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The Eight DO
HOKURIKUDO - The Eight Roads of KOTO




GO YOSHIHIRO: Some narrow with KO-KISSAKI, some wide with O-KISSAKI. KO-MOKUME has O-HADA. CHIKEI and JI-NIE. 

O-NOTARE O-MIDARE BA. SUNAGASHI with defined KINSUJI and INAZUMA. Profuse NIE with NIOI-FUKASHI. Can be wide YAKI-HABA. MIDARE BOSHI or ICHIMAE.

Note: School style changed as NAMBOKUCHO smiths hop-scotched the HOKURIKUDO. Influences to ECHIZEN, ECHIGO, KAGA and MINO. The HOKURIKU Provinces in the MUROMACHI became interwoven with MINO. In time we hear, "ECHIZEN-SEKI" & "KAGA-SEKI," the SENGOKU.

 
_______________
ETCHU NORISHIGE                         MATSUKURA GO YOSHIHIRO
____|____                                   "The Ten Students"
YOSHIHIRO GEN-O 1319 SAGAMI KEM-MU 1334       "Best Student" 
    |_______________________________ ___________________
____|____                  _________|____    ___________|____
YOSHIZANE(1) EN-GEN 1336   MINO TAMETSUGU    ECHIGO NORISHIGE 
____|____                     EN-BUN 1356         TEI-JI 1362
YOSHIZANE(2) SHI-TOKU 1384                    

GO YOSHIHIRO GEN-O (f: NORISHIGE): GO-UMA-no-SUKE. "GO" is 
      his short name, always piped with the greatest 
      affection by the greatest of experts. Born: 1299, 
      Died: 1325. 
      MATSUKURA JU. Reputed as "The Best Student," he has 
      been the focus of scholarly pursuit for six hundred 
      years. The intriguing legend of "The Ten Students" may 
      have twisted study such that independent men were 
      assigned posthumous rolls not of their own creating. 
      There are claims that there are no known SOSHU-style 
      YOSHIHIRO swords. Blades known to be his are in 
      YAMATO-style. Blades said to be his are seen in two 
      styles, YAMASHIRO where KO-ITAME is the definer, and 
      YAMATO, where MASAME is found. It is safe to call 
      YOSHIHIRO a lover of YAMATO. Attributed blades are 
      found, narrow with KO-KISSAKI, old style, medium with
      CHU-KISSAKI or NAMBOKUCHO, wide with O-KISSAKI. 
      IHORI-MUNE that is steeply ridged. Extraordinarily 
      fine-textured ITAME or running ITAME with MASAME that 
      shows refined JI-NIE and CHIKEI. Steel is clear and 
      bright. 
      HAMON patterns maybe a rolling NOTARE-MIDARE mixed 
      with GUNOME-MIDARE of wide and relatively even height. 
      Pattern may widen or elongate in the MONOUCHI. ASHI 
      falls from the line.SUNAGASHI with INAZUMA and long 
      KINSUJI add depth. There is HOTSURE. The HABUCHI is 
      NIOI-FUKASHI and KO-NIE. Some swords are CHU-SUGUHA 
      with ASHI and YO. 
      BOSHI can be MIDARE with ICHIMONJI-KAERI but ICHI-MAE
      BOSHI (fully tempered head) is the expected GO BOSHI. 
      FUKASHI-KAERI. 
  MEI: YOSHIHIRO
       ETCHU-no-KUNI YOSHIHIRO
       MATSUKURA-GO JU YOSHIHIRO



Meibutsu Tomita-e Yoshihiro
Nagasa: 2 Shaku 1 Sun 3 Bu (66.1cm)
Sori: 4 Bu 6 Rin (1.39cm)
Moto-haba: 9 Bu 4 Rin (2.85cm)
Saki-haba: 7 Bu 2 Rin (2.2cm)
Kissaki-naga: 1 Sun 8 Bu 5 Rin (5cm)
Nakago: 4 Sun 3 Bu 5 Rin (13.2cm)

In the Kyo-Ho Meibutsu, it was handed down from Hideyoshi to the Maeda.
Namboku style wide-bodied Shinogi-tsukuri, Ihori-mune of little Sori with elongated Chu-Kissaki and strong Bo-hi running the length.
very well knit and defined Ko-Itame Hada has thick Ji-Nie.
Generally Hiro-width Nioi-Fukashi Ko-Notare Ba in Ko-Nie.
Hiro Midare-Komi Boshi is Tsuki Ko-maru on Ura and Maru on Omote.
O-Suriage Kurijiri Nakago has two Mekugi-ana.

Meibutsu Tomita-e Yoshihiro - Kokuho















KOKUHO MEIBUTSU INABA GO

NAGASA: 70.8cm
  SORI:  2cm

SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE O-SURIAGE TACHI SUGATA has a gentle SORI to an elongated CHU-KISSAKI. BO-HI ends HI SAKI-SAGARU or below the KISSAKI.

Wet KO-ITAME, with CHIKEI, is dressed in the finest KO JI-NIE.

Luminous NIOI-GUCHI creates a particularly serene CHU-SUGU ASAKAI-NOTARE that holds GUNOME-MIDARE with ASHI to a wide ripple. The NIOI-FUKASHI and KO-NIE figures only increase through the MONOUCHI. NIJUBA striates and SUNAGASHI runs.

Signature ICHIMAE-BOSHI where URA is MARU.

O-SURIAGE NAKAGO has one MEKUGI-ANA and is finished with his KENGYO JIRI.

