What can you tell me about the Taira-Takada school of the Bungo province?

[general_piffle]

I recently had my first ever katana polished and sent for shinsa at the NBTHK in Tokyo. It's a humble but well made mumei katana 64cm. Now accredited to the Taira-Takada school of the Bungo province, a koto katana created during the Muromachi period.

 

Any insights or knowledge on this school or period in history gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

 

[ChrisW]

I do not know anything really, but I do have a wakizashi made by Taira Shigeyuki of that school.

[Vermithrax16]

A couple links;

NMB member had a nice write up:

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/13652-taira-shigeyuki/

 

Some writing on the Shinto line, but yours is earlier:

https://www.nihonto.com/bungo-takada/

[Rivkin]

Signed examples are uncommon, but among those Tsunahiro’s student was not half bad and can be had for little money.

For unsigned but attributed blades, which are plenty, the situation appears to be quite different. Japanese can’t offer abstract attributions like mid quality early Shinto blade, everything has to be said through names and schools - and therefore comes the need for schools that are vaguely defined, can be in any hada and almost any Hamon, and absorb unusual lower quality pieces.

Early Shinto bingo is a prime example of Shinsa saying it does not know what it is, but probably nothing important. Muromachi bungo is more or less along the same lines

 

 

Kirill r.

[general_piffle]

Signed examples are uncommon, but among those Tsunahiro’s student was not half bad and can be had for little money.

For unsigned but attributed blades, which are plenty, the situation appears to be quite different. Japanese can’t offer abstract attributions like mid quality early Shinto blade, everything has to be said through names and schools - and therefore comes the need for schools that are vaguely defined, can be in any hada and almost any Hamon, and absorb unusual lower quality pieces.

Early Shinto bingo is a prime example of Shinsa saying it does not know what it is, but probably nothing important. Muromachi bungo is more or less along the same lines

 

 

Kirill r.

 

Interesting thanks. I've also heard that the koto blades from this school were of superior quality than the shinto blades but I guess this depends on the smith. Also without a mei we'll never know for sure the school but this is at least a good approximation. Believe they were known for their excellent cutting ability from something I've read and I can see from faint 'blocking' marks in the mune mine has certainly been used in battle during it's 500 or so years on earth.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Bungo blades are firmly in the utility realm of swords in most peoples minds, there are some good swords at cheap prices because Bungo isn't a desirable attribution.

[general_piffle]

Bungo blades are firmly in the utility realm of swords in most peoples minds, there are some good swords at cheap prices because Bungo isn't a desirable attribution.

 

Yes, just found this on nihonto.com:

 

There are different schools of thought on the quality of Bungo (豊後) swords made in the Shinto period.  An immediate response from many “sword experts” when Bungo(豊後) swords are mentioned is that they are not swords of great quality.  Others feel that they are good swords.  Perhaps a foundation of this opinion difference is that if you look at the structure of Bungo Takada (豊後高田) swords, you will see that they were made to satisfy practical rather than artistic needs.  Indeed, at times of war they were sought out because of their cutting ability and sturdiness.

 

Bearing in mind mine is koto and not shinto I'm happy with that. A sword made for cutting rather than admiring.

[Jussi Ekholm]

For Bungo the appreciation is generally for Sadahide & Yukihira being the absolute top tier for Bungo. Tomoyuki the Takada school founder comes behind them. Unfortunately after Tomoyuki there is a huge gap in traditional Japanese appreciation as Nanbokuchō / Muromachi gap is considered being so large. I think Taira Nagamori is one of the few Taira-Takada smiths that fills a bit of the Japanese appreciation criters. I do have the Bungo Taikan book and it features few other bit more famous Taira-Takada smiths but they are generally not too highly regarded. The book has a lineage of Taira-Takada smiths. You can also find shorter version of Takada lineage in Seskos book that has lineages of schools.

 

I believe NBTHK has various types of attributions they can give to mumei Takada. I'd consider highest being attribution to Takada Tomoyuki, which would point the sword towards Nanbokuchō and skilled maker. I have documented few other NBTHK attributions to mumei Nanbokuchō more unknown Takada smiths but they are really rare. As my personal intrest starts to fade after early part of Muromachi I haven't documented the Muromachi Takada swords too closely. I know there are at least attributions (Takada), (Taira-Takada) and for Shintō there is (Fujiwara-Takada) for mumei blades.

[general_piffle]

Thanks Jussi, very interesting!

[SAS]

I had a suriage Buzen Fujiwara Tomo---- pass through my hands last year; it was out of polish, but looked to be an interesting sword.

[lonely panet]

http://www.nihontomessageboard.com/articles/Long%20live%20unpopular%20schools.pdf

 

a interesting article posted here 

[Surfson]

Joel, is that your first sword or do you have others?  Did you decide to polish it before shinsa or after?  It sounds to me like a "study" sword, i.e. one that you study and enjoy for a while and then move along so you can get the next sword to study into your collection.  

[general_piffle]

Joel, is that your first sword or do you have others?  Did you decide to polish it before shinsa or after?  It sounds to me like a "study" sword, i.e. one that you study and enjoy for a while and then move along so you can get the next sword to study into your collection.  

 

I have two katanas and a wakizashi. The katanas are this humble but purposeful Taira Takada and a much more flamboyant beefy Musashi Taro Yasukuni from 1716 (think Sword of Doom...) plus the wakizashi is also an earlier Yasukuni from when he was under the instruction of Omura Kaboku - both of these have papered very well. I decided to polish it before shinsa and have used it to create a daisho. A couple of pictures attached. I will continue to study it and have no real desire to move it on and take in more than I already have - this contrasting mix is enough for me.

[Rivkin]

Interesting thanks. I've also heard that the koto blades from this school were of superior quality than the shinto blades but I guess this depends on the smith. Also without a mei we'll never know for sure the school but this is at least a good approximation. Believe they were known for their excellent cutting ability from something I've read and I can see from faint 'blocking' marks in the mune mine has certainly been used in battle during it's 500 or so years on earth.

 

Again it comes in Japanese context, where schools are defined by province, even if the work is quite different.

During Kamakura Bungo had an exceptional status of one of very few territories outside of the North which were governed in wholesome by Kamakura rather than Kyoto. It had weird samurai bloodlines and customs, and a few smiths, whose works today one very seldom sees, which suggests that this Bungo school was not nearly as large as Norishige's shop in Etchu or Mino's Kaneyuki etc. By Oei however all Japanese schools save Bizen basically began to quickly die out. There were few holdouts from Nambokucho period like Oei Nobukuni or Hasebe or Naoe Shizu, but by Onin war simply nobody bought new swords. Strange as it sounds, but the situation was beyond bad everywhere.

Swordsmithing revived in 1500-1520, but with a very different style and different quality.

Case in point - Nambokucho Bungo has very little to do with Shinto Bungo, though in Japanese books they are considered as the same school. Shinto Bungo and Sengaku Bungo are similar in quality. There are many who say that Shinto is inferior to koto, but it does not mean early Shinto is inferior to Sengaku, one can argue it is actually more of the opposite.

 

Kirill R.