Fujishima

藤島

4 ranked works

Nothing by Fujishima on the market right now — follow to hear when one appears.

JūyōVol. 24, No. 120 · Tachi

Overview

The Fujishima school was a group of swordsmiths based in Province. Documentary tradition transmits that they were disciples of Kunitoshi, with Tomoshige regarded as the school's founder. Some sources alternatively place the lineage within the Sanekage line. While the school's activity is said to extend from the end of the period well into the early modern era, the earliest firmly dated works bear nengō from the Ōei era, and the has noted that no extant pieces can be confidently attributed to before the period.

Fujishima works characteristically display a with a dark, somewhat blackish tone, in which mixed with produces a distinctly northern-provinces flavor. In , the school shows considerable range: some blades present a fine with and in the , evoking a Yamato-like sensibility, while others are tempered in incorporating , elements, and , with well-formed and vigorous . The latter mode, with its tendency toward connected undulations and prominent , is recognized as especially representative of contemporaneous "Hokuriku-mono" -- the distinctive manner of the northern provinces. may also appear.

Designated works encompass , , and , demonstrating the school's versatility across blade forms. The in particular, with their preserving full original tang proportions, provide important evidence for dating the group's activity. Pieces from the early period onward exhibit elements that are at once -like and -like, and it is this composite character -- drawing upon multiple traditions while maintaining a distinctive regional identity -- that defines the Fujishima group's particular scholarly interest.

Historical importance

Where Fujishima 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

Select a lens to see how it's measured.

Designations

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

Elite Standing

Other artisans of the Fujishima school

  1. 1.Tomoshige友重2 for sale15designated
  2. 2.Tomoshige友重5designated
  3. 3.Tomoshige友重5designated
  4. 4.Tomokiyo友清1designated

More from the Yamashiro tradition

View all →
On requestTokubetsu Jūyō

Awataguchi Kuniyoshi 國吉

Katana · 79.5 cm · Kamakura
Samurai Nippon
¥3,000,000Tokubetsu Hozon

Rai Kuniyuki 國行

Katana · 69.7 cm · Shogen (1259-1260)
Yazawa Shokai
¥4,300,000Tokubetsu Hozon

Rai Kunitoshi 國俊

Tantō · 21.1 cm · Kamakura
Choshuya
¥750,000Tokubetsu Hozon
Starting price

Enju Kunimoto 國元

Tantō · 22.4 cm · Nanbokuchō
Aoi Art
¥4,000,000Tokubetsu Hozon
Starting price

Rai School 来派

Tantō · 24.4 cm · Kamakura
Aoi Art
¥4,800,000Jūyō

Ayanokoji Sadatoshi 定利

Tachi · 71.3 cm · Joei (1232-1233)
Hyozaemon