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Nakigitsune (cv. Shulk)
A taciturn boy. His accompanying fox acts as agent for relaying most of his feelings. It's not that he's stifling his own feelings, he's just bad at socializing with people is all. The mutual trust between Nakigitsune and his fox is something that cannot be expressed in words... [from the official twitter]
------
Nakigitsune is an uchigatana forged by Awataguchi Kuniyoshi, the master of Yoshimitsu, during the Kamakura period(13th century, 1185–1333). He was unique during that period as uchigatanas were rare among the samurai class and still in their developmental stage, while tachis were the main weapon for cavalry warfare. This is why he calls Kuniyoshi’s signature peculiar, as it is signed on the sashi-omote side of the blade’s nakago(tail-end that goes into hilt), an indication of an uchigatana, while signatures on tachis are signed on the haki-omote side. Another precious point about the signature is that it bears the full name complete with Kuniyoshi's honorary title. His size is small for an uchigatana, closer to a wakizashi.
Nakigitsune has never been used for battle. His resume consists of sitting in display at Akimoto’s family residence for hundreds of years and then continue to couch potato over at Tokyo National Museum.
------
It's a unique nihontou as it looks like a longer version of a hirazukuri (平造, flat blade) tantou accompanied with sori (curvature) in the middle. According to nihontou standards, it should be a Wakizashi as its length is 54cm (wakizashi is between 30-60cm, Uchigatana is 60cm+).
However in Kamakura period, it was considered an Uchigatana. During the Kamakura period, high ranking officers preferred Tachi and Uchigatana weren't widely used. However Nakigitsune is one of those Uchigatana that stood out during that time and most people say that Nakigitsune is the prime example of a Kamakura period Uchigatana.
Nakigitsune is labeled as Japan's important cultural asset.
You can see Nakigitsune up close here.
------
It is said that Kuniyoshi in the Awataguchi school in Yamashiro no Kuni was the son of Norikuni and the inscription shows that he used to call himself Fujiwara Sahyoenojo. His style features a close and clear jigane (ground metal) and the hamon (blade pattern) in the suguha (straight) style with konie (small martensite crystals).
------
- Forged in the Kamakura Period by Awataguchi Kuniyoshi. A peculiar uchigatana due to the inscription on its sashi-omote (the side facing away from the wearer when the blade is worn cutting-edge up on the belt). Named one of Japan's important cultural assets, and currently kept in the Tokyo National Museum.
- Another peculiarity is its flat-blade design, as most swords of that time period were made with ridges. Long flat-blade swords were exceedingly rare during this time.
- The Awataguchi school is known for making tantous, so swords as long as Nakigitsune are rare.
- Declared a national treasure in Showa 6, the same year as Hotarumaru.
- The origin of the name Nakigitsune is unknown, but it was handed down through the Akimoto family in the Yamagata domain, Dewa no Kuni.
- The length of the blade is approximately 54.0cm, with a 1.5cm curve, the curve being rather deep in proportion to its length. Furthermore, it's unexpectedly shorter than Horikawa Kunihiro.
- The blade is also considerably thicker than other swords of the Kamakura era (most old swords are very thin due to having been sharpened many times), implying that it was taken very good care of.
------
Dewa Province history
Official twitter info
JP Wiki
------
● from the official history book
Nakigitsune's creator was Awataguchi Kuniyoshi. A swordsmith who was active about ten years before Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, who produced most of the Toushirou brothers, he may have been a junior apprentice working with Yoshimitsu's father.
Kuniyoshi is a swordsmith renowned for the legend that he was commissioned to forge a sword for the god of the Sumiyoshi Shrine, and having made primarily tantous like Yoshimitsu, he does not have many larger swords. Among these, Nakigitsune shines as a rather unusual uchigatana...though saying that, the length of his blade is approximately 54cm. With the wakizashi Honebami Toushirou being around 58.8cm, and Nikkari Aoe around 60.3cm, the measurements are a little off for him to be calling himself an uchigatana.
The reason he's classified as an uchigatana despite this, is probably because he was forged around the middle of the Kamakura Period, during which wakizashis were so far from gaining popularity that they may as well not have been invented yet.
Just from appearance he already has a very noticeable peculiarity, which is that unlike typical Japanese swords, both sides are flat-bladed (hira zukuri); on top of this, uchigatana his size were largely found in the Kamakura-Muromachi periods, and very few examples of this type remain today.
