Aoe Ietsugu

[nulldevice]

This sword popped up at one of the Ginza shops and it's got me a bit puzzled: https://www.seiyudo.com/ka-070124.htm

 

The NBTHK attributed it to "Aoe Ietsugu" with TH papers. However, upon trying to research this smith, it seems that there are almost no extant works tied to him and I can't find any other NBTHK examples that are papered to Aoe Ietsugu (青江家次).

 

There are many examples of the more cited Kaga Aoe Iyetsugu and with NBTHK papers showing (加州家次)

https://sword-auction.com/en/product/4498/as20613-太刀：無銘（加州家次）/

https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/q1110437500

 

However for earlier Aoe smiths, I can only find the Ko-Aoe Ietsugu with next to 0 information (IYE355) and The Katayama Ichimonji Ietsugu who signed with Bitchu Kuni Aoe Ietsugu (備中國青江家次) and also as Yoshifusa. The note on IYE355 mentions that Fujishiro mentions that he never saw any works of this smith and attributes them to Kaga Aoe Ietsugu. 

 

Curious about your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[Rivkin]

Without looking at books (Markus Sesko swordsmith is a must though): tight itame, wide hamon in nioi with tight kochoji, well defined ashi is in most cases Nambokucho Aoe. Style changed after 1380, this could be 1360-1380.

 

By comparison Kaga Aoe is vastly inferior school with almost no jigane.

[nulldevice]

3 hours ago, Rivkin said:

Without looking at books (Markus Sesko swordsmith is a must though): tight itame, wide hamon in nioi with tight kochoji, well defined ashi is in most cases Nambokucho Aoe. Style changed after 1380, this could be 1360-1380.

 

By comparison Kaga Aoe is vastly inferior school with almost no jigane.

Thanks!

 

The Aoe attribution was pretty easy to see. There is sumigane, saki ashi, nioideki hamon (points to late kamakura - nanbokucho like you said). I was curious about the specific attribution to Ietsugu. There is very very little reference to Aoe Ietsugu that I can find. Seems not a lot of extant works are out there, especially not with NBTHK papers. 

[Rivkin]

Here is he:

IETSUGU (家次), 1st gen., Ōan (応安, 1368-1375), Bitchū – “Ietsugu” (家次), “Bitchū no Kuni-jū Ietsugu saku” (備中国住家次作), “Bitchū no Kuni-jū Ietsugu” (備中国住家次), “Bitchū no Kuni-jūnin Ietsugu” (備中国住人家次), Aoe school, we know blades from the Jōji (貞治, 1362-1368) to the Ōan era, saka-chōji that tends somewhat to koshi-nohiraita, also a suguha with ashi, compact nioiguchi, ō-wazamono, jō-saku 

(Sesko)

 

There is a famous ko Aoe guy, but it would be not even close.

[Jacques D.]

Quote

Without looking at books (Markus Sesko swordsmith is a must though)

This is nothing more than a translation of the Nihonto meikan, but with a few errors.

[Jussi Ekholm]

So far I have documented 3 dated items by Aoe Ietsugu.

 

1357 dated tantō

1367 dated ōnaginata

1386 dated tachi

 

I am not personally a fan of mumei attribution towards specific smiths but that is often the traditional way.

[nulldevice]

6 hours ago, Jussi Ekholm said:

So far I have documented 3 dated items by Aoe Ietsugu.

 

1357 dated tantō

1367 dated ōnaginata

1386 dated tachi

 

I am not personally a fan of mumei attribution towards specific smiths but that is often the traditional way.

I guess this was where I was wondering.

 

i see lots of mumei Ko-aoe and aoe attributions. But the NBTHK must have seen something that they thought pin pointed this to Ietsugu. I know they have vastly more records and resources than we do, but in English there just isn’t much out there on the late Kamakura-Nanbokucho era Ietsugu.

 

I also haven’t found another origami with an attribution to this smith. 

[Rivkin]

I don't know what are specific kantei points to Ietsugu.

I have a blade attributed by NTHK to Sadatsugu from the same period (Oan) and by NBTHK blue papers to simply Aoe. The style is quite similar, as probably for all Aoe smiths from the time.

[SteveM]

Here is a papered (hozon) kinpun-mei Aoe Ietsugu wakizashi.

https://tokka.biz/sword/ietsugu2.html