I acquired it from a Germany seller who I knew and from whom I had bought a blade many years ago. Very smooth transaction and I did not have to pay VAT and customs as the sword was already in the EU. With about 20% on top of the sales prices otherwise this would have been quite a significant addition to the overall price.

Stephan

cabowen · July 17, 2014

Very nice, congrats!

SwordGuyJoe · July 18, 2014

I'd say I miss this sword, because it really is lovely! But if you look at your papers, you'll see a little remainder of a big drop of blood from when this thing bit me at the Chicago show.

It is very sharp! About a dozen stitches and a cut artery will attest to that.

Stephen · July 18, 2014

It is very sharp! About a dozen stitches

If you havent been bitten or as we say anotied you have not been collecting Nihonto very long.

george trotter · July 18, 2014

Hi Stephen,

I used to own a blade by Muto Hidehiro. Mine was the one described as "nokogiri" hamon. Most of his work appears to be like yours, essentially Hizen style.

There are a couple of points to note:

1. His mei is more formal in his earlier work (see pic).

2. His yasurimei are kiri in his earlier work at least to 1943 (see pic)

3. if you look, he seems to always cut his machi deep below the top shinogi ji line, and his hamachi is deep also. This seems to be a feature of his work.

Your mei and ysurimei appear in 1945 and are identical blade/ mei/ yasuri as shown in Ono 1971, so it looks like he "evolved' in mei and yasuri from mine in the earlier war period into yours in the late and postwar period (unless mine is completely out of character?). Considering his ancestry is Hizen, it is probable that my nokogiri/mei is an "oddity" to his normal suguba/cursive style.

His lineage is 8th Hizen Tadayoshi - 1st gen Muto Shinano no Kami Hisahiro - 2nd Gen Muto Hisahiro - this man. He is given as working in the style of 1st Hizen Tadayoshi.

I hope this helps (wish I still had mine).

stephan_hiller · July 18, 2014

Hi guys,

many thanks for the information and opinions. I think Hidehiro is one of these "unknown" gems with a lot of potential. If someone is interested Aoi-Art currently has an auction for another Hidehiro here:

http://www.aoijapan.com/katana-chikugo- ... u-hidehiro

Although I am tempted to bid on that one I don't want to risk having trouble with my wife. She already "approved" 4 blades in the last 6 months :-)

@ Joe: Yes, I have read that story when I googled for Muto Hidehiro and from your descriptions I also knew that my new acquision was originally yours. I think you had the kissaki slightly reshaped by Bob Benson.

@ George: Many thanks for your information and scan. I will add that to my records.

One final question. I know that the Tokubetsu Kicho papers that came along with the blade is an "old" paper but I wonder if they issued these papers for still living smiths. The paper was issued in 1979 but Hidehiro died in 1989. AFAIK the NBTHK only issues papers for already deceased smiths. Is that generally correct or only correct for the "new" papers?

Thanks,

Stephan

cabowen · July 18, 2014

I find it interesting that Muto san states that he became a Jumei Tosho in Showa 14. Has anyone ever seen a star stamped blade dated that early?

As for the papers issued by the NBTHK prior to the smith's death. We see that sometimes. I think it can usually be assumed to be an honest mistaken belief at the time that the smith was deceased.

His comments about swords becoming "like beautiful women" is interesting as well...

Uechi · July 18, 2014

Hi Jeffrey,

that's not a secret. I paid 3.111 US$ (equals to about 2.300 €) which I think is a pretty good price for a papered blade in that condition. I have paid already more for other blades that aren't as nice as that one. If interested, this is the link to the ebay auction

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201085684714

I acquired it from a Germany seller who I knew and from whom I had bought a blade many years ago. Very smooth transaction and I did not have to pay VAT and customs as the sword was already in the EU. With about 20% on top of the sales prices otherwise this would have been quite a significant addition to the overall price.

Stephan

Great price for an extremely nice Gendaito. Wish I could find such a great deal.Enjoy your purchase

george trotter · July 19, 2014

Hi Stephen and Chris,

Stephen, instead of buying another Hidehiro, maybe look out for his brothers/sons' work? Muto Hidehiro was the middle of three sons.

Apart from his elder brother Muto HisaHiro who carried on the Muto line of Hisahiro their father and grandfather, he has a younger brother Muto Yukihiro born Meiji 35 (I have seen his work - Slough p.203 who says he was also RJT) and he had two sons...Mitsuhiro born Taisho 15 and Tadahiro born Showa 7 ...both started swords in Showa 47.

Chris I saw that RJT start of 14th year also, must be a mistake, unless he was somehow engaged by the Army in some preliminary capacity (teacher?) during the "setting up" and "experimental" time?