The origin of the name "Nakigitsune" is unknown. One theory goes that this sword was used to cut through the shadow of an ayakashi projected on a shoji screen, and that a fox's cry could be heard when it dispersed - but this legend doesn't appear to be true. He was the beloved sword of the master horseman Ishiguro Jin'emon, who served the Ikeda clan in the Himeji Domain of Banshuu (or Harima Province), but was handed down to the Akimoto family in the Tatebaya Domain of Gunma Prefecture.
Another anecdote goes that a forgery was created by none other than Hosoda Heijirou Naomitsu, the genius counterfeiter who's reknowned for forging the signature on the fake Kotetsu belonging to Kondou Isami (an active participant during the early years of the Showa era).
As for how exactly this became an anecdote: you'd have to know the real thing to be able to create a forgery, so getting your hands on the original would be the number one priority, but this counterfeiter never had an opportunity to touch it.
In this case, an oshigata (a traced image on paper), much like a gyotaku (fish print), could be used without the Akimoto family's prized Nakigitsune ever making an appearance. Though such copies have existed for documentation's sake--did the blacksmiths who saw it wonder when it was made, or who'd taken it out? There was undoubtedly drama over this, as well.
He was taken out at the beginning of the Showa era and placed in a private warehouse. After that, he was donated to the Tokyo National Museum [where he resides along with Mikazuki Munechika and Shishiou].
------
粟田口国吉作の大脇指で、初め播州姫路藩士の石黒甚右衛門という馬術の名人が所持していた。のち上州館林藩主：秋元家の伝来となる。異名の由来は不明であるが、刃長1尺7寸8分（約53.9cm）、平造、真の棟、表裏に棒樋をかく。地鉄は小板目肌に地沸えつく。刃文は小沸え出来の中直刃で、小足や二重刃入る。帽子は乱れこんで、深く返る。中心はうぶ、反りがあって、鑢目は勝手下がり、銘は「左兵衛尉藤原国吉」と大振りに切る。
粟田口国吉は則国の子と伝え、左兵衛尉に任じている。国吉の子あるいは弟子と伝える刀工に藤四郎吉光があり、また弟に国光がいる。国吉の活躍年代は実存するものや押形に建治4年、弘安3・6･10年などの紀年銘があって明らかとなっている。現存する作品は短刀が比較的多く見られ、他に剣が数振と太刀二振がある。鳴狐のような大平造の打刀は鎌倉時代に於いて、国吉のみでなく他の刀工にも類例がない。平造打刀の様式は早くは平安末期に中尊寺の藤原清衡棺中刀や島津家に伝来した「名物：高巣三条」があり、時代が降っては南北朝期の長船兼光・長船盛景らに僅かにみられる。こういった平造打刀は当時ある程度普及していたものであるが、絵巻では多くの武士なかでも軽輩の差料であったといわれており、一流刀工の作は少なく消耗品的に扱われた可能性が高く、この鳴狐は高位の武士の特注により製作されたものといわれている。
秋元家はもと関東管領：上杉憲政に仕えていたが、憲政は管領職を上杉謙信に譲ってしまい、やがてお家断絶となったので、秋元家の藩祖：秋元長朝は、文禄元年（1592）、徳川家康に臣事、やがて上野国惣社（群馬県前橋市）において一万石をはむ身となった。子孫は累進して六万石となり、四代：喬朝、七代：凉朝は老中にまでかけ登った。八代：永朝は愛刀家で、新々刀の祖：水心子正秀を召し抱え、水心子を相手に自らも刀を造ったし、金工：佐野直好の手解きで、彫金の術を学んだほどの凝り性だった。歴代将軍の覚えも目出度かったので、拝領物も多かった。
秋元家の蔵刀は昭和6年5月4日に売立が行われたが、鳴狐は売立目録には載っておらず、競売以前に秋元家を出たものとみえる。鳴狐は昭和6年1月19日、斎藤茂一郎氏の名義で重要文化財（旧国宝）に指定される。ただし、鑑刀随録（今泉久雄：著 昭和12年刊）に所載するも、未だ秋元子爵家蔵となっている。平成3年、渡邊誠一郎氏が東京国立博物館に寄贈されたものである。
なお、余談ながら、鳴狐は稀代の偽銘切師である鍛冶平こと細田平次郎直光の「鍛冶平押形」に所載するのは誠に驚嘆というほかにない。当時、秋元家にあった鳴狐を鍛冶平がどのようにして押形を採取したのかは全くの謎である。
鍛冶平押形には「館林様御物 号鳴狐 慶応三卯六月廿五日一覧 刃長サ壱尺七九分」とある。
細田平次郎直光（鍛冶平）は、大慶直胤、或いは、次郎太郎直勝の門人で、一流刀工ではなかったが、鍛冶平を有名にしたのは他でもなく、皮肉にも偽銘を切ることであった。しかも、偽銘の切り方が巧みであった。鍛冶平は、いろいろな刀工の偽銘を切り、また時には銘鑑にもない、位の低い刀工の銘まで切っている。鍛冶平は、刀工としては珍しく刀剣研究に熱心な人であって、遺された押形資料の多さは、鍛冶平の集めた押形集によってもよく分かるが、その努力は大変なものであったと推察される。
