Power sat in Kamakura, but taste was still made in Kyōto. The Awataguchi school’s pear-skin steel became a byword for perfection, and the Rai line supplied dignified tachi to the court, senior warriors, and the great temples alike.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchI am pleased to present this extremely Rare Masterpiece Juyo Token by the master Swordsmith Kamakura Ayanokoji Sadayoshi. If you are looking for an excellent serious collectors Juyo Token from the Kamakura Period. Or an Excellent contender at the next Tokubetsu Juyo Shinsa. The blade is of the finest quality forging and is superb. The Hamon is a very complex Hamon packed with Hataraki The Blade comes with Shirasaya with Lengthy Sayagaki by Japans leading appraiser Tanobe Sensei on both sides of the Shirasaya detailing the sword as (A highly tasteful masterwork that combines a classical approach with refined elegance.) The sword also has Koshirae with Excellent quality Matching Shakudo fittings with Gold Kamon in an Ishime ground. Jūyō-Tōken at the 70th Jūyō Shinsa from November 6, 2024 Katana, mumei: Ayanokōji Sadayoshi (綾小路定吉) Measurements Tamura Ken (田村健) Nagasa 70.7 cm, sori 2.6 cm, motohaba 2.7 cm, sakihaba 1.9 cm, kissaki-nagasa 3.2 cm, nakago-nagasa 20.4 cm, nakago-sori 0.3 cm Description Keijō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, normal mihaba, relatively noticeable taper, moderate kasane, plenty of hira-niku, deep toriizori, chū-kissaki Kitae: itame that is mixed with nagare and that features ji-nie and fine chikei Hamon: hiro-suguha-chō in nie-deki that is mixed with ko-chōji, ko-midare, many angular elements, plenty of ashi, Kyō-saka-ashi, and yō, and with tobiyaki, yubashiri, and an abundance of kinsuji and sunagashi Bōshi: prominently midare-komi with much hakikake and tending to kaen Horimono: on both sides a bōhi that runs as kaki-nagashi into the tang Nakago: ō-suriage, kurijiri, gently slanting katte-sagari yasurime, two mekugi-ana, mumei Explanation There was a group of swordsmiths comprised of makers like Sadatoshi (定利) and Sadayoshi (定吉) active along the Ayanokōji (綾小路) street in Kyōto. The meikan date Sadatoshi around Bun’ei (文永, 1264–1275), and a tradition has it that he was living in close proximity to Rai Kuniyuki (来国行), and that both smiths made daisaku works for each other. The workmanship of Sadatoshi and Sadayoshi, however, is more classical than that of Rai Kuniyuki and closer to that of earlier local Kyōto works (Ko-Kyō-mono) of the Sanjō (三条) and Gojō (五条) schools. That is, they hardened in a complex midare that is composed of densely arranged and smaller elements with intermittent small tobiyaki above of the yakigashira that form a kind of nijūba, and that features a somewhat subdued nioiguchi, which places said smiths earlier than the active period they are traditionally associated with. The meikan list Ayanokōji Sadayoshi as son of Sadatoshi and as active around Kōan (弘安, 1278–1288). Signed works of his are rare, and his workmanship and signature style are principally very similar to that of Sadatoshi, and also some blades of his exist that have a wide mihaba. This blade has a normal mihaba and a toriizori, and the kitae is an itame that is mixed with nagare and that features ji-nie and fine chikei. The hamon is a hiro-suguha-chō that is mixed with ko-gunome, ko-chōji, ko-midare, many angular elements, plenty of ashi, Kyō-saka-ashi, and yō. With this interpretation, plus the abundance of ha-nie and the hataraki along the habuchi, the blade can be attributed to Sadayoshi. With the great variety of said hataraki along the habuchi, this blade provides many highly tasteful aesthetic highlights. Jūyō No. 15068 Certificate Katana, mumei: Ayanokōji Sadayoshi (綾小路定吉) Measurements: nagasa 70.7 cm, sori 2.6 cm Shape: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, normal mihaba, relatively noticeable taper, deep toriizori, chū kissaki Kitae: itame that is mixed with nagare and that features ji-nie and fine chikei Hamon: hiro-suguha-chō in nie-deki that is mixed with ko-chōji, ko-midare, angular