______________________
SABURO KUNIMUNE

SABURO KUNIMUNE:IKUBI TACHI.
Can be smooth KO-MIDARE in the MONOUCHI expanding
to a GUNOME-like CHOJI-MIDARE where the
tops have somewhat even height. See Bizen Saburo Kunimune 

Traditional theory had KUNIMUNE a student to SHINTOGO, however 
comparisons have disagreed. Present understanding sets his 
line:
      _______
      NAOMUNE KA-O 1169 (see School)
      ____|___
      KUNIZANE SHO-AN 1171
          |_______________ _________________ _______________
 _________|___   _________|___   ___________|___   _________|____
 TARO KUNIZANE   JIRO KUNISADA   SABURO KUNIMUNE   SHIRO KUNIYASU
   1st brother     2nd brother       3rd brother      4th brother

KUNIMUNE(1) JO-EI (f: KUNIZANE 1): SABURO KUNIMUNE. 3rd son of 
        KUNIZANE of KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE School was born: JI-SHO 1, 
        1177 and died: BUN-EI 7, 1270. Lived in NITTA-SHO WAKI in
        BIZEN. A contemporary of OSAFUNE MITSUTADA and HATAKEDA 
        MORIIYE. Teachings say MORIIYE and KUNIMUNE are similar but 
        KUNIMUNE will lack MORIIYE's HA-HADA. 
        KUNIMUNE BIZEN swords should be expected from JO-EI 1232 to 
        SHO-GEN 1259, although logic tells us his career probably
        began earlier. See KO-BIZEN NAOMUNE

Invited by the HOJO, SUKEZANE, KUNIMUNE and AWATAGUCHI KUNITSUNA
brought the new foundations for the new SOSHU style. MASAMUNE was 
born when these men worked their fully flowered KAMAKURA careers.

                  KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI SUKEZANE
                     SABURO KUNIMUNE
                       AWATAGUCHI KUNITSUNA

BIZEN SUKEZANEs' SAGAMI Sword School has become known as the 
KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI. The true SOSHU School masters, which include 
the MASAMUNE, fall from SHINTOGO KUNIMITSU, which are considered 
descendants of the AWATAGUCHI KUNITSUNA Group. YAMASHIRO style roots.
However, these men had installed the style vision for KAMAKURA and 
the SOSHU School starting in SHO-GEN 1259 and forward.
BIZEN SABURO KUNIMUNE brought a mature mastery and must be considered, 
along with the other BIZEN stylists, such as SUKEZANE, an equal with 
the KUNITSUNA line.
Note: All three groups have been loosely called KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI, 
but the term properly refers to the SUKEZANE group, alone.

The few existing swords tell us SABURO KUNIMUNE must have been
a temporary KAMAKURA resident. His KAMAKURA endeavor allows a 
style change to be recognized. Normally, these pieces would be 
assigned as the work of a 2nd or 3rd generation, however his long
life and the rarity of examples has left scholarship to place two
style periods for KUNIMUNE(1):

                            Early KUNIMUNE - Before SOSHU
                            Later KUNIMUNE - After SOSHU

SABURO KUNIMUNE made TANTO and TACHI. TACHI have an elongated
IKUBI-KISSAKI that may appear somewhat stout after KEN-CHO 1249.
KUNIMUNE SUGATA will show a healthy NIKU. Note: 1st generation
special mark: NIOI-FUKASHI. - A tightly defined line labels 
KUNIMUNE(2). Also: SHIRAKE Steel is his noted special color.
Follow appraisal points to determine origin. Pieces in KAMAKURA 
/SOSHU style are extremely rare. One will see an especially exuberant 
expression in all the great masters as they focused their craft on 
the new SOSHU style. See SUKESANE.

SUGATA  Early: Narrow blade - thick KASANE
        Later: Wide blade - thin KASANE

Steel   Early: Tight KO-MOKUME with CHIKEI appearing.
        Later: KO-MOKUME has O-HADA and MIDARE-UTSURI.

HAMON - his YAKIBA WILL undulate in height. Early work shows tall 
     KAWAZU reaching from jumbled KO-CHOJI while round TOBI-YAKI of 
     different size dot along the HABUCHI. 
     YAKIBA styles find BUN-EI 1264 times: Undulations are less dramatic 
     than the KEN-CHO 1249 era.
     Later work the MONOUCHI may seem deserted, or restrained of 
     pattern. GUNOME pushes into uneven mountain ranges that support 
     an easily followed horizon. All work in KO-NIE and particularly 
     notable KUNIMUNE trait: NIOI-FUKASHI.

YAKIBA Recap -
Before SOSHU: KAWAZU from KO-CHOJI with TOBI-YAKI dotting.
 After SOSHU: joins together in an uneven, mountainous CHU-width.

BOSHI - MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI to small KO-MARU. 
           Early might be complex HOSO-width MIDARE with TOBI or 
           SHIMA-BA to small KO-MARU near the MUNE. Later swords may
           show CHU-SUGU with KO-MARU.

MEI: Two-character MEI is balanced and open. Thick strokes lay 
     straight-standing horizontal and vertical lines. KUNI center
     pole separates three diagonal interior strokes on the left 
     from two on the right, all five slant parallel like falling 
     rain. All five have sharp ends that point to the pole.