Kantei #3 Answer

MONDONOSHO FUJIWARA ASON MASAKIYO (ICHIYO AOI MON)

KYOHO JUSAN NEN HACHI GATSU (August 1728)

 Juyo Token, 42nd Juyo Shinsa

Length: 74.25 cm
Sori: 1.2 cm
Motohaba: 3.2 cm
Sakihaba: 2.15 cm
Kissaki Length: 4.1 cm
Nakago Length: 22.7 cm
Nakago Sori: 0.1 cm

Keijo: Shinogi zukuri, iori mune, mihaba is fairly wide, with a difference in the width of the moto and saki, there is a hint of funbari, with a shallow sori, and a slightly elongated chu-kissaki.

Kitae: Tight ko-itame, with moku and nagare hada mixed in, there is thick ji-nie, ara-nie mixed in, and there is abundant chikei.

Hamon: Gunome, ko-gunome, togariba and the like mixed in ko-notare, ashi-iri, overall it is nioi fukaku, with abundant thick nie, ara-nie is mixed in with clumping of the nie, a yubashiri style frequently appears in the heads of the yaki with a nijuba style exhibited here and there, long nie suji and sunagashi are applied, there is kinsuji, and the nioi-guchi is bright and clear.

Boshi: It becomes a yakizume style with a touch of suguba, the saki is hakkake, and a nie-suji style is applied.

Nakago: Ubu, that saki is a narrow, slightly ha-agari kurijiri, the yasurime is katte sagare, two mekugi ana, on the haki-omote below the habaki towards the mune, there is an ICHIYO AOI MON (single leaf hollyhock mon), and below that there is a nagamei towards the mune, and there is a nenki on the ura in the same location.

Commentary: MONDONOSHO MASAKIYO is said to have be born in KANBUN JUNEN (1670) in Sasshu Izumikyo. His common name is said to be Miyahara Seiuemon, and it is said he was also called Kakudayu. He learned the craft of sword making from the Satsuma Han smith Maruta Souemon MASAFUSA. In the beginning he used the mei of KIYOMITSU and later changed to MASAKIYO. In KYOHO ROKUNEN SHOGATSU (1 ST month of 1721) he was beckoned, along with

ICHINOHIRA YASUYO (YASUTOSHI) of this same kuni, by the 8 th Shogun Yoshimune to come to Edo and make a sword, and as a recognition of his skill, he was granted permission by the Bakufu to inscribe the ICHIYO AOI MON on the nakago, and on his homeward journey he was appointed MONDONOSHO by the Imperial Court. He passed away in KYOHO JUGO NEN (1730 at the age of 61. He, along with YASUYO, were the pillars of the SATSUMA SHINTO, but in contrast to the fact that YASUYO mostly tempered with suguba in a gentle notare tone, MASAKIYO mixed in gunome, togariba, and the like in ko-notare, and tempered with a modified SHIZU style of notareba. In the works of his twilight years, daimei by his son MASACHIKA, and his deshi MASAMORI are frequently seen.

This katana is a work style in which, gunome, togariba, and the like are mixed in ko-notare, overall the nioi is deep (wide), it has abundant thick nie, there is ara-nie (coarse nie) mixed in with clumping, long nie-suji and sunagashi appears extensively, kinsuji enters, the nioi-guchi is bright and clear, and lastly, the boshi is hakkake in a nie-suji style, and as was mentioned above, successfully shows the work style of the SHIZU style, in which this same smith specialized the most. Also, the way in which a yubashiri style is extensively applied in the heads of the yaki and it exhibits a nijuba here and there is reminiscent of the old style. This is an excellent piece in which the special traits of MASAKIYO are sufficiently brought out, and in addition, the fact that the sugata is healthy is also admirable. Since works with a nenki are comparatively few, the date of KYOHO JUSAN NEN (1728) of the work makes it a very valuable as data in the research of this smith.