ISE  -  SENGO MURAMASA School    The BUN-GI Triad

MURAMASA                            Buddhist Spirit Name: MYODAI

 MURAMASA: This is the famous nemesis-smith of the TOKUGAWA.  
           It has been legend that he was student of MASAMUNE.  
           Many old books have dates that support this probable 
           fantasy. MASAMUNE and MURAMASA - God and his Lucifer.

ITAME with MASAME SHINOGI laminate. Deep clear blue. JI-NIE. Some
HIRO-SUGU, but repeating theme is GUNOME-MIDARE with HAKO-MIDARE.
HAKO GUNOME-TOGARI with valleys that roll, MIMIGATA-like NOTARE
-MIDARE and O-NOTARE TOGARI. KOSHIBA. Deep ASHI that reaches the
HA. KO-NIE on deep NIOI. YAKIBA is "Frosty" on dark blue HADA.

Headmasters
 MURMASA(1)
  MURAMASA(2)
   MASASHIGE(2)

  -TORIIZORI 
  -Elongated KISSAKI 
  -Raised SHINOGI 
  -MASAME in the SHINOGI-JI 
  -Well-knit, ITAME/MASAME run together 
  -GUNOME mounds separated by wide, lazy valleys where NIOI
        spills to the HA 
  -ARA-NIE appears sprinkled strongly across the HAMON 
  -HAMON on both sides to be uniform and similar 
  -High-reaching, Two and Three-grouped GUNOME mounds, drop 
        low to HOSO width line that shows a slight NOTARE roll
  -Bays or valleys disappear to a JIZO BOSHI
  -High rising mounds crest at different heights
        _________________     
        SEKI KANEHARU DEN                    From KUWANA to SENGO
        _________|____
        SENGO MURAMASA(1) O-NIN 1467 to BUN-GI 1501     
    _____________|_________________________ ____________________
___|____      ___|_____                ____|____                |
SUKEMASA      MURAMASA(2) TAI-EI 1521  MASASHIGE(1) BUN-GI 1501 |
BUN-MEI 1469     |_____________        ____|____                |
              ___|_____    ____|____   MASASHIGE(2)             |
              MURAMASA(3)  MURASHIGE     TEN-MON 1532           |
                 - TEN-MON 1532 -                               |
                          ______________________ _______________|
                      ___|____               ___|____
                      FUJIMASA EI-SHO 1504   MASAZANE BUN-GI 1501
                         |_________          ___|_____  
                      ___|____  ___|____     MASATOSHI
                      FUJIFUSA  SUKETADA     TEN-MON 1532
                       - TEN-MON 1532 -           
_______________                           _______
KUWANA MURAMASA BUN-GI 1501               MASAIYE TEN-MON 1532
__________|____                           ___|___
KUWANA MURAMASA TEN-SHO 1573              MASAIYE TEN-SHO 1573
               
                 _______________  ________________
                 KUWANA HIROMURA  KUWANA HIROCHIKA
                 (SENGO)  - TEN-MON 1532 -        
           _________  _________      _________________
           MUNESHIGE  HIROTSUGU      FUJIWARA MURAMASA
             - TEN-MON 1532 -             TEN-MON 1532

MURAMASA: Made 2.2 to 2.3 SHAKU SAKI-ZORI KATANA, 1.3 to 1.4 
      SHAKU HIRA-TSUKURI, SAKI-ZORI KO-WAKIZASHI and 9 SUN 
      TANTO. Even, shallow NIKU. ITAME with MINO influenced 
      MASA SHINOGI. JI-NIE. Very fine KO-NIE DEKI and NIOI 
      HITATSURA BA and NIOI-DEKI SUGU-KOSHIBA. He is famous 
      for his large mounding, NOTARE-like patterns. There are
      many variations to a similar theme. NOTARE-HAKO GUNOME 
      mix, HAKO-MIDARE. TOGARI MITSU-GUNOME "Three-grouped" 
      MIDARE BA. Wide, unevenly spaced valleys push against 
      large mounding, two and three grouped GUNOME. The 
      valley floor should incline to a small NOTARE roll or 
      unevenness. NIOI may reach from the valleys for the HA.
      Profuse MURA KO-NIE and ARA-NIE sprinkled like KAZUTATSU.
   MURAMASA: Pattern should be fairly equal on both sides of
      the blade. 
      MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI appears JIZO with long falling, 
      MIDARE-KAERI. 
MEI: The characters in the SHO-DAI signature have a certain 
      symmetry over NI-DAI and SAN-DAI. The poles of the MURA 
      are almost vertical and almost parallel, - and of almost
      even length. His MASA is more legible and does not 
      appear as fragmented as the later.  

