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About the maker

Senjuin Kuniyuki國行

Kuniyuki resided at Tsuruga in Echizen and later relocated to Mino Province; dated works bearing the era names Joji and Oan confirm his period of activity within the Nanbokucho era, roughly 1362 to 1375. Signed examples exist reading "Etsushu-ju Fujiwara Kuniyuki" and "Noshu-ju Fujiwara Kuniyuki," and from the sequence of dated works it may be inferred that he entered Mino sometime between the tenth month of Oan 6 and the eighth month of the following year. It is noteworthy that in this same period, smiths such as Kaneshige and Tametsugu also moved from Echizen into Mino. A further signed tachi by a Kuniyuki of the Mino Akasaka Senjuin group -- said to have been formed by craftsmen who relocated from the Yamato Senjuin lineage -- is also recorded, though his precise lineage remains unclear. Kuniyuki's manner is characterized by a forging of *itame* mixed with *mokume* and a *masame* tendency, frequently showing *hada-dachi*; *ji-nie* forms thickly with *chikei*, and the steel color tends to be dark, bearing a *kana-iro* tone. In both *jigane* and *hamon* one observes characteristics common to works of the northern provinces (*kitaguni-mono*). His tempering encompasses two distinct modes: a slender *suguha* with tight *nioiguchi* that is almost entirely *nioi-deki*, exhibiting fine *hotsure* and *kuichigai-ba*; and a *notare* mixed with *gunome* accompanied by rather coarse *nie*, *sunagashi*, and *kinsuji*, which at times takes on a *hitatsura*-like appearance through the addition of *yubashiri*, *tobiyaki*, and *muneyaki*. Reliably signed works by Kuniyuki are exceedingly few, and the NBTHK has consistently noted that extant signed pieces constitute especially valuable material for scholarly research. Within both *ji* and *ha* one may clearly discern a northern temperament -- a rustic vigor that the examiners have termed particularly interesting -- and works in the *hitatsura* idiom are recognized for their abundant activities and scenery of *nijuba* and *sanjuba* effects. As a rare example of a smith whose move from Echizen to Mino is documented by inscription, and whose oeuvre demonstrates new facets of workmanship through both *suguha* and *midare* styles, his blades are regarded as possessing high documentary value.

Iida Koendo

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