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Overview·Historical importance·Designations·Dated Works·Provenance·School
OverviewHistorical importanceDesignationsDated WorksProvenanceSchool
  1. Schools
  2. Naminohira
  3. Ko-Naminohira
  4. Yukimasa

Naminohira Yukimasa

行正

Jūyō Bijutsuhin
Vol. 6, No. 872 · Tachi

Naminohira Yukimasa

行正

1 ranked works

Notable smith
ProvinceSatsumaEraHeiji (1159–1160)PeriodHeianSchoolNaminohiraTraditionWakimonoToko Taikan2,000(top 2%)TypeSwordsmithCodeYUK199
1Jūyō Bijutsuhin

Overview

Yukimasa is recorded in sword-signature reference works () as having resided at Hikasasho in Province, with his working period placed around the Bun'o and Koan eras of the mid- period (1260s--1280s). He is regarded as a smith who carried forward the line of , and his oeuvre occupies a transitional position between the restrained manner of that earlier tradition and the more flamboyant style of the group. A separate Yukimasa bearing the date Heiji 1 (1159) is identified in reference works as Ko-Hahei; that blade, preserving its original with deep and pronounced , carries the earliest known dated inscription among Japanese swords and constitutes an exceptionally important documentary source.

The mid- Hikasasho Yukimasa works in a manner that intermingles flavor and flavor. The forging is typically or with fine adhering well and standing prominently in the . The ranges from mixed with ---incorporating - and in the more flamboyant passages---to areas of -based small , rendered in deep with . The may turn back with a somewhat pointed tendency or present a straight form with . His characters are noted as extremely large and differ from the usual manner seen among the group, providing a further distinguishing attribute.

Extant signed works by Yukimasa are exceedingly rare, and the quality of workmanship in both and is consistently fine. His blades serve as valuable reference material for the study of mid- production at the intersection of the and lineages. Though the majority of surviving examples are shortened, they retain period-appropriate and the characteristic standing that firmly situates them within the mainstream of tradition at its artistic height.

Historical importance

Where Yukimasa 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 Bijutsuhin1
Gyobutsu—
Tokubetsu Jūyō—
Jūyō Tōken—

Elite Standing

Dated Works

Provenance

Currently Available

Naminohira School

Other artisans of the Naminohira school

  1. 1.Yukiyasu行安10designated
  2. 2.Atsukura篤倉1designated
  3. 3.Chikayasu近安1designated
  4. 4.Haruyuki治行1designated
  5. 5.Ieyasu家安1designated
  6. 6.Naminohira Yoshiyasu波平吉安1designated
  7. 7.Naminohira Sadayasu波平貞安1designated
  8. 8.Yasuyuki安行1designated
  9. 9.Kuniwake国分1designated
  10. 10.Sadakiyo貞清1designated
  11. 11.Sadatsugu貞次1designated
  12. 12.Tomoyasu友安1designated

Yukimasa

Yukimasa(行正) was a Japanese swordsmith of the Naminohira school in Satsuma province, active during the Heiji (1159-1160) period.

The work follows the Wakimono tradition.