elements, ashi, Kyō-saka-ashi, yō, tobiyaki, yubashiri, kinsuji, and sunagashi Bōshi: midare-komi with hakikake and tending to kaen Horimono: on both sides a bōhi Nakago: ō-suriage, gently slanting katte-sagari yasurime, two mekugi-ana According to the result of the Shinsa committee of our society we judge this work as authentic and rank it as Jūyō Tōken. November 6, 2024 [Juridical Foundation] Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, NBTHK [President] Sakai Tadahisa (酒井忠久) Tōrokushō Register Information: Registered with: Tōkyō Board of Education Registration No.: 326554 Registration date: July 15, 2023 Below Tanobe Sensei Sayagaki and English Translation 城州綾小路定吉 大磨上無銘也笠木反高ク猪首鋒ノ凜トシタル佇マイヲ見セ板目ガ総体ニ流レテ約ミ地沸ヲ敷ク 肌合ニ廣直刃調ニ小丁子・小互乃目・子乱交ジリノ刃文ヲ焼キ乱間近ク小模様ヲ呈シ足・葉繁 ク小沸厚ク輝キ佩表ハ京逆足トナリ更ニ焼頭ニ小サナ飛焼ヲ頻リニ加ヘ帽子ハ掃掛ケテ火炎風 トナルナド古様サト雅サヲ備フル味ワイ深キ優品也刃⻑弐尺参寸三分有之定吉ハ定利ノ近親者デ一説ニ子トモ云フ有銘作ハ尠ナク中ニ本刀ニ強ク結バレル作風ノ者ガ存在ス猶本刀ヲ嘱目スレバ定利ヤ来国行ニモ近キトコロアレド前者ハ焼幅ノ點デ後者ハ帽子ノ状 デ相違ガミラレ 峕令和癸卯暦葉月穀旦探山観而誌之「花押」 Jōshū Ayanokōji Sadayoshi Ō-suriage mumei nari. Kasagi-sori takaku inokubi-kissaki no rin to shitaru tadazumai o mise itame ga sōtai ni nagarete tsuzumi ji-nie o shiku hada-ai ni hiro-suguha-chō ni ko-chōji, ko-gunome, ko-midare majiri no hamon o yaki midare machikaku ko-moyō o tei-shi ashi, yō shigeku ko-nie atsuku teruki haki-omote wa Kyō saka-ashi to nari sara ni yakigashira no chiisa na tobiyaki o shikiri ni kuwae bōshi wa hakikake kaen-fū to naru nado koyō-sa to ga-sa o sonauru ajiwai fukaki yūhin nari. Hachō ni-shaku san-sun san-bu kore ari Sadayoshi wa Sadatoshi no kinshinsha de ichisetsu ni ko to mo iu yūmei saku wa sukunaku naka ni hontō ni tsuyoku musubareru sakufū no mono ga sonzai-su nao hontō o shokumoku-sureba Sadatoshi ya Rai Kuniyuki ni mo chikaku tokoro are do zensha wa yakihaba no ten de kōsha wa bōshi no jō de sōi ga mirare. Toki ni Reiwa mizunoto-udoshi hazuki kokutan Tanzan kore o mite shikamo shirushite kaō Ayanokōji Sadayoshi from Yamashiro province This blade is ō-suriage mumei. It is of a magnificent shape with a deep kasagi/toriizori and an ikubi kissaki and displays a forging structure in a dense itame that tends along the entire blade to nagare and that features ji-nie. The hamon is a hiro-suguha-chō with plenty of sparkling ko-nie that is mixed with ko-chōji, ko-gunome, and ko-midare. The midare elements are densely arranged and small dimensioned, and also many ashi and yō, on the haki-omote side some Kyō-saka-ashi appear, and above of the yakigashira many smallish tobiyaki can be seen. This combined with the bōshi tending with its hakikake to kaen, we have here a highly tasteful masterwork that combines a classical approach with refined elegance. Blade length ~ 70.6 cm Sadayoshi was closely related to Ayanokōji Sadatoshi, and one theory has it that he was actually his son. Signed works of his are rare, but some do exist that are very close in style to this blade. There are also similar blades by Sadatoshi and Rai Kuniyuki, but which differ in terms of the width of the yakiba in case of the former, and in terms of the interpretation of the bōshi in case of the latter. Examined and written by Tanzan [Tanobe Michihiro] on a lucky day in August in the year of the hare of the Reiwa era (2023) + monogram. KANTEI 4 – YAMASHIRO #5 – Ayanokôji (綾小路) School Posted on 2015/09/06 by Markus Sesko under Kantei Sadatoshi (定利) is regarded as the de facto founder and, in practical terms, also as the almost solitary representative of the Ayanokôji School. It is not exactly clear where he came from, scholastically speaking, but records say since olden times that he lived in the Ayanokôji district of Kyôto what earned his school or group its name. There is the tradition that Sadatoshi was the son-in-law of a certain Nagamasa (永昌), the legendary ancestor of the school. Some say that Nagamasa came originally from Tôtômi province and then there was also a northern Môgusa smith of the same name who was allegedly active in the late Heian period. As seen in the genealogy presented below, Nagamasa was suceeded by his heir Sukesada (介定) and then Sueyuki (末行) followed as next head