Enju sayagaki

[Ray Singer]

I would greatly appreciate help with one additional sayagaki. Prior to receiving juyo (and before I owned it) this sword had a Honami Koson kinpun mei to Rai Kunitoshi. This sword did not pass (I am told due to the o-maru boshi). The kinpun mei was removed and the sword was resubmitted, passing as Enju.

[Nobody]

A loose interpretation which you might already know is shown below.

 

第四十九回重要刀剣 (Dai 49-kai Juyo Token)

肥後國延壽 (Higo no kuni, Enju)

 

但大磨上無銘也 静穏ナル出来口ヲ示シ滋味豊ニ候 概ネ来氣質ナレド大丸帽子トナル点ニ

此派ト可鑑者有之 同派極中屈指ノ優品而地刃健体ナルモ好矣 珍々重々

[Loosely] However, it is O-suriage and unsigned. It shows calm workmanship and has its own charm. Although it generally shows Rai characteristics, it can be attributed to this tradition because of its O-maru Boshi. It is one of the best pieces of the tradition, and it is also good that the blade is healthy. It is rare and valuable.

[Ted Tenold]

Hi Ray,

 

You might have to wait for one of the more fluent members such as Moriyama-san to help you or send an image of it to someone like Markus Sesko or Harry Watson for a comprehensive translation. Tanobe-san often writes descriptions in Kanbun style verse and it can be difficult. I do see at the end of the description that he wrote "chin chin cho cho", which is akin to "precious and rare" repeated for emphasis. He doesn't put that on everything. One of our colleagues asking him the significance of this statement some years back. Tanobe-san's reply was, "If the house is on fire, and you can save only one of your swords, this is the sword you save". It's also interesting to note that the verb "chincho suru" means "to cherish as a rarity".

 

*edit* I see Moriyama-san was concurrently working on it. :lol:

[paulb]

Ray,

is it possible to see some images of the sword?

I am green with envy just reading about it!!

[Toryu2020]

On translating Tanobe;

Anyone remember which issue of the JSSUS had an article on his sayagaki and how to read them? I love that his hand writing is so clear but I can never make sense of what he wrote...

-t

[Ray Singer]

Thank you everyone for your feedback on the sayagaki. It is interesting, considering that Rai and Enju worked in two different geographic locations, that there would not be a more distinct difference in the jigane. Did they really use different base materials or did the Enju import their tamahagane from Kyoto in the early days of the school?

 

Kunitoshi was a versatile smith, especially if you agree with the theory that niji kunitoshi and rai kunitoshi represent the long working period of a single smith. It does not seem out of the realm of possibility that he would occassionally vary his boshi. I am surprised that the sword did not receive an attribution to Den Rai Kunitoshi, or perhaps there are other Enju features not mentioned in the sayagaki? The sword does not have the prominent nijuba I have seen in other Enju, but it does have a very vivid full length nie utsuri. I will attach a few photos below...

[Ted Tenold]

Ray,

 

If you ever have the opportunity, put your Enjyu and a Rai blade such as a Kunitoshi side by side and have a look. (Maybe in Florida next February, eh? ) The association with Rai is important and evident as it's quite common for Enjyu to be mistaken for Rai swords during kantei, and one of the major differences is, as has already been pointed out, in the boshi shape. However the forging is also very slightly different and more in line with many Kyushu based works in that the pattern tends to be a bit nagare (stream) while Rai does not. Also, Enjyu jigane is a bit whiter in contrast, or will have whitish areas or layers in it. Byron Shimizu had a gorgeous Enjyu katana a couple years ago and i was struck with the whitish layering that faintly streamed the length of the blade. In Japan I examined an Enjyu Kunitoki Tanto (Jubi if I remember correctly) that had this in streaming ji-nie which is a product of the forging it follows. So lovely.

 

Enjyu swords also often display "Enjyu Boshi" which has a layer(s) of nie just behind the hamon along the edge of the kissaki mirroring the curvature, more or less like the nijuba you mentioned. Hope that makes sense... :|

[Stephen]

God, dont you love pure Nihonto learning, thank you gents. So much better than......

[paulb]

Gents

In an attempt to help the discussion along I have attached some images of my favourite wkazashi, a surriage enju blade. The hada is extemely beautiful full of chickei and ji-nie, and as everyone always says the images dont do it justice.

