-, 61st Session — Designated October 20, 2015
, : Suishinshi Masahide (水心子正秀)
Measurements 69.6 cm, 1.8 cm, 3.0 cm, 2.0 cm, 3.4 cm, 22.3 cm, none
Description : with ; standard with a somewhat noticeable difference between base and tip widths; thick ; rather deep ; . : Well-forged ; thickly applied with fine . : Begins with in at the base, then becomes a large mixed with and , forming a tōran-style; thick enter well; the is deep; adheres well with some coarser mingled, forming clusters; appear around the ; fine and occur, and the is bright. : Shallow tending to , with a long . : None. : ; with a steeply tapering tip; file marks are large with ; one ; on the , below the and centered on the , there is a five-character signature cut with somewhat thick chisel strokes together with a ; on the , the date inscription is likewise present, placed three characters above the toward the .
Artisan Suishinshi Masahide (水心子正秀)
Era Bunka 5 (1808), eighth month (day unspecified)
Explanation Suishinshi Masahide was born in Kan’en 3 (1750) at Akayu in Ushū. He studied under Shimohara Yoshihide and initially signed “Takuhide,” later “Hidetaka.” In the autumn of An’ei 3 (1774) he entered the service of the Akimoto main line and changed his name to Kawabe Gihachirō Masahide, adopting the “Suishinshi.” His swordmaking activity extended for fifty years, from An’ei through the middle of Bunsei. In his early period—around the Tenmei and Kansei eras—taking the Ōsaka masters as ideals, he produced in the manner of Sukehiro, or alternatively -based tempering reminiscent of Shinkai; on rare occasions he also made works in the style of Ikkanshi. In his later years he advocated a revivalist return to older models and practiced it himself, consistently favoring a tradition with a shallow .
This exemplifies the construction typical of the period, in which is not emphasized. The forging shows a tightly formed , with thick and finely entering . The temper begins with in , then develops into a large mixed with and , producing a wave-like (tōran-style) effect. Thick are prominent; the is deep; adheres well, and coarse mingles to form clustered patches. Around the one sees , and fine and appear; the is bright.
This work is one type of the Ōsaka recreations that Masahide frequently attempted in his earlier years—specifically, a copy of Sukehiro’s . Within the billowing pattern built from , one can observe, here and there, coarse black spilling from the interior of the temper into the . It is a typical example of Masahide’s emulation of Sukehiro’s : a faithful copy of the original, of fine workmanship, and an excellent piece, with both and in (sound and well-preserved) condition and a bright .
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