Ayanokôji main line. Also we see that as far as records are concerned, the school had quite a wide genealogy and it seems that it must had been very much flourishing back then. But for whatever reason, not a single blade has survived of any other Ayanokôji smith than of Sadatoshi and Sadayoshi (定吉) and “funny” is, that Sadayoshi does not even appear in the earlier genealogies of the school. Another problem we are facing with the Ayanokôji School is that all the handed down active periods seem to be too late. Experts agree in the meanwhile that Sadatoshi was probably active earlier than it is stated in the old records, which date him around Bun’ei (文永, 1264-75). In concrete terms, the shape and first and foremost very classical workmanship of his blades rather suggests early than mid Kamakura. This in turn would place Nagamasa somewhere from the end of the Heian to the early Kamakura period, what matches more with the handed-down active period of Môgusa Nagamasa, Heiji (平治, 1159-1160), than with that of Ayanokôji Nagamasa, which is Kenchô (建長, 1249-1256). The pushing back of Sadatoshi’s handed down active period is also supported by another factor, namely his relation to Rai Kuniyuki (来国行), the earliest Rai smiths of whom works are extant. There are theories that Ayanokôji Sadatoshi and Rai Kuniyuki made daisaku works for each other and that Kuniyuki was Sadatoshi’s son, i.e. that they really worked very closely together. The degree of truth of all that might never be found out but what we can say is that their workmanship has indeed many things in common. And due to a relative good evidence base of dated works of Kuniyuki’s son Kunitoshi, we can date Rai Kuniyuki around Shôgen (正元, 1259-1260) and going from there, again Ayanokôji Sadatoshi’s handed down active period of Bun’ei (文永, 1264-75) seems to be too late as his works are for sure more classic and a little older than that of Rai Kuniyuki. Tanobe sensei sums it up with: “When we take into consideration all extant blades of Sadatoshi, we can see more common points in terms of sugata and jiba with classic Ko-Kyô-mono like Sanjô or Gojô than with Rai Kuniyuki. And the majority of Kuniyuki’s works looks at least one generation younger than those of Sadatoshi. But it is possible that the later active period of Sadatoshi overlapped with the early active period of Kuniyuki.” For the sake of completeness, I also want to forward some other approaches concerning the background of Sadatoshi. It is namely also said that he was the son of the Yamato Senju’in smith Tôgorô Sadamune (藤五郎定宗) who was active around Jôô (貞応, 1222-1224). This would kind of match in terms of his actual active period but there is hardly any Yamato influence seen in Sadatoshi’s blades. Also it is speculated that Sadatoshi might not have been an Ayanokôji smith at all. That means, he rather worked in the vicinity of the early Awataguchi and the very beginning of the Rai School and his only connection to the “real” Ayanokôji School was that he was married to Nagamasa’s daughter and eventually moved to their place in Ayanokôji. In other words, the rather “below-the-radar” group of smiths around Nagamasa and Sukesada that worked in Kyôto’s Ayanokôji only made it into the records because of Nagamasa being connected via his daughter to the, obviously very active and Awataguchi/Rai-related grandmaster Sadatoshi and not the other way round. GenealogyAyanokoji Well, the true connections of the earliest Yamashiro smiths might be lost forever in the mists of time so let’s go over to what is tangible, and that is Ayanokôji Sadatoshi’s workmanship. Sadatoshi made tachi with a noticeable taper, funbari, a deep koshizori that bends down towards the tip, and that end in a ko-kissaki. So all in all, his tachi are sender and of a very classical elegance. I might sound like a broken record but as long as we find ourselves in pre mid-Kamakura times, we will come over and over again terms like “elegant” and “classical.” Back to Sadatoshi. I have mentioned that we can see similarities in workmanship to Rai Kuniyuki but that does not