Poa
An Excellent and Extremely Rare Juyo Token Masterpiece Katana By Kinju Student of Masamune, Kinju Swords are said to be rarer than his Master Masamune,Mounted in Shirasaya also has Koshirae with Tsunagi fitted.
Jūyō-tōken at the 64th jūyō shinsa held on November 6, 2018
Katana, mumei: Kinjū (⾦重)
Tamayama Sanetoshi (⽟⼭真敏)
Measurements
nagasa 67.4 cm, sori 1.0 cm, motohaba 3.0 cm, sakihaba 2.35 cm, kissaki-nagasa 4.1 cm, nakago-nagasa
15.2 cm, only very little nakago-sori
Description
Keijō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, wide mihaba, no noticeable taper, shallow koshizori, prominently
elongated chū-kissaki
Kitae: overall standing-out itame that is mixed with mokume and nagare and that features plenty
of ji-nie and much chikei
Hamon: ko-gunome in nioi-deki with ko-nie that is mixed with kataochi-like gunome, small togariba,
ko-ashi, and many hotsure and fine kinsuji and sunagashi along the habuchi
Bōshi: midare-komi with a rather pointed ko-maru-kaeri and hakikake
Horimono: on both sides a bōhi that runs as kakitōshi through the tang
Nakago: ō-suriage, shallow kurijiri, kiri-yasurime, three mekugi-ana (of which two are plugged),
mumei
Explanation
Kinjū was traditionally regarded as one of the Ten Students of Masamune, and the Kokon Mei
Zukushi (古今銘尽) introduces him as follows: “Priest name Dō’a (道阿), originally from Tsuruga
(敦賀) in Echizen province. Of outstanding skill. Had moved to Seki (関).” Thus, the tradition has
it that Kinjū had moved from Tsuruga to Mino province where he and Kaneuji (兼⽒) acted as
founders of the local Mino swordsmiths. Only very few signed works of Kinjū exist, but the Kōzan
Oshigata (光⼭押形) features two tantō which are dated Jōji two (貞治, 1363), which roughly
informs us about his active period. Compared to the workmanship of the Shizu (志津) School,
Kinjū’s blades very often show a more standing-out hada and a hamon that rather features a
connected gunome with roundish yakigashira than a gunome that tends to pointed togari. Kinjū’s ha
is hardened in ko-nie-deki and in general it can be said that his works are overall a hint more calm
as works of the Shizu School.
This blade shows an overall standing-out itame that is mixed with mokume and nagare and that
features plenty of ji-nie and much chikei. The hamon is a ko-gunome in nioi-deki with ko-nie that is
mixed with kataochi-like gunome, small togariba, many hotsure and ko-ashi along the habuchi, and
fine kinsuji and sunagashi. Thus, the jiba reflects both the characteristic and aesthetic features of
Kinjū. The blade has plenty of hira-niku and a powerful kitae with much chikei, and the
interpretation of the hamon is a textbook example for Kinjū
Jūyō-tōken at the 64th jūyō shinsa held on November 6, 2018
Katana, mumei: Kinjū (⾦重)
Tamayama Sanetoshi (⽟⼭真敏)
Measurements
nagasa 67.4 cm, sori 1.0 cm, motohaba 3.0 cm, sakihaba 2.35 cm, kissaki-nagasa 4.1 cm, nakago-nagasa
15.2 cm, only very little nakago-sori
Description
Keijō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, wide mihaba, no noticeable taper, shallow koshizori, prominently
elongated chū-kissaki
Kitae: overall standing-out itame that is mixed with mokume and nagare and that features plenty
of ji-nie and much chikei
Hamon: ko-gunome in nioi-deki with ko-nie that is mixed with kataochi-like gunome, small togariba,
ko-ashi, and many hotsure and fine kinsuji and sunagashi along the habuchi
Bōshi: midare-komi with a rather pointed ko-maru-kaeri and hakikake
Horimono: on both sides a bōhi that runs as kakitōshi through the tang
Nakago: ō-suriage, shallow kurijiri, kiri-yasurime, three mekugi-ana (of which two are plugged),
mumei
Explanation
Kinjū was traditionally regarded as one of the Ten Students of Masamune, and the Kokon Mei
Zukushi (古今銘尽) introduces him as follows: “Priest name Dō’a (道阿), originally from Tsuruga
(敦賀) in Echizen province. Of outstanding skill. Had moved to Seki (関).” Thus, the tradition has
it that Kinjū had moved from Tsuruga to Mino province where he and Kaneuji (兼⽒) acted as
founders of the local Mino swordsmiths. Only very few signed works of Kinjū exist, but the Kōzan
Oshigata (光⼭押形) features two tantō which are dated Jōji two (貞治, 1363), which roughly
informs us about his active period. Compared to the workmanship of the Shizu (志津) School,
Kinjū’s blades very often show a more standing-out hada and a hamon that rather features a
connected gunome with roundish yakigashira than a gunome that tends to pointed togari. Kinjū’s ha
is hardened in ko-nie-deki and in general it can be said that his works are overall a hint more calm
as works of the Shizu School.
