NihontoWatchSummary This blade was signed by Choshu Ju Fujiwara Kiyoshige (長州住藤原清重). Choshu is another name for Nagato province (today’s Yamaguchi prefecture), and Choshu Ju means he resided in this area when he forged this blade. The maker’s name, Kiyoshige, lasted generations in Choshu from the early-late Edo period (the late 17th-mid 19th century). Although it is not mentioned when this blade was forged in the appraisal, NBTHK, which issued the certificate, said this Kiyoshige is thought to be the one who was active during the early Edo period. The swordsmith, Choshu Ju Fujiwara Kiyoshige, active during the early Edo period (the late 17th century), is considered to include Nagato no Kuni Abu-gun Hagi Ju Hasegawa Hachizaemon no Jo Kiyoshige (長門国阿武郡荻住長谷川八左衛門尉清重), the first-gen Hasegawa Hachizaemon Kiyoshige (長谷川八左衛門清重), and his son, the second-gen Hasegawa Hachizaemon Kiyoshige. The first-gen Hasegawa Hachizaemon Kiyoshige’s real name was Hasegawa Kanbei (長谷川勘兵衛) and the descendant of the Nioh school, which is the group of swordsmiths (school) that flourished from the mid-Kamakura period to the late Muromachi period (500-750 years ago) and lasted until the Edo period (150—400 years ago). The school was founded by Nioh Taro Kiyotsuna (二王太郎清綱) in Suo province (today’s Yamaguchi prefecture). According to his remaining work, the oldest blade was forged in 1265. It is currently enshrined at the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima. It is said that he started to forge swords in around 1205 (the early Kamakura period). The Nioh swordsmiths inherited the part of its founder’s name 清 (Kiyo), such as 清房 (Kiyofusa), 清長 (Kiyonaga). Hasegawa Hachizaemon Kiyoshige was also a renowned swordsmith of this school. The Nioh school declined during the early Edo period, and the first-gen Hasegawa Hachizaemon Kiyoshige moved from Bizen province to Hagi, Choshu province, around the Kanei era (the early-mid 17th century) and became an Okakaekaji for the Mori family, the load of the Choshu domain. Okakaekaji is a swordsmith who exclusively forged swords for a specific domain or clan. The second-gen Hasegawa Hachizaemon Kiyoshige also lived in Hagi and later moved to Susa, Abu-gun in Choshu and also became an Okakaekaji in the Masuda family, the chief retainer of the Choshu domain. It is also said that the Kiyoshige family held the head position of the swordsmiths of the Choshu domain for generations since the Edo period, and also supported Minamoto Kiyomaro, one of the three most renowned swordsmiths during the late Edo period, who lived in Hagi, Choshu, for a couple of years during the Tenpo era (the late Edo period) as the chief swordsmith of the Choshu domain. Judging from the fact, the craftsmanship of the Kiyoshige family must have been highly appreciated. It is appraised as a Hozon Token (保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai: 日本美術刀剣保存協会). Fuchi-Kashira The motif of this Fuchi Kashira is Misu (御簾), which is a bamboo blind used at temples, shrines, and especially palaces called Shinden-zukuri (寝殿造). Shinden-zukuri is an architectural style used by aristocrats from the Heian period (794-) to the Kamakura period (-1336). Bamboo was generally used for the Misu, but there were various types depending on the material used, such as reed screens, which are screens made of reed grass (葦, Ashi/Yoshi), and used to protect from sunlight and glances. The way to use the blind is to open it by rolling it up inward. You would also find cloud-like pattern. The cloud pattern was often depicted in the picture describing Shinden-zukuri. The cloud pattern has been associated with magical power, and people thought it an omen of lucky things. In addition, some people wished to obtain a leisurely life in comfort by seeing clouds’ movements (that floats in the sky). Or, as clouds appear repeatedly, its design represents reincarnation. Samurais were always on the verge of life and death on the battlefield. They might have believed in the power of this pattern. And they had incorporated it into the design of their sword mountings. Tsuka and Menuki The motif of this Menuki seems to be a combination of Akikusa (秋草, autumn plants) and Botan (牡丹). Akikusa includes various kinds of plants, such as chrysanthemum (菊, Kiku), as seen here. A long time ago, the chrysanthemum was used as a medicine for obtaining a long life in China, and it was brought to Japan with this thought in the Nara period (648-781). Chrysanthemum is one of the flowers which symbolizes fall, and people appreciate it very much since ancient times. As its petals form radially, the chrysanthemum has been likened to the sun. That is why this flower pattern is treated as the symbol of perpetual youth and longevity or good health. “Kiku no Gomon (菊の御紋)” is a kind of chrysanthemum pattern, and it has been used as the crest of the Emperor and the royal family in Japan so that it is well-known as a noble pattern. Peony represents happiness, wealth, nobleness, and gorgeousness. This flower pattern has been treated as a kind of good-omen motif; people regarded it as a rich harvest sign. Peony is called “Botan” in Japanese. When we write this flower’s name in Japanese, its second letter means mountain hermit medicine that would give us eternal youth. Based on the meaning of this letter, the peony pattern symbolizes eternal youth and longevity. Saya The surface of this scabbard is sprinkled with fine glitter-like decoration. This decoration is thought to have been finished by attaching finely crushed shells to the surface of the scabbard and grinding them out. Authentication Paper They authenticated the blade on January 31st in the 26th year of Heisei (2014). They appraised it as Hozon Touken, the blade especially worth preserving for Japanese society. Registration Number It is called Jyu Ho Token Rui Torokusho (銃砲刀剣類登録証).
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Nagato · around 1688-1704
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The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
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