Note: There are book-dates that have the 1st MURAMASA in 
     TEI-JI. Another line has MURAMASA(1) in O-NIN, the 2nd in 
     EI-SHO and the 3rd in TEN-MON.
   MURAMASA
   KUWANA JU MURAMASA
   UEMONnoJO MURAMASA SAKU
   SEISHU KUWANA JU MURAMASA

MURAMASA(2) TAI-EI (f: MURAMASA): Work appears from EI-SHO 
      1504 to TEN-MON 1532. Very much in the  style of the 
      1st. 
      ITAME with MASAME. HAKO-MIDARE where open valleys push 
      TOGARI-GUNOME. Valleys hold NOTARE and GUNOME-MIDARE 
      separate. 2nd: Grouped TOGARI and MITSU-GUNOME are 
      unevenly spaced - a mark. The MASA character of NI-DAI 
      is stylistically more exaggerated. The right pole of 
      the MURA (the vertical stroke of the SUN radical) is 
      longer and therefore higher than the left.
   MURAMASA
   SEISHU KUWANA FUJIWARA ASON MURAMASA SAKU
   SEISHU KUWANA GORI MASUDA-SHO FUJIWARA ASON MURAMASA SAKU

MURAMASA(3) TEN-MON: ITAME HADA. NOTARE-GUNOME HAKO-MIDARE 
      with valleys. O-NOTARE BA. His signature is quite 
      different from forebears'. The MASA and MURA seem 
      pointed - and disjointed. Casual reference of published 
      OSHIGATA will dispel any mysteries a piece might pose.

_____________________________________
ISE UNRININ BUN-GI: TEGAI KANENAGA(6) - Work from EI-SHO 1504 to
        (URIIN) TEN-MON 1532. MOKUME with MASAME - standing HADA.
        KO-NIE DEKI GUNOME-MIDARE and HITATSURA BA.
    MEI: SEISHU UNRININ JU KANENAGA TSUKURU

KANENAGA(7) TEN-SHO: GUNOME-MIDARE HA.
    MEI: SEISHU UNRININ KANENAGA

________________
UNRININ MASAMORI BUN-MEI 1469: From YAMATO. 
___________|____
UNRININ MASAMORI BUN-GI 1501

UJII BUN-GI: UNRININ. ITAME with MOKUME and MASA on the HA. SUGU
        GUNOME-MIDARE HA and HITATSURA BA.
________________
UNRININ MASAMORI(1) BUN-GI 1501
___________|____
UNRININ MASAMORI(2) TEN-MON 1532
___________|____
UNRININ MASAMORI(3) TEN-SHO 1573

MASAMORI(1) BUN-GI: ANO-GORI. Descendants of TEGAI. SUGUHA and
        GUNOME patterns where the HABUCHI is HOTSURE-swept, a 
        TEGAI mark. Note: SHINTO JI-DAI to MUSASHI.
_____________
MINO KANESADA(2) EI-SHO 1504
________|___
ISE HIROMURA TEN-MON 1532

HIROMURA TEN-MON (t: IZUMI-no-KAMI KANESADA 2): UNRININ. NOTARE 
        and O-GUNOME MIDARE HA.

KANEKORE EI-SHO 1504 - UNRININ in YAMATO
     WASHU UNRININ JU KANEKORE