Ted

I was very interested in the comments about nie behind the boshi as I had not heard that before. Also that Ray mentioned nie utsuri which is very much Rai rather than Enju according to the basic texts I understood Enju tended to be more commobly shirrake utsuri.

There are very many cases of Enju blades being mistaken for Rai and I guess the other way round as well.

I have to say the more I learn about Enju work the more I like it.

Looking forward to some pictures Ray

Best Regards

paul

[John A Stuart]

Hi Paul, Is it me or .. All I get is 'no preview available' when I down load your pics. John

[Ray Singer]

Thanks Ted, I really see what you mean. There is a different feeling of nagareru in places. I always have a hard time evaluating steel color, I am sure it would be much clearer when compared against another sword to see if there is more of a whiteness in the steel. It is also interesting to look at the boshi in this tachi. While the sword overall does not have nijuba, there is a strand of nie floating above the boshi which is crisp and bright like a line of kinsuji which has floated above the hamon. This is only visible on one side.

 

As far at the nie activities in the ji, they seem independent of the kitae. The nie utsuri does not follow along with the pattern of forging, but rises and falls like a midare utsuri. I really need to scan the photo from the Juyo Nado Zufu, which shows this well (or if someone had volume 49 handy, they should be able to see this piece).

 

I have a tanto which also had this same dual attribution. It was originally papered by Kotoken Kajihara to Rai Kunitoshi in older polish. The sword was evaluated at the NBTHK, who said it was a high quality Yamashiro sword and should go Juyo to a Rai smith. After polish the sword received Tokubetsu Hozon to Enju (and will not paper higher). I can see easily in this sword why the attribution went to Enju. There is full length nijuba on each side, very similar to the Awataguchi Kuniyoshi tanto in the beginning Rai show catalog. Other Enju I have seen are very similar. The hada is more itame nagare compared with the tachi, but I think this is due to the steel being less healthy by comparison..

[Ray Singer]

Hi Paul, these are not great photos. I am relying on the camera in my iPhone this week. Hopefully these images will give a sense of the workmanship in this tachi. Thanks for sharing your Enju, do you see any areas which look like nie utsuri in this piece?

[Ray Singer]

Since we are discussing Enju, I have loved this sword for a while. The hamon is thin in places, but still it is a signed Kunisuke and retains much of its original shape. It also has utsuri visible throughout, which can be seen in the oshigata.

http://www.tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/a00120.html

[Jean]

Enju School on Sho-Shin website :

 

http://www.sho-shin.com/sai16.htm

 

Here is a juyo good one on Tetsugendo : Look at "swords"

 

http://tetsugendo.com/

 

Here is mine, NBTHK kanteied to Enju with an unusual hakikake Boshi (like Kunisuke) - No running itame, no utsuri, end of Kamakura - Fantastic health

[paulb]

Jean always posts this image to wind me up!! That is a very good looking sword Jean and as you say it has some interesting features for an Enju balde.

Ray

I look forward to some better images as from what I can see from these ones it is a very beautiful sword and very much to my conservative taste (some claim it is because I am a control freak but I am sure that isnt the case )

In response to your question no I cant see any signs in my sword of the Utsuri you illustrate and describe in yours.

Is there any sign of "enju hada" in yours? defined as areas of plain dark steel not unlike Rai hada, just to make attributiion a little more difficult.

Interestingly The comment that I think Ted made about whiteness is seen in NBTHK publications and Nihonto Koza but alongside this they also claim Enju hada to be stronger and clearer than Rai which seems to contradict this.

The more we see the more one can identify the closeness of the two schools. Interestingly the O-maru boshi in your blade and mine are very simialr and I can see why this might be regarding as a key point in attribution. As you say there are illustrated examples of Rai Kunitoshi making O-maru boshi but I think these are the exception rather than the rule.

