A bit of an enjoyable week - Hirotsuna/Nagatsuna Hozon waki, Kazuyoshi (x2) with utsushi Kiyomaro

[Yama Arashi]

My collection is rounding out nicely, with the addition of 3 blades, and my first Hozon paper.

First is a stout wakizashi by Hirotsuna/Nagatsuna (deaf Tadatsuna student) from the Edo period/Enho era (1673-1681)
0.75cm motokasane, 3.41cm motohaba, 2.63cm sakihaba
Naked blade weight 645 grams
 

 

 

[Yama Arashi]

Shinsakuto Kazuyoshi utsushi Kiyomaro  (2006)
.8cm motokasane, 3.65cm motohaba, 3.15cm sakihaba, 75.08cm nagasa
Naked blade weight is 1230 grams / 2.71 pounds
Massive solid silver habaki

Shinsakuto Kazuyoshi (1972)
.715cm motokasane, 3.21cm motohaba, 2.3cm sakihaba, 71.5cm nagasa
Naked blade weight 865 grams


I've been eyeing one of these type of massive o-kissaki blades for a while, but there weren't any available that really spoke to me (available Akamatsu options, etc.)

Oddly, I had been considering another Kazuyoshi for a number of months, that has been available at Aoi, when I somehow came across this utsushi Kiyomaro, while peeling through the depths of the internet.

It's a bit of an arduous story/process that I won't bother fully relaying, but while getting some inquiries answered, it had been sent off with another lot of swords to a well known auction house (unbeknownst to the person I was communicating with) where I managed to acquire it.

It's difficult to find a lot of information on some of the modern smiths, including this particular smith, Hizen Koku Ju (Nakao) Kazuyoshi. He's won quite a few awards, has forged a few odachi from what I have been able to dig up, and seems to have spent a lot of time perfecting utsushi blades in the styles of Ichimonji, Kiyomaro, Samonji, Tadayoshi, Sukehiro, etc., and only produced 60 blades during a 12-year portion of his career, while attempting to perfect such. His father was Nakao Tadatsugu, student of Horii Toshihide, and he also has a brother who achieved Mukansa.

The second Kazuyoshi is still en route, and at the moment, I plan to use it for light tatami tameshigiri. (I'm aware of the general perception on this board with using a nihonto for such, when not absolutely necessary, and I also have a modern monosteel blade for heavier use with bamboo and such) Tsuruta-san says it is extremely sharp, and still has ubu-ba. I have had my eye on it for a while with that intention, as it isn't necessarily my favorite hamon style, but all of the specs are otherwise perfect for me, along with a great shakudo river crab/bamboo koshirae motif.

I acquired a magnificent blade earlier this year that I had intended to use for such (suspected gimei Minamoto Masao) but after having it in hand, and a kantei from a noted togishi, I have decided to keep it in koshirae and have it sent to shinsa.




















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[Ken-Hawaii]

Nice blades, but you're not letting them touch the concrete, are you?

[Surfson]

I agree, nice blades.  There are a couple of different theories about Hirotsuna, according to Sesko, differing by whether he trained with Tadatsuna and is the same smith as Tsunbo Nagatsuna or whether he was also deaf and trained with Tadatsuna alongside Nagatsuna.  He does beautiful work though, in either case.  It appears that this sword was made with Namban Tetsu.

[Yama Arashi]

15 hours ago, Ken-Hawaii said:

Nice blades, but you're not letting them touch the concrete, are you?

No  -  I didn't even like the fact that the auction house had the blade sitting on an uncovered, sliced up, plastic table!

 

Although, I apparently need to find a new background for natural light photos, as that concern seems to be proposed every time I post a photo. 🙂