NihontoWatchkoto Mihara ju Masasada(Kai Mihara) with Koshirae 「体配 style」 鎬造り庵棟、身幅重尋常、鳥居反り中鋒。茎は生で鑢目は筋違い、茎尻は入山形。 「地鉄 jigane」 板目肌に地沸付く。 「刃紋 hamon」 刃文は互の目乱れ、帽子は乱れ込み小丸に返る。 「特徴 detailed」 貝三原とは現在の、尾道市北部の尾道市木ノ庄町木梨、更に北に八キロの尾道市御調町貝ヶ原付近を指し、ここで南北朝期から室町時代末期に至るまで非常に栄えた備後鍛冶刀工群を総称して貝三原、三原と呼んでいます。正久、正興、正賀、正盛、正廣、正真、正近などの名が良く知られています。本作の正久は、備州三原住正久、備州三原住正久作、三原住正久、備州三原住貝正久作、などと長銘を切り、天文元年、二年、八年の年紀入りの作品が現存しています。 本作の三原住正久は慧眼した事が無く、貴重な脇差です。銘は悪くないと思います。 「拵 koshirae」 ハバキ(habaki) :素銅地銀着一重の腰祐乗。 鍔(tsuba) :鉄地木瓜形鍔。 縁頭(fuchikasira) :赤銅磨き地(無地)。 目貫(menuki) :鳥の図。 小柄(kotsuka):現代物の新品で貝尽しの図、小柄の穂はステンレス。 柄(tsuka) :柄糸は正絹紺色の諸捻り巻。 鞘(saya) :黒呂。 「刀身の状態 condition of blade」 研:概ね良好ですが、薄錆の出ている箇所があります。 傷:欠点になるような傷は有りません。
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Yamato-den · Bingo
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The Mihara school arose in Bingo Province during the late Kamakura period and maintained continuous production through the end of the Muromachi period. The region's ancient reputation as a center for iron goods—documented as early as Engi 14 (914) in the Seiji Yōryaku—provided the technical foundation for this sustained tradition. Because Bingo contained numerous landed estates (shōen) belonging to major Kinai temples and shrines such as Tōji and Rengeō-in (Sanjūsangendō), the smiths working at Mihara engaged in regular interchange with the central provinces. This geographical and economic relationship accounts for the pronounced Yamato temperament observable throughout the school's output. The term "Ko-Mihara" (Early Mihara) designates works produced from the late Kamakura through the Nanbokuchō period, with Masaie and Masahiro recognized as the lineage's most accomplished masters. Ko-Mihara workmanship reveals a distinctive fusion of Yamato influence and regional character. The forging typically exhibits itame-hada mixed with conspicuous mokume and flowing grain (nagare), often with a tendency for the texture to stand (hada-dachi). Fine ji-nie adheres throughout the steel surface, and a characteristic whitish cast (shirake-utsuri) appears prominently—a feature repeatedly cited in appraisals as diagnostic of the school. The tempering follows Yamato convention in emphasizing suguha, but the nioiguchi tends toward tightness (shimarigokoro) with well-adhering ko-nie rather than the more vigorous nie activity seen in Yamato proper.
Along the hardened edge, smiths frequently introduced hotsure, uchi-noke, and subtle kuichigai-ba effects, while the nioiguchi often exhibits a subdued (shizumi) quality. The bōshi typically runs straight and turns back gently in ko-maru or rounded (maru) form, concluding with fine hakikake at the tip—a restrained finish characteristic of the school. Nanbokuchō-period examples display the era's monumental aesthetic: wide mihaba with minimal taper from base to tip, shallow curvature, high shinogi, and extended chū-kissaki or ō-kissaki, creating a dignified and powerfully robust form. The school's output demonstrates how peripheral traditions absorbed and transformed influences from established centers while maintaining regional identity. Ko-Mihara blades occupy a position intermediate between the vigorous nie-work of Yamato proper and the more subdued aesthetic preferences of western Japan. This balance—robust construction paired with restrained tempering, standing grain texture combined with tight nioiguchi, and Yamato-derived suguha inflected with local characteristics—defines the school's technical achievement. The whitish forging, conspicuous mokume, and gentle bōshi became recognized signatures that distinguished Mihara work from its Yamato models. Through four centuries of continuous production, the smiths of Mihara maintained technical standards sufficient to supply both local demand and broader military markets, their works preserving a coherent school identity across generational transmission. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Nobumori信守 | 987-1596 | 0 |
| Sadakuni貞國 | 1441-1444 | 0 |
| Nobutsugu信次 | 1444-1449 | 0 |
| Nobuie信家 | 1394-1428 | 0 |
| Tomotsugu朝次 | 1394-1428 | 0 |
Yamato in the Muromachi period
The monasteries that had sustained Yamato lost ground through the Muromachi period, and the schools thinned with them; Sue-Tegai kept the old masame manner alive in quantity. The burning of Tōdaiji’s Great Buddha hall in 1567 closed the temple age.
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