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Overview·Historical importance·Designations·School
OverviewHistorical importanceDesignationsSchool
  1. Schools
  2. Suishinshi Masahide
  3. Masamori

Suishinshi Masamori

正守

Jūyō
Vol. 20, No. 313 · Katana

Suishinshi Masamori

正守

3 ranked works

Notable smith
ProvinceMimasakaEraAnsei-Keio (1854–1867)PeriodEdoSchoolSuishinshi MasahideTraditionShinshintoTeacherHosokawa MasayoshiFujishiroChu-jo sakuToko Taikan230(top 76%)TypeSwordsmithCodeMAS546
3Jūyō Tōken

Overview

Hosokawa Masamori (細川正守) was a domain smith (hankō) of the Tsuyama fief in Mimasaka Province, active in the late period and producing dated works through the Ansei, Genji, and Keiō years. He was the legitimate heir and eldest son of Hosokawa Masayoshi, who had originally come from Kanuma in Shimotsuke Province before going to to study under Suishinshi Masahide. Through this paternal line Masamori inherited the Suishinshi current at one remove, and the records that he "wholly inherited his teacher-father's manner," with a technical level standing "next to that of his teacher-father."

Masayoshi excelled in both - and Sōshū-den, and his - in particular is held to merit special attention; Masamori in turn favored the manner. The characteristic is a tightly forged densely worked, with thick adhering and appearing. The is fundamentally mixed with gunome-chōji and ; enter overall in long legs, adheres well, and the is bright. In places coarser of "notably strong brilliance" emerges, while fine and run throughout. The tends to with , turning back in with a slightly pointed tendency. Signatures are characteristically cut in a long inscription toward the side of the , with a stamped seal and a date on the .

Masamori is "famed within Masayoshi's circle as the craftsman whose skill is second only to that of the master." At his finest, where the clusters grow larger than usual and the temper shows pronounced height variation, the result is "a particularly splendid and flamboyant " combined with a "grand, weighty, and heroic overall "—work that approaches the level of his father Masayoshi and stands among Masamori's foremost masterworks.

Historical importance

Where Masamori 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 Tōken3

Elite Standing

Currently Available

Suishinshi Masahide School

Other artisans of the Suishinshi Masahide school

  1. 1.Naotane直胤15 for sale40designated
  2. 2.Masahide正秀9 for sale28designated
  3. 3.Sukemasa助政1 for sale8designated
  4. 4.Jirotaro Naokatsu直勝1 for sale6designated
  5. 5.Masayoshi正義1 for sale5designated
  6. 6.Masatsugu正次4designated
  7. 7.Tsunatoshi綱俊6 for sale3designated
  8. 8.Hidekuni秀國1designated
  9. 9.Masayoshi正義5 for sale2designated
  10. 10.Masanao昌直1 for sale2designated
  11. 11.Masaaki正明2 for sale1designated
  12. 12.Munetsugu宗次1designated

Masamori

Masamori(正守) was a Japanese swordsmith of the Suishinshi Masahide school in Mimasaka province, active during the Ansei-Keio (1854-1867) period.

The work follows the Shinshinto tradition.

Designated works by Masamori include 3 Jūyō.