Mukansa smiths

[Pete Klein]

Does anyone have a link to a list of all holders of the Mukansa swordsmith title?

 

Thanks much!

[Rich S]

This is the list I have as of 2000. Maybe more since then.

 

MUKANSA SMITHS:

 

Amada Akitsugu (National Living Treasure, Niigata Prefecture)

Osumi Toshihira (National Living Treasure, Gunma)

Hokke Saburo Nobufusa (Miyagi)

Yoshihara Yoshito (Tokyo)

Yoshihara Kuniie (Tokyo)

Gassan Sadatoshi (Nara)

Kanbayashi Tsunehira (Yamagata)

Yamaguchi Kiyofusa (Iwate)

Kawachi Kunihira (Nara)

Ono Yoshimitsu (Tokyo)

So Tsutomu (Fukuoka)

Mikami Sadanao (Hiroshima)

Miyairi Norihiro (Nagano)

Seto Yoshihiro (Fukuoka)

Hiroki Hirokuni (Kanagawa)

Enomoto Sadayoshi (Shizuoka)

 

Rich S

[Pete Klein]

Thank you very much Rich! I was curious about Gassan Sadatoshi and this answered my question.

[Bazza]

Does anyone have a link to a list of all holders of the Mukansa swordsmith title?

 

Thanks much!

G'day All,

 

I would be equally interested in a list of Mukansa polishers. Always the polisher is the shadow behind the smith, or so it appears to me in this Nihonto backwater. I imagine that in Japan the polishers are as well known as the smiths???

 

Regards,

Barry Thomas.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Sorry to bring up this old thread, but does anyone know when the Mukansa system was started? I had a fellow collector who I mentor ask me, & had to admit that I didn't have a clue.

 

Ken

 

[Guido]

The first two sword smiths received this title in 1906.

[w.y.chan]

For swordsmith the first Mukansa was in 1958 and it was awarded to Takahashi Sadatsugu. He remains the only swordsmith to date who was first made Ningen Kokuho by the Japanese government in 1955 before being awarded Mukansa by the swordsmith association.

 

I believe during the wartime contest there were a number of senior swordsmiths of various skills that was above contest level.

 

 

Wah

[Guido]

I was counting in the  teishitsugigeiin 帝室技芸員 which is the previous title; mukansa 無鑑査 proper were indeed awarded from 1958 on.

[w.y.chan]

That was the previous title for Ningen Kokuho. They are both confered by the state.

 

Mukansa was awarded by the swordsmith fraternity themselves.

 

Wah

[seattle1]

Hello:

 In an attempt to clarify a little further beyond Wah's observation that distinguishes awards of the state from mukansa, which only indicates a craftsman need undergo no further demonstrations of skill, I would point out the following. Prior to the designation Teishitsu Gigei-in a smith might be designated Kunaisho Kogei-in or Kunaisho Goyo Kaji, roughly meaning Imperial Household Craftsmen,  invoked in 1888. Smiths holding that status were Suguwara (Miyamoto) Kanenori, Horii Taneyoshi, and after his death, his son Horii Taneaki, also Sakurai Munetsugu, Morioka Masayoshi, the Aizu smith Kanesada, Henmi Yoshitaka, Miyaguchi Ikkansai Shigetoshi and his student/nephew Kasama Ikkansai Shigetoshi. I do not know if there were others.

 In 1890 the more exalted rank of Teishitsu Gigei-in was created, it meaning Imperial Court Artist, and it was the pre-war equivalent of Ningen Kokuho, or Preservers of Intangible Cultural Properties, a.k.a. "Living National Treasure". Sword smiths were not early recipients, surprising because Meiji was a sword fancier himself, but other sword related craftsmen were designated. In 1890 Kano Natsuo, and in 1896 Unno Shomin were recognized. Other crafts were recognized as well. On April 4 of Meiji 39 (1906), the Kanenori mentioned above, and Gassan Sadakazu were designated Teishitsu Gigei-in, and they were the only two smiths so chosen. Both of those smiths had close connections to the Court, and why other fine smiths of the era, such as Hayama Enshin, were not designated remain matters of speculation.

 Arnold F.

[w.y.chan]

Keeping in topic, regarding Mukansa smiths I've heard Yoshihara Kuniie 1st acquired such honorary status without ever officially being named as such when swordmaking resumed in 1953. So in a way Kuniie was mukansa before mukansa system came into being. Noticed even though he continue making swords after the war he never participated in the contest, he might even have been a judge but not sure.

 

 

Wah

[Stephen]

Im sure That Joeswordguy will be adding something to this interesting thread once his feet hit the ground,,,,

[Ken-Hawaii]

Wow! That's a lot more info than I was expecting - thanks to all who responded!

 

Ken

 

[SwordGuyJoe]

Not much to add to this one. Pretty well wrapped up

[Surfson]

I'm still waiting for an answer to Barry's question about who the Mukansa polishers are?  

[Surfson]

Anybody know?

[c2tcardin]

Anyone know how many have been added since this thread started on 09'?

 

I know Ichiro Matsuba Kunimasa was given the honor in 2014, but was unsure if anyone else had?