押形のなかには、大名刀「名物鳴狐国吉」の押形があり、「慶応三卯六月廿五日一覧（元治本上巻）」とあり、全身押形まで取っている。どうして、このような名刀を、一刀工にすぎない鍛冶平に見ることができたかであるが、秋元家の御抱研師の手元に、次研にでも上がっていたのだろうか。秋元家でさえ、直に手に取って見れるものではない。本阿弥家はむろんのこと、よほどの刀剣愛好家でさえも、この時代には、押形までは取ることをしないのに、若い一介の刀工でしかない鍛冶平が、この名刀の押形を取っていることは、鍛冶平の無類の研究熱心さと、鍛冶平のその意味での偉さを物語っている。「鳴狐国吉」を手に取り、押形も取って、自らも刀匠として、このような名刀を造りたいと、夢にも見、また希望に胸をふくらまさせたことであろう。この鍛冶平が、時世とはいえ、後年に長曽弥虎徹をはじめとする多くの偽作を造る「偽銘切り」になるとは、本人も思ってみないことだったであろう。
文久・元治両本の押形は、明らかに研究のために、一生懸命取ったもので、必ずしも偽作を造るために集めた資料ではない。ただ、これが後年に数多の刀剣鑑定家を悩ます巧みな偽作を造るうえに、大変役立つことになったことは確かである。[from tsuruginoya]
source
A taciturn boy. His accompanying fox acts as agent for relaying most of his feelings. It's not that he's stifling his own feelings, he's just bad at socializing with people is all. The mutual trust between Nakigitsune and his fox is something that cannot be expressed in words... [from the official twitter]
------
Nakigitsune is an uchigatana forged by Awataguchi Kuniyoshi, the master of Yoshimitsu, during the Kamakura period(13th century, 1185–1333). He was unique during that period as uchigatanas were rare among the samurai class and still in their developmental stage, while tachis were the main weapon for cavalry warfare. This is why he calls Kuniyoshi’s signature peculiar, as it is signed on the sashi-omote side of the blade’s nakago(tail-end that goes into hilt), an indication of an uchigatana, while signatures on tachis are signed on the haki-omote side. Another precious point about the signature is that it bears the full name complete with Kuniyoshi's honorary title. His size is small for an uchigatana, closer to a wakizashi.
Nakigitsune has never been used for battle. His resume consists of sitting in display at Akimoto’s family residence for hundreds of years and then continue to couch potato over at Tokyo National Museum.
------
It's a unique nihontou as it looks like a longer version of a hirazukuri (平造, flat blade) tantou accompanied with sori (curvature) in the middle. According to nihontou standards, it should be a Wakizashi as its length is 54cm (wakizashi is between 30-60cm, Uchigatana is 60cm+).
However in Kamakura period, it was considered an Uchigatana. During the Kamakura period, high ranking officers preferred Tachi and Uchigatana weren't widely used. However Nakigitsune is one of those Uchigatana that stood out during that time and most people say that Nakigitsune is the prime example of a Kamakura period Uchigatana.
Nakigitsune is labeled as Japan's important cultural asset.
You can see Nakigitsune up close here.
------
It is said that Kuniyoshi in the Awataguchi school in Yamashiro no Kuni was the son of Norikuni and the inscription shows that he used to call himself Fujiwara Sahyoenojo. His style features a close and clear jigane (ground metal) and the hamon (blade pattern) in the suguha (straight) style with konie (small martensite crystals).
------
- Forged in the Kamakura Period by Awataguchi Kuniyoshi. A peculiar uchigatana due to the inscription on its sashi-omote (the side facing away from the wearer when the blade is worn cutting-edge up on the belt). Named one of Japan's important cultural assets, and currently kept in the Tokyo National Museum.
- Another peculiarity is its flat-blade design, as most swords of that time period were made with ridges. Long flat-blade swords were exceedingly rare during this time.