necessarily apply to the sugata. That means, if you have a blade where you hover between Sadatoshi and Kuniyuki, go back again one step and take another look at the sugata. Kuniyukis tachi, at least those which are interpreted in a more slender manner, don’t taper that much, rather show a torii than a koshizori, and feature a ko-kissaki comes with a hint of chû or ikubi. In short, Sadatoshi’s tachi tend more towards Heian than to mid-Kamakura. As for the jigane, Sadatoshi’s steel is described as toromekite (蕩めきて, lit. “melted, sticky, syrupy”) and nebaki-yô ni mietari (粘きように見たり, lit. “has a sticky/viscous look”) in old sources. That means his jigane looks soft, “sticky” and a little subdued, compared to the bright and clear steel of Awataguchi and Rai works for example. The kitae is an excellently forged itame to ko-itame that can be mixed with some mokume and that shows plenty of ji-nie and occasionally also some fine and unobtrusive chikei. Sometimes the hada also stands out and the ji-nie might tend to nie-utsuri with jifu whereas some works show an approach of shirake. Sadatoshi usually hardened a ko-nie-laden mix of ko-midare, ko-chôji and ko-gunome whose elements are rather densely arranged and might connect to groups of several ko-chôji or ko-gunome in places. Along these connected groups, the ha usually appears as suguha-chô but apart from that, we see ups and downs and also some togari. The nioiguchi as well as the entire ha are altogether rather subdued. In addition, we usually see ko-ashi, yô, fine kinsuji and sunagashi. And the partially connected, partially disconnected, but often quite prominent yubashiri, the small tobiyaki, and the nijûba elements create that classical, “layered” and subjectively ancient look that ties Sadatoshi more to the Sanjô and Gojô Schools than to a technical mid-Kamakura background with its noticeable more sophisticated and magnificent interpretations. Another important kantei point are the mostly strong hakikake and nie-kuzure in the bôshi. The bôshi itself is suguha-chô to midare-komi and has a ko-maru-kaeri, a frayed tip where it is hard to define how the turnback is formed, or runs out as yakitsume. Picture 1: Characteristic features of Ayanokôji Sadatoshi’s workmanship. The ubu tangs of Sadatoshi are finished in kijimomo-gata or at least tend to kijimomo and show sujikai-yasurime. Sadatoshi always signed with a niji-mei which is chiselled in a beautifully ancient-looking manner. The character for “Sada” is in its cursive style quite peculiar and is noticeably larger than the character for “toshi.” The mei itself is always arranged pretty close to the nakago-mune and sits at blades with a bôhi below of where the groove runs out as kaki-nagashi. Well, the range of extant Sadatoshi signatures differs a little but Tanobe says that they all show about the same dymanic ductus and can be traced back to the same craftsman, although to different stages in his active period. Tsuneishi suggests that those mei which are overall somewhat smaller and where the character for “toshi” is noticeably larger or of the same size as the character for “Sada” are works of the 2nd generation Sadatoshi who signed his name in early years with the characters (定俊). And Satô Kanzan mentions a signed (almost sunnobi) hira-zukuri tantô from the possessions of the Gotoh Museum (五島美術館) which shows a pure suguha and which is somewhat inferior in quality than the extant Sadatoshi tachi. But he says that the mei does not look gimei at all and that this blade might thus actually be a work of the 2nd generation Sadatoshi. Incidentally, Tsuneishi quotes pretty specific differences in workmanship between the first and second generations Sadatoshi. He says that the second generation mostly hardened a more calm suguha-hotsure with lesser nie-hataraki and prominent hajimi, and that his itame is mixed with masame, stands more out, is mixed with ô-hada, and shows more shirake. He also says that the second generation made more kodachi than tachi. Picture 2: kokuhô, tachi, mei “Sadatoshi” (定利), nagasa 78.8 cm, sori 3.0 