I continue to be green with envy,

Best Regards

Paul

[John A Stuart]

One of the characteristics of Enju school blades is the prodigious amount of activity found in the hamon. The oshigata of Jean's sword illustrates the beauty of their suguba based hamon. The actual photo isn't bad either. Some professional shutterbug must have taken it. I am afraid Ray's photo's show some of the jihada, but, mostly the overheads. Sorry Ray, the phone camera didn't help in this case. I am curious as to what you fellows mean about the boshi being an indicator to distinguish between the Rai and Enju schools. Predominately komaru boshi and with multiple polishes most have had the mune side of the sakihaba reduced to make seeing the length of the original kaeri impossible. An example is the one linked at Tsuruginoya where the kissaki has been reformed after some heavy damage. Nice swords all from what can be seen. John

[paulb]

John

the indicator of the boshi is that O-maru is indicative of Enju where Rai is predominently ko-maru. I have asked this question several times regarding particular swords, including my wak illustrated earlier and the feedback was that it was paperd to Enju rather than Rai because of

a) The boshi being o-maru

b) utsuri being shirrake rather than nie-utsuri.

 

I was somewhat blasphemous recently when I said that an Enju blade I had seen was infinitely more interesting than an o-suriage Rai Kunitoshi Wakazashi which if I am brutally frank was extremely dull and lacked any significant actiivty.

[Jean]

Paul,

 

As we say in French 'il y a des jours avec et des jours sans", meaning "there are days "with" and days "without"", I am suire that the best sword of a top Enju smith can easily overcome an average work of a top Rai smith

[Ted Tenold]

Jean, I think that French proverb is very applicable in swords. There are those occasions when certain features get "married" to a smith or tradition, when in fact there is a variance in work that somewhat undermines our study habits and conclusions by what we read in our texts and accept and understand to be "absolutes".

 

Also that Ray mentioned nie utsuri which is very much Rai rather than Enju according to the basic texts I understood Enju tended to be more commobly shirrake utsuri.

 

I could be wrong, but Shirake is something I would attribute to later works, while nie utsuri would seem more of an earlier trait. However, the lack of utsuri or the presence of it doesn't necessarily confirm or deny a particular smith, or school for that matter. These lack or inclusions of particular characteristics are what lead to the debates on certain issues such as the drastic difference between NiJi and Sanji Kunitoshi. One generation or two? Who knows for sure, but that said, there is conclusive evidence that smiths could and did work in a variety of styles.

 

Moving back to the Enjyu subject, here is an oshigata of a Kunisuke tanto. The saya gaki notes that although the midareba style is rare, examples are known to exist. There is profuse chikei in this tanto, and eventhough it's a bit long in the tooth (having been polished down) the looseness of the jigane is attributable more to how it was made and not completely the product of diminishment, but rather exacerbated by it. Also, note the boshi on this example, as it is not omaru, but is rather pointed.

 

For images of it, here is the slide show. http://www.legacyswords.com/kunisukeSS.htm

[Jean]

In fact, that is what shinsa is made for :

my Enju has no utsuri, no nagare hada and a hakikake boshi - I forgot not even that shira-keru for which Enju is famous

[Ted Tenold]

Thanks Ted, I really see what you mean. There is a different feeling of nagareru in places. I always have a hard time evaluating steel color, I am sure it would be much clearer when compared against another sword to see if there is more of a whiteness in the steel.

 

Color in steel is always a contentious subject mainly, in my opinion, because so much of the color depends on how it was polished and what materials were used. Blades with really thick nie can also look whiter as well depending on how well they were polished because the nie is very very hard (it is a martensitic structure) and takes a lot of time and effort to polish thoroughly. Therefore the overall appearance can be drastically different if not approached judiciously.

 

It is also interesting to look at the boshi in this tachi. While the sword overall does not have nijuba, there is a strand of nie floating above the boshi which is crisp and bright like a line of kinsuji which has floated above the hamon. This is only visible on one side.

 

From your description, this is indeed an example of "Enjyu Boshi", and thus a strong indicator for that school.

 

As far at the nie activities in the ji, they seem independent of the kitae. The nie utsuri does not follow along with the pattern of forging, but rises and falls like a midare utsuri.

 

This is where things can get tricky. Utsuri is a product of forging and heat treating, so the presence of a particular forging pattern does not necessarily dictate a particular utsuri pattern. This can be particularly true with nie based utsuri on a very fine forging pattern. The only way I can describe how to examine some of these features collectively yet also independently is like looking at the bottom of a shallow chrystal clear lake with small leaves or dust on the surface. You can seen the textures on the bottom by looking through the top, and the surface against the bottom. Perhaps this is a bit poetic, and definately lacks an accurate scientific explaination, but it’s the best way I can describe how I try to approach it.

