-, 31st Session — Designated October 18, 1984
, : Chōshū Yasuyoshi (安吉)
Measurements 28.1 cm, 0.4 cm, 2.5 cm, 9.45 cm, almost none
Description Keijo: , ; slightly elongated () with a slight . : ; on the upper half there is coarse grain (o-); near the edge on the it shows flowing mixed in; adheres well and appears. : mixed with , incorporating ; overall richly covered in , with abundant running repeatedly, and entering. : rises in a manner and turns back with a somewhat pointed tendency; is present. : On both sides a is carved, finished in . : ; tip ; file marks are large ; two ; on the , below the and somewhat toward the , there is a two-character signature.
Artisan Chōshū Yasuyoshi (安吉)
Era period
Explanation Yasuyoshi, known as the son of Ōsa (Ōsa no ko Yasuyoshi), is traditionally said to have moved from to Chōshū. This is readily accepted in view of a (designated Important Art Object) bearing the inscription “Chōshū-jū Yasuyoshi” and dated Shōhei 17 (1352), whose signature style () is identical to that of the Yasuyoshi ordinarily encountered. Thereafter, extant works explicitly inscribed “Chōshū Yasuyoshi” remain from the Eiwa (1375–1379) and Shitoku (1384–1387) eras; however, a work dated to the Ōei era (1394–1428) is, from its workmanship and signature style, clearly regarded as by a succeeding-generation Yasuyoshi.
The Yasuyoshi most commonly seen tends to show a with small , and at first glance may be mistaken for work such as Kanemitsu. This piece, however, is strongly -laden in both and , and exhibits a large-patterned -ba, giving an open, bold impression. The , which rises in a manner and returns pointedly, displays the distinctive character of this group. This work thus expresses one stylistic mode of Chōshū Yasuyoshi in the period.
(October, Shōwa 59 [1984]) The Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword (), Chairman Satō Kanzan





























































