Hatakeda Morishige

守重

7 ranked works

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JūyōVol. 16, No. 137 · Tachi

Overview

Morishige is traditionally transmitted as a swordsmith of the line within the school. According to the (smith directories), he is recorded as a son of the second-generation Moriie and as the father of Motoshige, with extant dated works bearing era names spanning from Einin and Kagen through Showa, Bunpo, and Gen'o — all corresponding to the closing phase of the period. Distinguishing a first and second generation Morishige is considered somewhat forced; in broad terms he should be regarded as a swordsmith of the late period.

The -period works characteristically display — at times a dense mixed with — with standing out vividly in the . The is typically a basis mixed with , into which and enter; the tends toward tightness (), and adheres throughout. Some works exhibit reminiscent of Kagemitsu, revealing a pronounced character rather than a distinctly manner. Indeed, the presence of in the forging and the composition with intermingled share aspects in common with the style of the Nagamitsu group, suggesting that by this period the school had for the most part become assimilated into the tradition. Compared with Moriie, the workmanship tends to be subdued (sabishii), with a pronounced tendency.

Extant signed works by Morishige are exceedingly few, and it has not been possible to exhaustively examine the full range of his workmanship across all generations. Those examples that survive, however, provide valuable source material for understanding the breadth of his working range and the historical relationship between the and lineages. Several bear date inscriptions that serve as important reference points for the study of this smith. The overall workmanship — from the clarity of the -iro to the well-applied and tight — demonstrates sound technical accomplishment, and the best examples are noted for being (well-preserved) in both and .

Historical importance

Where Morishige 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 Bijutsuhin1
Gyobutsu—
Tokubetsu Jūyō—
Jūyō Tōken6

Elite Standing

Dated Works

Provenance

Blade Forms

Distribution across 7 ranked works

Signatures

Signature types across 7 ranked works

Lineage

Other artisans of the Hatakeda school

  1. 1.Moriie守家75designated
  2. 2.Sanemori眞守2 for sale60designated
  3. 3.Mitsumori光守12designated
  4. 4.Morinaga守長4designated
  5. 5.Morishige守重1designated
  6. 6.Moritoshi守俊1designated
  7. 7.Iesuke家助2designated

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