 

The sword was evaluated at the NBTHK, who said it was a high quality Yamashiro sword and should go Juyo to a Rai smith. After polish the sword received Tokubetsu Hozon to Enju (and will not paper higher). I can see easily in this sword why the attribution went to Enju. There is full length nijuba on each side, very similar to the Awataguchi Kuniyoshi tanto in the beginning Rai show catalog. Other Enju I have seen are very similar. The hada is more itame nagare compared with the tachi, but I think this is due to the steel being less healthy by comparison..

 

Herein lies the importance of what a polish can (or can't ) do for revealing and identifying a sword. What we can see in a poor state of polish doesn't tell the "whole" story, and those invisible details that emerge after polish completes the equation. Add that to the variances of work styles and periods, whether known or unknown to us as students, and the equation becomes more complex.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

Herein lies the importance of what a polish can (or can't ) do for revealing and identifying a sword. What we can see in a poor state of polish doesn't tell the "whole" story, and those invisible details that emerge after polish completes the equation.

 

It should be added that a 'poor state of polish' also includes an 'improperly finished new polish'. Improper in the sense that the polisher for whatever reason is not able to bring out those 'invisible' critical details which make a Rai a Rai, and an Enju an Enju.

[Ted Tenold]

Franco,

 

Completely agreed. Or alternatively a desperate or stubborn attempt is made to bring up things that simply aren't there thus attenuating what is, or ruining it in some other manner.

[Eric H]

As the boshi, ko-maru or o-maru, seems to be a crucial point for correct attribution to either Rai Kunitoshi or Enju...here some pics for consideration.

The last two oshigata depict the same Enju Juyo pic 3.

Eric

[Ray Singer]

Hi Eric, thanks for posting the additional Enju examples. I wish that the NBTHK would offer pages from the Juyo Token Nado Zufu rebound according to school/tradition, so one could compare all those great reference examples at a glance. I suppose if someone had the entire series they could do so on their own.

 

The Rai Kunitoshi is a really interesting sword... isn't that is the ju-to ko-dachi sold on Aoi-Art? If so, I remember that the sword no longer had a yokote when it was listed for sale. I wonder if it would still have been attributed to Rai Kunitoshi if it were unsigned. A slender shobu-zukuri blade of ko-wakizashi length is very unusual for the time period. They have one more listed on their site now with a more typical ko-maru boshi.

http://www.aoi-art.com/sword/wakizashi/08701.html

[Ray Singer]

The only way I can describe how to examine some of these features collectively yet also independently is like looking at the bottom of a shallow crystal clear lake with small leaves or dust on the surface. You can seen the textures on the bottom by looking through the top, and the surface against the bottom. Perhaps this is a bit poetic, and definately lacks an accurate scientific explaination, but it’s the best way I can describe how I try to approach it.

 

I remember Jim Kurrasch expressing this sentiment in a similar way with regards to a Rai Kunimitsu tanto he owned. Superficially, the jigane showed a extremely thick layer of ji-nie which took on a greater density towards the mune forming nie-utsuri. He was able look though this and see a secondary layer of activities within, with a pattern formed by many small chikei throughout the sword...

[Eric H]

The Rai Kunitoshi is a really interesting sword... isn't that is the ju-to ko-dachi sold on Aoi-Art?

Hi Raymond,

In fact that Kodachi in rare shape was sold by Aoi. Interestingly the link to the Kunitoshi Wakizashi depict a boshi lacking the "ko-maru".

Additionally another oshigata of a attributed Enju.

Eric

[Eric H]

just for fun: Kunitoshi or Enju ?

Eric

[Ted Tenold]

Eric,

 

Ko-Mihara!!! Just kidding...

 

I'd call it Enjyu. Why?

 

 

The strength and size of the chikei in the ji.

 

 

Anyone else wanna take a chance?

[Toryu2020]

I'll take a stab at it!

 

Kunitoshi on the left - Enju on the right

Kunitoshis' boshi is set low

Kunimitsu has a slightly pointed boshi not unlike the one on the right

But his boshi is set low as well so I see the one on the right as Enju

 

 

Hoping this spoiler thing is workin...

-tom