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The Japanese Sword and Its Fittings, from the Collections of the Members

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Es'^SMITHSONIAN JNSTITUTION -^ ^-^^^^- ' ^- < (li Ji) ?! k$ 31) < ^;^^ ^ ^ I I^aJI mi 2 .W^ B RAR I ES^SMITHSONIAN^I^ I n^LI BRAR I ES_^SMITHS0NIAN__INSTlTUTI0N_N0linillSNII_NVIN0SHllWS_S3 ava a HE JAPANE^iiV«^l«Di#iD l?i^^^^^ LIBRARY OF THE COOPER-HEWITT MUSEUM OF DESIGN ^^H SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION ^^f-^tSL^ THE JAPANESE SWORD AND ITS FITTINGS From the collections of the members of the JAPANESE SWORD SOCIETY OF NEW YORK and The Cooper Union Museum The Cooper Union Museum, New York March 26 through May 28, 1966 . This, the first publication of the Japanese Sword Society of New York, is of more than passing interest to The Cooper Union Museum, for the origin of the Society and its organization are related to the Museum in a way so intimate as to seem ideal Now, the first exhibition of its kind is presented, in the eastern part of the United States since 1922. Represented in it are objects from the personal collection of members. The entire history of a refined art form is embraced in the col lection. The Museum wishes to express thanks to the Japanese Sword Society for this endeavor and, more particularly, to individual members of the Society, who have given unsparingly of talent and discrimination in order to make the ex- hibition and this publication a reality. CHRISTIAN ROHLFING ADMINISTRATOR MEMBERS OF THE JAPANESE SWORD SOCIETY OF Roy Cole INTRODUCTION Any serious study of Japanese culture inevitably comes to include the sword. Probably no other people in the world has devoted so much reverence to their weapons or lavished so much time and effort in their production, appraisal, and preservation. As a religious military, social, and moral symbol, the sword has been an object of veneration in Japan for more than a thou- sand years. Beginning in 800 A.D. with the first sword of re- corded date, there have been many thousands of master swordsmiths who dedicated their efforts to the blade alone. Five hundred years later, whole schools of art- isans concentrated on making decorative fittings. As a result, such sword "furniture" provides an impressive legacy of metallurgical accomplishment, which in its own right constitutes a rewarding field for aesthetic study. The sword should be considered as an art form, rather than as an item of history or an object of tech- nological ingenuity. It would be difficult to find a more precise example of form following function, with such elegant and eloquent, results, than the Japanese blade. Here sincerity combines with inspired skill to create a purposeful object of surpassing beauty. Visitors to this exhibition may come to see, or to sense, at least, a deeper meaning that goes far beyond the immediate appeal of shape and texture. Beneath the gleaming surface of these swords lies the seething beau- ty of molecular movement. The contrast between the serenity of form and the concentrated energy in the steel itself underscores the dialogue of philosophical approach and emotional response which is the unique aesthetic appeal of the Japanese sword. KASHIRA MEKUGI HAbAKI fom SAYA^ KOJ/RI KASHIRA kOZUKA 1 Sf KOGAI Tachi with stand. Nashi ji lacquer with family crests in gold. KUNITOMO KUNISHIGE Awataguchi school, Yamashiro Province; 1207. Senju-|n school, Mino Province; 1334. Length: 25% ". Length: 27J-2". Signed pieces are indicated by the artist's name in capital letters. TOMOYUKI (Yamato Province; 1350). KUNIMUNE (Uda school, Etchu Province; 1449). Inscription; "Yamato (no) Kuni Toma Tomoyuki." Length: 21". Length: 24%". TOMOSHIGE (Kaga Province; 1^ HIROMITSU (Soshu Province; 1350). Inscription: "Fujiwara Tomoshige." Inscription: "Sagami (no) Kuni Junin Hiromitsu. Length: 17§g". Length: I5V2". Muramasa (attributed). KOTETSU (Musas>ii Province; 1661). Ise Province; 1460. Inscription: "Nagasone Okusato Niudo Kotetsu." Length: 15>2". Length: 175i". TADAYOSHI-I (Hizen Province; 1615). NAGAMICHI (Mutsu Province; 1676). Inscription: "Hizen (no) Kuni Tadayoshi Inscription: "Mutsu Daijo Miyoshi Nagomichi Length: 27^". Length: 25^2". 