Ko-Bizen Sukesada

助貞

4 ranked works

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JūyōVol. 49, No. 89 · Tachi

Overview

Sukesada is a Fukuoka smith of Province, traditionally transmitted as a student of Sukezane and active during the mid- period around the Bun'ei era (c. 1264–1275). Sword compendia also record a Sukesada of the Sukezane lineage active around the Einin era, said to have worked at Yamauchi in , and a further Sukesada described as a descendant of Yukikuni active around the Tokuji era. The precise distinction among these entries remains difficult to resolve with certainty; however, the surviving body of work attributed to this maker is consistent with the flourishing period of the Fukuoka lineage, one of the major schools that prospered in localities such as Fukuoka, Yoshioka, and Iwato from the early through the period. Because the characters of Sukesada's signature closely resemble those of Sukezane, his blades are readily mistaken for the work of his master.

Sukesada's preserve the elegant characteristic of mid- production: slender in build with a pronounced difference between and width, a strong sense of , high , and . His forging exhibits tightly worked with , and vivid appears clearly — a hallmark of the Fukuoka tradition. The ranges from flamboyant intermingled with , , and — producing a brilliant, highly varied, and exuberant — to quieter compositions in which a shallow -flavored is mixed with , displaying and with a clear . In both modes, the workmanship closely resembles that of Sukezane, and both and are notably clear.

Extant signed works by Sukesada are exceedingly rare, and the has repeatedly emphasized that each surviving example constitutes valuable documentary source material for the study of the school. Those blades that retain with their original signatures are regarded as especially desirable. The superlative preservation of both and observed in the finest examples further elevates his work, which, taken together with the scarcity of signed pieces, secures Sukesada's position as a smith of considerable scholarly importance within the broader Fukuoka lineage.

Historical importance

Where Ko-Bizen Sukesada stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.

随一
Foremost
屈指
Leading
有数
Major
著名
Notable

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Designations

Kokuhō—
Jūyō Bunkazai—
Jūyō Bijutsuhin—
Gyobutsu—
Tokubetsu Jūyō—
Jūyō Tōken4

Elite Standing

Other artisans of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school

  1. 1.Sukezane助眞44designated
  2. 2.Yoshifusa吉房44designated
  3. 3.Norimune則宗8designated
  4. 4.Yoshihira吉平1 for sale17designated
  5. 5.Sukekane助包7designated
  6. 6.Tamekiyo爲清6designated
  7. 7.Norikane則包7designated
  8. 8.Yoshimochi吉用10designated
  9. 9.Nobufusa延房6designated
  10. 10.Naganori長則17designated
  11. 11.Ichi一7designated
  12. 12.Sukeyoshi助吉1 for sale5designated

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