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About the maker

Aoe Sadatsugu貞次

Sadatsugu is one of the most celebrated names of the Aoe school of Bitchu Province. Transmitted since the *Kanchiin-bon Meizukushi* as a smith selected among the *ban-kaji* appointed to serve Retired Emperor Go-Toba, Sadatsugu is accorded the highest valuation in the *Shinkan Hiden-sho*, recorded as "Bitchu objects, supreme: fifteen *kan*," and has thus long been regarded as first rank even among Aoe works. The name was carried on from the early Kamakura period through the Nanbokucho period, encompassing multiple generations. So great was the esteem attached to this lineage that the Hon'ami family developed a longstanding tendency, when encountering well-made unsigned Aoe works that display a typical manner and particularly fine workmanship, to render Sadatsugu appraisals in the sense of denoting an Aoe piece of superior quality. The technical character of works attributed to Sadatsugu is firmly rooted in the Aoe idiom of the late Kamakura period. The forging presents *itame-hada* mixed with *mokume* in which the grain stands out finely; extremely fine *ji-nie* adheres, and vivid *midare-utsuri* appears conspicuously. The *hamon* is fundamentally *suguha*, mixed with *choji*, *ko-choji*, *ko-gunome*, and small *gunome*; a distinctive tendency toward *saka-ashi* can be observed throughout. In the lower half of the blade, the temper characteristically becomes irregular and lively, with *ashi* and *yo* entering vigorously, *nioi* predominating with *ko-nie*, and fine *kinsuji* and *sunagashi* running through a *nioiguchi* that is bright and clear. The *boshi* typically shows a shallow *notare* with an upward-tending rise, becoming pointed at the tip with a rather long *kaeri*, revealing a distinctive workmanship. The scholarly significance of Sadatsugu attributions lies in their role as markers of the highest quality within the Aoe tradition. The NBTHK has repeatedly observed that the *jihada*, *hamon*, and *boshi* of these works "conspicuously manifest the distinctive characteristics of the Aoe group in the late Kamakura period," and that the reverse-slanting tendencies visible in the *yakiba* call to mind a precursor to the brilliant *saka-choji midare* that flourished in the subsequent Nanbokucho period. The internal scenery of the temper displays variety; the *nioiguchi* is bright and clear; and, combined with the robust form featuring thick *kasane* and abundant *nikuoki*, these works are consistently recognized as representative superior exemplars of the school.

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