10 KUNISUKE (Settsu Province; 1659). MASAHIRO (Hizen Province; 1660). Inscription: "Kawachi (no) Kami Kunisuke." Inscription: "Hizen (no) Kuni Kawachi (no) Length: 27>2". Kami Fujiwara Maschiro." Length: 19^ ". 11 SUKENAO (Omi Province; 1689). HANKEI (Musashi Province; 1625). Inscription: "Omi (no) Kami Takagi Ju Sukenao. Length: 18%". Length: 20>2". y^^i'^3yASl;xv*<i;:ii'>:i5ft.....i^Si;:.-^^^^ (Settsu Province; 1690). II I YASUSADA ' Province, 1652). NOBUYOSHI Inscription: "Yamato (no) Kami Yosusado." Inscription: "Tokai Echizen (no) Kami Minamoto Roi Nobuyoshi." Length: 23M". 13 {14A)N0BUTAKA(0wari Province; 1661). (14D)MUNEHIR0(Musashi Province; 1848). Inscription: "Hol<i (no) Kami Fujiwara Nobutaka." Inscription: "Tairyusai Munehiro Kore (o) tsukuru. Length Wi . Lengtti: m\ {14B) (Hizen Province; TADAHIRO-I I 1688). (HE) GASSAN (Dewa Province; 1394). Inscription: "Hizen (no) Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro." Length- 26^" Length 28". (14C) (Harima Province; MASASHIGE 1789). (14F) NAGAMITSU (Bizen Province; 1287). Attribution. Inscription: Oshu Shirakawa-Shin-Tegarayama Masashige." Length- 28''?" ' ' Length: 27)/2". ^ 14 Tanto KUNIMITSU (Soshu Province; 1325). Length: lOM". Tanto Inscription: "Kobayashi Seishinsai Morichika. MORICHIKA (Shinano Province; 1870). Length: IZ'i". Tanto Echizen Province; 1624. Sadakuni (attributed). Length: 12'^" Tanto UMETADAMYOJU (Yamashiro Province; 1600). Length: 12". 15 A Iron (Xlllth centur Katchushi (1400). Iron. Katchushi (1400). Kanayama school (1550). Iron. Katchushi (1500). Iron. Katchushi (1500). Iron. 17 Early Namban school (1550). Iron. Haruta school (With - XVIIth century). Iron. Owari school (1550). Iron. Ko-Shoami school (1600). Iron. Akasaka school (1650). iron. 19 YAMAKICHI BEI -1(1600). Iron. YAMAKICHI BEI - II (1650). Iron. YAMAKICHI BEI 11 (1650), or later. Iron. 20 Kaga school (1600). Iron, with brass inlay. Yoshiro school (Edo period). Iron, with brass inlay. 21 SAOTOME lYECHIKA (Soshu Myochin; 1640). die this Inscription (poem): "If I should on biSttlefield today, then perhaps in the Spring flowers wi II bloom." KANEIYE (Yamashiro Province; late XVIIth century). Iron. Yamabushi type (1750). Iron. Nobuiye school (1500) Iron. NOBUIYE (Akasaka school; 1760). Iron. 23 MITSUNOBU (Bushu (Musashi) Province) Daisho; iron. 24 /^: Tempo type. Iron. Bushu type. Iron. Ko-Shoami school (1675). Iron. 25 MASAYUKI. Iron. Akasaka— Higo school. Iron. Satsuma school. 26 Iron. Owari -sukashi type. Iron. Kinai school. Iron. MATASHICHI (Higo school; 1613-1699). Iron. 27 Tachi Kanagushi (1550). Brass. Ko-Goto type (1500). Shakudo. 28 CHIZUKA HISANORI (Omori school; 1725-1795). Dai _ she; copper Legend: "Pray do not tie your spirited horse to my cherry tree -for the blossoms will fall". 29 YASUCHIKA - I (circa: 1700). Iron. YASUCHIKA - I (circa: 1700). Iron. YASUCHIKA - I (circa: 1700). Iron. TOKWAO HIDEAKI (Ishiguro school; mid- XlXth century). Shibuichi. 31 HARUAKI HOGEN (1787-1860). Sentoku. *' ^-i* GOTO SEIJO (1747-1814). Shibuichi. MIBOKU (Hamano Shozui Iron. TANI TOYOSHIGE (Izumo Province; 1775-1800). Shakudo, with gold inlay. Omori school(XIXth century). Shibuichi. 33 UMETADA (mid-X\llIth century).
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