cm, shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, this blade is regarded as the best extant work of Sadatoshi [former heirloom of the Abe (阿部) family, the daimyô of the Bingo Fukuyama fief (福山藩), today preserved in the Tôkyô National Museum] Picture 3: jûyô, tachi, mei “Sadatoshi” (定利), nagasa 67.7 cm, sori 2.0 cm, shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, this blade shows one of the most classical deki of Sadatoshi and Tanobe writes that it “establishes intuitively as well as objectively a connection to Sanjô or Gojô” [former heirloom of the Naitô (内藤) family, the daimyô of the Echigo Murakami (村上藩) fief] Picture 4: tokubetsu-jûyô, tachi, mei “Sadatoshi” (定利), nagasa 71.8 cm, sori 1.1 cm, shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune Now to Sadayoshi (定吉). He is listed as son, student, or contemporary of Sadatoshi, in short, we don’t know fore sure how he was related to the latter. He is traditionally dated around Kôan (弘安, 1278-1288) but this has to be seen with the traditional Bun’ei (文永, 1264-75) dating of Sadatoshi which is, as mentioned, no longer sustainable. His works are as classical as Sadatoshi’s and Satô states that he knows two tachi of Sadayoshi which really look like works of Sadatoshi at a glance in terms of tachi-sugata and interpretation of the jiba. One of them is shown in picture 5. It shows a classically elegant tachi-sugata with funbari and a ko-kissaki. The kitae is a dense ko-itame with fine ji-nie and the hamon a ko-nie-laden mix of ko-chôji-midare with kinsuji and some protruding kawazu no ko-chôji along the monouchi. The nioiguchi is subdued and the bôshi is a shallow notare-komi with a ko-maru-kaeri. The tang comes in a kijimono-gata with sujikai-yasurime like at Sadatoshi and please note that also the signature is executed in a very similar way, i.e. showing a cursive-style character for “Sada” and the second character being smaller than the first one. Picture 5: tachi, mei “Sadayoshi” (定吉), nagasa 77.3 cm, sori 3.0 cm, shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune [preserved in the Tôkyô National Museum] Picture 6: jûyô-bunkazai, tachi, mei “Sadayoshi” (定吉), nagasa 70.4 cm, sori 2.7 cm, shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune. This blade was initially attributed to the Chikuzen Sa smith of the same name but recent studies have revealed, that because of its jiba and signature style, it is most likely a work of Ayanokôji Sadayoshi. 弘安︱ 山城 Ayanokōji Sadayoshi ID SAD251 Name Sadayoshi Province Yamashiro Start Era Kōan (1278-1288) End Era Kareki (1326-1329) Active Period 1278-1329 School Ayanokōji Teacher Sadatoshi Lineage Image / Interactive Source Rating Reference/Page Hawley 20 SAD251 Toko Taikan ¥10M 243 Fujishiro Sai-jo saku K421 Signatures: 定吉 sadayoshi Recorded works ID/Name Type Mei Year Ref 0000-0534 Tachi 定吉 sadayoshi NK-2-52 K421 Ko-choji.
Offered by Nihonto Australia
10 on the market
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro · around 1278-1288
Fujishiro Jo-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 8%
1 piece on the market now
Ayanokoji Sadayoshi is recorded in the sword registers as the son of Ayanokoji Sadatoshi, a smith of the Kyoto Ayanokoji district whose working period is conventionally placed around the Koan era (1278-1288). The Ayanokoji smiths, including Sadatoshi and Sadayoshi, resided in a quarter near Rai Kuniyuki, and one tradition relates that Sadatoshi and Kuniyuki even produced substitute works for one another. However, the styles observed in extant works by both Sadatoshi and Sadayoshi carry an archaic flavor suggesting a continuation of the working range of the older Kyo-mono Sanjo and Gojo groups, indicating that these smiths should be appraised as earlier than the conventional chronology. Extant signed works by Sadayoshi are exceedingly rare, and both his workmanship and the manner of his signature closely resemble Sadatoshi's — in particular, the character "Sada" is cut large while the following character "Yoshi" is comparatively smaller, an arrangement characteristic of this school.