Regards,

cabowen · July 19, 2014

Chris I saw that RJT start of 14th year also, must be a mistake, unless he was somehow engaged by the Army in some preliminary capacity (teacher?) during the "setting up" and "experimental" time?

Regards,

Maybe a mistake but it makes one wonder....I have never seen a star stamped blade dated earlier than Showa 17.

george trotter · July 20, 2014

Hi Chris,

I haven't seen a pre 1943 star stamped sword either, but just going on Ohmura sensei's site about Army Workshop sword making which predated the RJT scheme, it occurred to me that Hidehiro may have been one of them. These Army smiths started making swords (Hontanrento - true made swords) on the Army's various workshop premises in Sho 15. They were signed and dated but had the workshop logo mark, not a star. The star started later in Sho 17? and was only for those swords made in the smith's home forge (Mei, date and star).

Tokyo Hohei Tosho (smiths Yokoyama Sukekane, Morioka Masayoshi)

Tokyo No 1 Army Workshop (Yoshihara Nobushiro (or is it take?) same man as Akihiro /Kuniiye)

Osaka Kosho (Gassan Sadakatsu, Sadakazu (nidai) Sadashige, Masakiyo)

Kokura (Hakuryushi Tadataka, Taira Sadashige, Kanenobu)

Kyuheikisho (refurbishment) (smiths like Yoshihara and others).

There are some top smiths among these listed and I'd bet my house that if Hidehiro was one of them he would have been employed at the Kokura workshop.

This is only conjecture on my part, but maybe this is where the RJT Sho 14 start comes from...they did not move into "true" RJT scheme until Sho 17?, but are considered to have army service from Sho 15, maybe even Sho 14?

This question might be answered if some members could report back on whether anyone has a pre Sho 17(1942) blade signed by one of these guys or Hidehiro that has the earlier date and a Workshop "logo" only (Maybe Morita sensei or Moriyama sensei could give information on the "logo" marks etc...)?

Hope this helps,

BIG · July 20, 2014

Hi,

Hidehiros rating on Jinsoo Kims side:

http://www.jp-sword.com/files/seki/gendaito.html

Best Regards

cabowen · July 20, 2014

Hi Chris,
I haven't seen a pre 1943 star stamped sword either, but just going on Ohmura sensei's site about Army Workshop sword making which predated the RJT scheme, it occurred to me that Hidehiro may have been one of them. These Army smiths started making swords (Hontanrento - true made swords) on the Army's various workshop premises in Sho 15. They were signed and dated but had the workshop logo mark, not a star. The star started later in Sho 17? and was only for those swords made in the smith's home forge (Mei, date and star).

It is possible he was employed in some fashion by the military in Showa 14 but as far as I can find out, there wasn't a country-wide, organized, standardized program until Showa 17 or so, when the RJT program began. This was a specific program so to say he was a RJT in Showa 14, before the program was initiated, is a not really accurate. I would think it would be more correct to simply call him an Army contract smith at that point. Perhaps a hair that wasn't split when the book was published.

Tokyo Hohei Tosho (smiths Yokoyama Sukekane, Morioka Masayoshi)
Tokyo No 1 Army Workshop (Yoshihara Nobushiro (or is it take?) same man as Akihiro /Kuniiye)

Osaka Kosho (Gassan Sadakatsu, Sadakazu (nidai) Sadashige, Masakiyo)

Kokura (Hakuryushi Tadataka, Taira Sadashige, Kanenobu)

Kyuheikisho (refurbishment) (smiths like Yoshihara and others).

There are some top smiths among these listed and I'd bet my house that if Hidehiro was one of them he would have been employed at the Kokura workshop.

This is only conjecture on my part, but maybe this is where the RJT Sho 14 start comes from...they did not move into "true" RJT scheme until Sho 17?, but are considered to have army service from Sho 15, maybe even Sho 14?

Sukekane and Masayoshi worked much earlier (Meiji, Taisho, early Showa) and weren't around in Showa 14 so their work at the arsenal in Hikawa-cho as I recall, is much earlier. I don't think we would call them RJT. Sadakatsu also died about the time the program was launched; his son is known to have produced star stamped blades under the Sadateru mei. I have seen star stamped blades by most of the smiths you have listed, but as I said, none dated earlier than Showa 17.

I agree that the Muto family smiths worked at the Kokura arsenal. That would have been the closest for them.

Perhaps as you said, there exists the possibility that Muto did some work for the military in Showa 14 and perhaps he simply blurred the line having later been in the RJT program....

Thanks for your reply.

george trotter · July 21, 2014

Hi Chris,

yes that all sounds reasonable.

Nice rating of his work.

Regards,

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