Important sword by Kinju considered one of Masamunes top 10 students. Katana Den Nōshū Kinjū (伝濃州金重) ‒ Attributed to Kinjū from Mino province. Mounted in Shirasaya with Newly made Aikuchi style Koshirae with Solid Gold Menuki.Well forged O- Hirazukuri Blade
Blade length ~ 64.5 cm
Suriage and Mumei
Shape: O-hira zukuri with Iori–mune
Kitae (鍛) ‒ Forging Itame-nagare
Hamon is chū–suguha that is mixed with kinsuji and with plenty of
hotsure and kuichigai–ba
Bōshi – Kaeri displaying hakikake
mekugi–ana 2,
Yasurime are katte–sagari
Made around Jōji era (貞治, 1362‒1368)
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.
KINJŪ (金重), 1st gen, 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
