________
SANENARI EI-EN 987                  Note: See KO-BIZEN technicals
   |________________________               for appraisal overview
___|____   - brothers -  ___|____
TOMONARI SHO-RYAKU 990   SUKENARI EI-EN 987
   |                     ___|____
   |                     TOMOYASU KAN-KO 1004
   |___________ ______________ 
___|____     __|_____      ___|____ 
TOMONARI     MUNEYASU      SUKETOMO KAN-KO 1004  
KAN-JI 1087  KAN-KO 1004   ___|____ 
                           SUKEHIDE CHO-RYAKU 1037
                           ___|_____
                           SUKECHIKA KO-HEI 1058

SUKENARI EI-EN (br: TOMONARI):

TOMOYASU KAN-KO (f: SUKENARI): BIZEN-no-KUNI TOMOYASU

TOMONARI SHO-RYAKU (f: SANENARI): Born: TEN-RYAKU 6 (952). Made 
           Mid HEIAN SUGATA. A signed piece in the YAMASHIRO 
           tradition could be found. SUGU KO-MIDARE HA to SUGU 
           GUNOME CHOJI KO-MIDARE BA in KO-NIE has KINSUJI. Look 
           for NIJUBA. See following page for late HEIAN TOMONARI 
           of NIN-PYO 1151.

MUNEYASU KAN-KO (f: TOMONARI): Work to MAN-JU 1044. MOKUME with 
           MASAME. KO-NIE SUGUHA and KO-MIDARE CHOJI BA with ASHI.

SUKEHIDE CHO-RYAKU (f: TOMONARI): Work to JI-RYAKU 1065. CHOJI-
        MIDARE BA.

SUKECHIKA KO-HEI (f: SUKEHIDE): TOMONARI line. To JI-RYAKU 1065. 
           MOKUME HADA. NIOI KO-MIDARE BA and KO-CHOJI BA.

________                      Note: See KO-BIZEN technicals
TOMONARI NIN-PYO 1151                for appraisal overview
   |______________________ ______________
___|____               ___|____       ___|____
TOMONARI KA-TEI 1235   MUNEYASU       SUKETOMO SHO-GEN 1207
___|____               KA-TEI 1235    ________               
TOMONARI BUN-EI 1264                  TOMOMURA KEN-RYAKU 1211 
________________                      ________                
OSAFUNE TOMONARI KEM-MU 1334          YUKIHIDE TEM-PUKU 1233  
                                      ___|_____               
                                      YUKITSUNE KAN-GEN 1243  
                                       
TOMONARI NIN-PYO: Classic writing tells us EI-EN TOMONARI and
        MASATSUNE are the founding fathers and originators of
        KO-BIZEN. Study of present swords allows a time spread 
        for TOMONARI between KAN-JI 1087 and NIN-PYO 1151 with 
        the SUGATA style of late HEIAN to early KAMAKURA. A 
        profusion of pieces appear and are similarly marked 
        with an unusually large, broad stroked, long MEI. 
        Small differences have provided speculation that 
        several TOMONARI smiths worked at this time. However, 
        signatures were not the refined product that became 
        popular later and an appraiser should always look to 
        the work for the hand of the master. 
        TOMONARI: Late HEIAN KO-KISSAKI, KOSHIZORI, strong 
        FUNBARI TACHI where the upper straightens. KO-BIZEN is 
        known for robustly healthy steel. JI-NIE veils 
        standing KO-ITAME HADA that shows CHIKEI under faint 
        and varying UTSURI. 

MU-MEI: TOMONARI has O-HADA and will seem lighter as his 
        thinner YAKIBA leaves less contrast than MASATSUNE's 
        dark JI against a wider and ASAKI-NOTARE undulation.

        TOMONARI has an even height to his YAKIBA which is 
        comparatively more narrow. It will not have the 
        rolling undulation of height that is associated to 
        MASATSUNE.

        TOMONARI BOSHI: Thin SUGU or MIDARE that varies 
        slightly. MASATSUNE is CHU-SUGUHA with a low and 
        centered KO-MARU.

        TOMONARI has a fairly even HOSO-SUGU width of small 
        KO-GUNOME/KO-CHOJI MIDARE BA mix. NIOI-FUKASHI floods
        the many KO-ASHI that fall and cut from a HABUCHI that
        is generally active in all areas. SUNAGASHI and bright
        KINSUJI many seem to increase in the lower. TOMONARI 
        is famous for NIJUBA effects. Figures may be HAKIKAKE,
        especially in the lower. BOSHI will be HOSO-width, 
        rising toward the SAKI for a small KO-MARU or pointed
        KO-MARU; - some may be YAKIZUME (without turnback). He
        made BO-HI and thin SU-KEN. NAKAGO will have the HA 
        side of the JIRI raised slightly. Signatures seen: 
 MEI: TOMONARI SAKU       
      BIZEN-no-KUNI TOMONARI
      BIZEN-no-KUNI TOMONARI TSUKURU 

SUKETOMO SHO-GEN (f: TOMONARI): MOKUME HADA with MASAME. SUGUHA,
        KO-MIDARE BA and KO-CHOJI MIDARE with ASHI in KO-NIE.

TOMOMURA KEN-RYAKU: To KEN-CHO 1249. KO-MIDARE of KO-CHOJI BA in
        NIE.  

NAGASA: 79.4cm 
SORI: 3.0cm 

SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE. Small KO-KISSAKI stands strongly from KOSHIZORI TAKA FUMBARI, late-HEIAN style TACHI SUGATA. A BO-HI falls into the NAKAGO. Made with the classic elegance of the grand masterworks. 

KO-ITAME HADA has a thin veil of JI-NIE. 

The deep NIOI HAMON is an ASAKI-NOTARE CHU-SUGUHA where KO-GUNOME and KO-CHOJI battle KINSUJI and SUNAGASHI in a great travail. A near KOSHIBA rises in the lower. 

UBU with one hole, signed above. 

TOMONARI SAKU

TOMONARI KA-TEI: TOMONARI line KO-BIZEN. This work resembles
        FUKUOKA ICHIMONJI with mid-KAMAKURA SUGATA of wide upper
        and IKUBI KISSAKI. ICHIMONJI style CHOJI-MIDARE. 

TOMONARI BUN-EI (f: TOMONARI): Thought the father of EN-KEI 
        TOMONARI. His will be tune-of-the-time: Jutting GUNOME
        through CHOJI-MIDARE in NIOI. The line is a fairly even
        course. BUN-EI TOMONARI: MIDARE BOSHI with O-MARU to 
        YAKIZUME. TOMONARI in OSAFUNE for KEM-MU 1334 and in 
        TEN-MON 1532, signing his forebears' KIMI BANZAI.

MUNEYASU KA-TEI (br: TOMONARI): Narrow TACHI. Running ITAME HADA
        has JI-NIE. NIE KO-MIDARE BA and NIJUBA style KO-CHOJI 
        MIDARE BA. MIDARE-BOSHI. Signed near the MUNE.
    MEI: BIZEN-no-KUNI MUNEYASU SAKU



YUKIHIDE TEM-PUKU: Late KO-BIZEN. KO-ITAME HADA. KO-MIDARE of 
        KO-CHOJI BA ASHI in NIE. Small MEI.
     YUKIHIDE

YUKITSUNE KAN-GEN (t: YUKIHIDE, f: YUKIMUNE): YUKIMUNE descended
        from SUKEYUKI. A KO-BIZEN line, it is included with 
        SUKEYUKI in FUKUOKA. See FUKUOKA SUKEYUKI