The hallmarks of Sadayoshi's work lie in the forging and temper. The kitae presents a tightly forged itame-hada, at times with a flowing tendency, bearing thickly adhering fine ji-nie and delicate chikei, which together impart a dense, slightly tenacious texture conveying an impression of softness. A distinctive nie-utsuri stands out in the ground. The hamon, based on a wide suguha, is well mixed with ko-gunome, ko-choji, ko-midare, and angular elements; ashi, Kyo-style saka-ashi, and yo enter in abundance. Most characteristic is the appearance of yubashiri, uchi-noke, and small tobiyaki intermittently along the crests of the temper, creating an effect reminiscent of a double temper — the nijuba-like scenery that the NBTHK identifies as a defining trait of the Ayanokoji group. The nioiguchi tends toward an urumi quality, a softened, slightly blurred character regarded as intrinsic to this school.
The NBTHK consistently describes Sadayoshi's works as possessing nuanced changes along the habuchi that convey an antique tone, with the internal activities of the temper and its boundary overflowing with variations and offering many points of appreciation. In both ji and ha, his blades clearly manifest the characteristic features of the Ayanokoji group while demonstrating a deeply flavorsome quality. The signed tachi preserved in the Imperial Household collection — with its ko-midare choji hamon showing kawazuko amid fine ko-nie and kinsuji — confirms the range of his artistry and stands as an invaluable reference for this exceedingly rare smith. Sadayoshi's position within the Ayanokoji lineage, inheriting and faithfully transmitting the archaic Kyo-mono aesthetic, secures his place as a smith of considerable scholarly importance.
Where Sadayoshi 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.
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Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro
10 pieces on the market now
The Ayanokoji school (綾小路) takes its name from the swordsmiths who lived along Ayanokoji street in the Shijo quarter of Kyoto, and the published sources count it, with Awataguchi and Rai, among the three lineages of Yamashiro-den smiths of the Kamakura period. Its founder is Sadatoshi (定利), whose dating the old registers do not settle: the Noami Meizukushi places him around Hoji (1247-48) and the Kokon Kaji Meizukushi around Bun'ei (1264-75), while one tradition relates that he was on friendly terms with Rai Kuniyuki[[c:3]], the two even producing substitute works for one another as demand required. The registers list further names (Sukesada, Sadaie, Sueyuki, Tadaie, a second Sadatoshi written with different characters) yet of these only Sadatoshi survives in signed work, and within the school the sole other attested hand is his son Sadayoshi (定吉), recorded as working in the Kyoto manner near the home of Rai Kuniyuki. The make of everything extant carries an archaic cast that recalls the older Kyo-mono of the Sanjo and Gojo groups[[c:1]], an elegance calling Awataguchi Kuniyasu to mind, and from this the NBTHK appraises the smiths as going back earlier than the conventional view[[c:2]]. The shared Ayanokoji vocabulary rests first in the ground: a well-knit ko-itame, in places mixed with nagare or a slightly standing itame, with fine ji-nie lying thick, fine chikei, and a nie-utsuri that stands out, the jigane at its best taking on a moist, viscous quality. The classic tachi-sugata is slender, the taper from base to tip marked, the koshizori high with funbari, closing in a ko-kissaki. Across the school the temper is a small-pattern midare, a ko-midare mixed with ko-choji and ko-gunome over a suguha tone, the undulations close-set and intricately complex[[c:4]], with ashi and yo entering frequently, ko-nie adhering, and fine kinsuji and sunagashi running through; this is a Bizen-like, choji-laden temper laid upon a Yamashiro ji. Two further tells recur. Along the yakigashira, smaller patches of yaki with yubashiri, uchi-noke, and tobiyaki appear in dotted succession and build an effect akin to nijuba[[c:5]]; and the nioiguchi clouds softly, an urumi quality the published record names one of the school's viewing points.
