鎌倉末期古宇多の始祖『古入道国光』田野辺氏鞘書時代の龍図打刀拵え付特別保存刀剣
SOLD
Tracked across 76 dealers worldwide · price history · sold archive
Kamakura
Specifications
2.8 cm
2 cm
About the maker
Ko-Uda Kunimitsu國光
Uda Kunimitsu (宇多国光), known as Ko-nyudo Kunimitsu (古入道国光), is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Uda school. According to accepted tradition, around the Bunpo era (1317–1319) he relocated from Uda District in Yamato Province to Utsu in Etchu Province, establishing a lineage that would flourish through subsequent generations. He is said to have had sons named Kunifusa and Kunimune, and subsequent smiths bearing the name Kunimitsu appear to span several generations from the late Kamakura into the Nanbokucho period. No definitively signed works by Ko-nyudo Kunimitsu himself are confirmed; however, extant tachi bearing the signature "Uda Kunimitsu" and datable to the late Kamakura period are reasonably attributed to his hand. Blades attributed to Ko-nyudo Kunimitsu strongly display a Yamato-like character in both *jihada* and *hamon*. The forging typically shows tightly worked *ko-itame-hada*, at times with *masame-hada* mixed in toward the edge, well covered with *ji-nie* and intermingled with *chikei*. A whitish *utsuri* reminiscent of *shirake* may stand out in the *ji*. The *hamon* is characteristically *suguha*-based, occasionally exhibiting shallow *notare* with a slight admixture of small *gunome*; *ko-nie* adheres well, and *sunagashi* and *kinsuji* appear along the temper line. The *boshi* returns in *ko-maru* with *hakikake* at the tip. *Bo-hi* carved on both sides with *maru-dome* is a recurring feature. Ko-nyudo Kunimitsu occupies a position of considerable importance as the progenitor of the Uda school, one of the principal forging traditions of Etchu Province. His work demonstrates the direct transmission of Yamato-den characteristics into a provincial setting during the late Kamakura period. Blades attributed to his hand that survive in *kenzen* condition constitute valuable reference material for understanding the formative period of the Uda tradition and the broader dissemination of Yamato forging methods into the northern provinces.