TACHI-OMOTE KINZOGAN-MEI: 
   TEN-SHO JU-SAN JU-NI GATSU-HI - GO - HONAMI MA-JO KORE
                                                                                                 (KOTOKU CAO)
TACHI-URA KINZOGAN-MEI:
   SHOJI INABA KANUEMON-no-JO




Considered among the best of the GO swords of the KYOHO MEIBUTSU-CHO.








































MEIBUTSU NABESHIMA GO
           Sword of NABESHIMA NAOSHIGE

NABESHIMA NAOSHIGE broke away from the RYUZOJI, earlier vassals of the SHONI, and became independent. He helped HIDEYOSHI against the SHIMAZU and resided in SAGA, HIZEN. He survived the struggles in 1600 and held HIZEN Province. It was NABESHIMA HIZEN that supported the SHINTO TADAYOSHI School.

NAGASA: 68.9cm

SHINOGI-TSUKURI TACHI SUGATA with elongated CHU-KISSAKI. ITAME-HADA has JI-NIE. HAMON shows his typical flowing NOTARE holding GUNOME-MIDARE BA in deep NIOI and KO-NIE.

O-SURIAGE NAKAGO has the GO KENGYO style JIRI.

GYOBUTSU KYOHO MEIBUTSU GO YOSHIHIRO
KAI-no-KUNI GO Sword of TAKEDA SHINGEN 
See Shingen
 

NAGASA: 2.1 SHAKU
SORI: 5 BU
NAKAGO: 5.9 SUN		 MOTO-HABA: 9 BU
SAKI-HABA: 6 BU
SHINOGI-TSUKURI, MARU-MUNE. A medium HI replaces the SUJI line of the raised SHINOGI ridge. 

Long and running ITAME HADA stretches through the SHINOGI-JI, while CHIKEI runs in swirling, and tightly knit, MOKUME HADA in the JI. Lively and colorful JI-NIE stand shinning.

Crevasse and ravine-like KO-ASHI and YO cut and pull an intricate KO-GUNOME BA into a unique, multi-leveled KO-MIDARE YAKIBA. The coordinated HATARAKI of one layer transposes itself into another. 
Arcing INAZUMA escape mounding NOTARE rises, which break apart through an increasing upper that leads to his GO YOSHIHIRO signature, ICHIMAE-BOSHI.

A reaching MUNE-YAKI spills down the OMOTE.

Superior steel allows the KAI-GO a wet moisture and dreamy surface-color.

Two MEKUGI-ANA NAKAGO has the famous and unusual SU-KEN HORIMONO, on TACHI-OMOTE, testifying IYEYASU's SURIAGE repair.

                       Go to:  Koshirae
                       _______________________________
                               View Layout Version pdf

  See  Shingen











































Meibutsu Kuwana Go

Meibutsu Kuwana Go
Nagasa: 2 Shaku 2 Sun 9 Bu (69.4cm)
Sori: 7 Bu (2.1cm)
Moto-haba: 8 Bu 4 Rin (2.8cm)
Saki-moto: 6 Bu 8 Rin (2.1cm)
Kissaki-naga: 9 Bu 8 Rin (2.75cm)
Nakago: 5 Sun 8 Bu (17.6cm)

Shinogi-tsukuri, Ihori-mune, Chu-Kissaki.
Thin Itame Hada has JiNie along Mune and dappled in various places.
Deep Nioi-Fukashi and Ko-Nie, Chu-width Gunome-Midare, with defining Ko-Ashi, undulates gently. Sunagashi sweeps running Kinsuji.
Deep Go-style O-Maru Ichimae Boshi.
Suriage Kengyo Nakago has one Mekugi-ana.
Kinzogan:
           Yoshihiro     Honami Cao
           Honda Mino-no-Kami Shoji		 

ETCHU GO YOSHIHIRO Group
YOSHIZANE(1) EN-GEN (f: YOSHIHIRO):  MATSUKURA JU. Worked along 
        the HOKURIKUDO for the North. ECHIZEN and KAGA. ITAME.
        SUGUHA and NOTARE. 2nd: SHI-TOKU, smithing in ECHIZEN.
    MEI: YOSHIZANE
         ECHIZEN-no-KUNI TACHIBANA YOSHIZANE
         ECHIZEN-no-KUNI JU TACHIBANA YOSHIZANE


TAMETSUGU EN-BUN (f: YOSHIHIRO):   From EN-BUN 1356 to O-AN 1368.
          Son and student. To ECHIZEN and MINO. IHORI-MUNE TACHI
          and KO-WAKIZASHI are wide.MU-SORI MITSU-MUNE TANTO or 
          shallow curve.ITAME of MASAME or MOKUME UZU-MAKI HADA 
          with JI-NIE and CHIKEI. KO-NIE DEKI SUGU KO-NOTARE, or 
          KO-GUNOME with ASHI and YO. SUNAGASHI and YUBASHIRI. 
          BOSHI is MIDARE with HAKIKAKE. HOTSURE from the line.
    MEI: FUJIWARA TAMETSUGU
         FUJIWARA TAMETSUGU SAKU
         ESSHU JU FUJIWARA TAMETSUGU
         NOSHU JU FUJIWARA TAMETSUGU
         NOSHU JU FUJIWARA TAMETSUGU SAKU
         ECHIZEN-no-KUNI FUJIWARA TAMETSUGU


YOSHIHIRO TEI-WA (t: GO YOSHIHIRO): HIRO form: KWANG "Shed." 
          Possibly the same as GO YOSHIHIRO.
    MEI: ETCHU-no-KUNI MATSUKURA JU YOSHIHIRO

NORISHIGE TEI-JI (t: GO YOSHIHIRO): Working in ECHIGO, ETCHU and 
          SAGAMI. NIE-DEKI KO-MIDARE BA.
    MEI: ECHIGO-no-KUNI JU NORISHIGE
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