This blade shows an overall standing-out itame that is mixed with mokume and nagare and that
features plenty of ji-nie and much chikei. The hamon is a ko-gunome in nioi-deki with ko-nie that is
mixed with kataochi-like gunome, small togariba, many hotsure and ko-ashi along the habuchi, and
fine kinsuji and sunagashi. Thus, the jiba reflects both the characteristic and aesthetic features of
Kinjū. The blade has plenty of hira-niku and a powerful kitae with much chikei, and the
interpretation of the hamon is a textbook example for Kinjū
Tanobe Sensei Sayagaki
美濃國⾦重
⼤磨上無銘也同⼯ハ越前敦賀ヨリ美濃ニ来住シ兼⽒ト並ビ美濃鍛冶ノ源流ニナリシト傳フ板⽬
ノ肌⽴ツ鍛へニ頭ノ丸キ互乃⽬ノ連レゴコロトナル乱刃ヲ焼キ沸付クノガ特⾊デ本⼑ハ地刃ニ
斯カル⾒所ヲ⽰ス優品也
⻑弐尺⼆⼨⼆分余有之
時在丁⾣極⽉
探⼭識焉「花押」
Mino no Kuni Kinjū
Ō-suriage mumei nari. Dōkō wa Echizen Tsuruga yori Mino ni raijū-shi Kaneuji to narabi Mino-kaji no
genryū ni narishi to tsutau. Itame no hada-tatsu kitae ni kashira no maruki gunome no tsunagare-gokoro
to naru midareba o yaki nie-tsuki no ga tokushoku ga hontō wa jiba ni kakaru midokoro o shimesu yūhin
nari.
Nagasa ni-shaku ni-sun ni-bu yo kore ari
Jizai hinoto-tori gokugetsu
Tanzan kore o shirusu + kaō
Kinjū from Mino Province
[This blade is] ō-suriage mumei. According to tradition, Kinjū moved from Tsuruga in Echizen
province to Mino, where he then acted, like Kaneuji, as founder of the local Mino swordsmiths.
This blade shows a kitae in a standing-out itame and is hardened in a midareba which is composed
of rather connected gunome elements with rounded yakigashira, and with its nie, this masterwork
reflects along its jiba the characteristic features of this smith.
Blade length ~ 67.4 cm
Written by Tanzan [Tanobe Michihiro] in December of the year of the rooster of this era (2017) +
monogram
KINJŪ (金重), 1
st gen.,Shōō (正応, 1288–1293), Mino – “Kinjū” (金重). Kinjū is considered as founder of the Seki
smiths. According to tradition, he was initially working under the name Dōami (道阿弥) in Echizen province as a priest
of the Seisen-ji (清泉寺) and moved later to Mino province. It is said that he also bore the priest name Keiyū (慶友). A
theory says that he was the son of Motoshige (元重). Kinjū is listed as one of the “Ten Students of Masamune” From the point of view of workmanship we can see common
characteristics with the Yamato Senju´in-school and the northern smiths from the Hokuriku district. Only very few
signed blades are extant by Kinjū and these are only tantō and no tachi. They have the Nanbokuchō-typical wide mihaba, a
thin kasane, and a shallow toriizori in combination with a mitsu-mune. The jigane is an ō-itame or an itame mixed with masame,
sometimes with a tendency to shirake, and the steel is blackish and the hada stands out. The hamon is a ko-notare mixed
with ko-gunome in nie-deki with sunagashi. We also find works in a gunome-midare with sunagashi and tobiyaki that tends to
koshi-no-hiraita, and a gunome-chōji-midare with round yakigashira that remind of a Kenbō-midare. The bōshi is ō-maru or a
tapering midare-komi or a midare-komi with hakikake respectively. Some blades show simple horimono of implements used
for esoteric Buddhism (mikkyō, 密教). The yasurime are kiri or katte-sagari and the tang itself is rather short and bulbous.
jōjō-saku