The boshi continues the temper quietly with hakikake[[c:6]], at times taking a flame-like appearance, finishing yakizume, or entering midare-komi with a small ko-maru return. Sadatoshi anchors this manner, while Sadayoshi transmits it faithfully, his ground denser and more tenacious and his suguha-based ha mixing Kyo-style saka-ashi; a minority of Sadatoshi blades depart toward a brighter, urumi-free nioiguchi led by choji, a make the sources read toward the younger Kuniyuki. To kantei an Ayanokoji blade is to read its particular blend: the tightly packed small-pattern midare, the dotted nijuba effect along the yakigashira, and the softly clouded nioiguchi, set upon a fine ko-itame with conspicuous nie-utsuri. That combination separates the school from its Kyoto neighbors. Against Rai, the Ayanokoji ji is more archaic and its nioiguchi softer, where Rai runs brighter and clearer; against Ichimonji, the choji sits smaller and more intricate, carried on a suguha tone rather than the exuberant flamboyant choji of Bizen, and the Yamashiro forging keeps the ground close and nie-laden. The signed tachi bear a two-character mei with the character Sada cut large in a cursive manner and the second character smaller, set low on the nakago, a placement the sources note even where the signature avoids the groove; most signed blades are suriage, an ubu nakago is rare, and the o-suriage mumei katana are appraised by the same rules. Sadatoshi stands well above his school, Fujishiro grading him Jo-jo saku and Honma judging the National Treasure tachi in the Tokyo National Museum the finest of all he had examined, while Sadayoshi remains an exceedingly rare hand of scholarly weight. Recorded provenance runs through the Kishu Tokugawa, the Shimazu of Sadowara, the Maeda, the Matsudaira, and the Meiji statesman Ito Miyoji, with patrimony held by Hie Jinja and Ise Jingu; a signed Ayanokoji tachi comes to the market only rarely, and is a landmark for Yamashiro connoisseurship when it does. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadatoshi定利 | 1232-1233 | 42 |
| Sueyuki末行 | 1303-1306 | 3 |
| Sadanari定業 | 1278-1288 | 0 |
| Sadanori定則 | 1299-1302 | 0 |
| Kuninobu國信 | 1334-1338 | 0 |
Yamashiro in the Kamakura period
Power sat in Kamakura, but taste was still made in Kyōto. The Awataguchi school’s pear-skin steel became a byword for perfection, and the Rai line supplied dignified tachi to the court, senior warriors, and the great temples alike.
A blade of top-grade workmanship and condition, formally judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin). Awarded only at the NBTHK’s competitive annual examination.
Of Japan’s roughly 2.5 million registered swords, only 12,348 (about 1 in 202) have ever attained Jūyō.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official sitePrice on request
京の綾小路には定利・定吉らが在住して鍛刀しており、銘鑑では定利の年代を文永頃とし、一説に、定利は来国行の近隣に居住し、互いに代作しあったとも伝えている。しかし、現存する定利・定吉に見る作風は、古京物の三条・五条派の作域を踏襲した感のある古様な趣のもので、刃文は乱れが間近く小模様に複雑に乱れ、焼頭にさらに小さな焼きが点続して二重刃風を形成し、匂口がうるみごころとなるなど、通説よりも年代が遡るものと鑑られる。 綾小路定吉は、銘鑑では定利の子で弘安頃の刀工とされ、現存する在銘作は稀有である。作風・銘振りとも定利に近似したもので、中には身幅の広い作も残している。 この刀は、身幅尋常で、中反りがついた姿形を呈している。鍛えは、板目肌が流れて、地沸がつき、地景が細かに入り、刃文は、広直刃調に、小互の目・小丁子・小乱れ・角ばる刃などをよく交えて、足・京逆足・葉が頻りに入り、刃沸がよくついて刃中刃境が働くなど、同工の極めは首肯できる。とりわけ刃中刃境の変化に溢れて味わい深く見どころの多い一口である。