- The Awataguchi school is known for making tantous, so swords as long as Nakigitsune are rare.
- Declared a national treasure in Showa 6, the same year as Hotarumaru.
- The origin of the name Nakigitsune is unknown, but it was handed down through the Akimoto family in the Yamagata domain, Dewa no Kuni.
- The length of the blade is approximately 54.0cm, with a 1.5cm curve, the curve being rather deep in proportion to its length. Furthermore, it's unexpectedly shorter than Horikawa Kunihiro.
- The blade is also considerably thicker than other swords of the Kamakura era (most old swords are very thin due to having been sharpened many times), implying that it was taken very good care of.
------
Dewa Province history
Official twitter info
JP Wiki
------
● from the official history book
Nakigitsune's creator was Awataguchi Kuniyoshi. A swordsmith who was active about ten years before Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, who produced most of the Toushirou brothers, he may have been a junior apprentice working with Yoshimitsu's father.
Kuniyoshi is a swordsmith renowned for the legend that he was commissioned to forge a sword for the god of the Sumiyoshi Shrine, and having made primarily tantous like Yoshimitsu, he does not have many larger swords. Among these, Nakigitsune shines as a rather unusual uchigatana...though saying that, the length of his blade is approximately 54cm. With the wakizashi Honebami Toushirou being around 58.8cm, and Nikkari Aoe around 60.3cm, the measurements are a little off for him to be calling himself an uchigatana.
The reason he's classified as an uchigatana despite this, is probably because he was forged around the middle of the Kamakura Period, during which wakizashis were so far from gaining popularity that they may as well not have been invented yet.
Just from appearance he already has a very noticeable peculiarity, which is that unlike typical Japanese swords, both sides are flat-bladed (hira zukuri); on top of this, uchigatana his size were largely found in the Kamakura-Muromachi periods, and very few examples of this type remain today.
The origin of the name "Nakigitsune" is unknown. One theory goes that this sword was used to cut through the shadow of an ayakashi projected on a shoji screen, and that a fox's cry could be heard when it dispersed - but this legend doesn't appear to be true. He was the beloved sword of the master horseman Ishiguro Jin'emon, who served the Ikeda clan in the Himeji Domain of Banshuu (or Harima Province), but was handed down to the Akimoto family in the Tatebaya Domain of Gunma Prefecture.
Another anecdote goes that a forgery was created by none other than Hosoda Heijirou Naomitsu, the genius counterfeiter who's reknowned for forging the signature on the fake Kotetsu belonging to Kondou Isami (an active participant during the early years of the Showa era).
As for how exactly this became an anecdote: you'd have to know the real thing to be able to create a forgery, so getting your hands on the original would be the number one priority, but this counterfeiter never had an opportunity to touch it.
In this case, an oshigata (a traced image on paper), much like a gyotaku (fish print), could be used without the Akimoto family's prized Nakigitsune ever making an appearance. Though such copies have existed for documentation's sake--did the blacksmiths who saw it wonder when it was made, or who'd taken it out? There was undoubtedly drama over this, as well.
He was taken out at the beginning of the Showa era and placed in a private warehouse. After that, he was donated to the Tokyo National Museum [where he resides along with Mikazuki Munechika and Shishiou].
------
粟田口国吉作の大脇指で、初め播州姫路藩士の石黒甚右衛門という馬術の名人が所持していた。のち上州館林藩主：秋元家の伝来となる。異名の由来は不明であるが、刃長1尺7寸8分（約53.9cm）、平造、真の棟、表裏に棒樋をかく。地鉄は小板目肌に地沸えつく。刃文は小沸え出来の中直刃で、小足や二重刃入る。帽子は乱れこんで、深く返る。中心はうぶ、反りがあって、鑢目は勝手下がり、銘は「左兵衛尉藤原国吉」と大振りに切る。
粟田口国吉は則国の子と伝え、左兵衛尉に任じている。国吉の子あるいは弟子と伝える刀工に藤四郎吉光があり、また弟に国光がいる。国吉の活躍年代は実存するものや押形に建治4年、弘安3・6･10年などの紀年銘があって明らかとなっている。現存する作品は短刀が比較的多く見られ、他に剣が数振と太刀二振がある。鳴狐のような大平造の打刀は鎌倉時代に於いて、国吉のみでなく他の刀工にも類例がない。平造打刀の様式は早くは平安末期に中尊寺の藤原清衡棺中刀や島津家に伝来した「名物：高巣三条」があり、時代が降っては南北朝期の長船兼光・長船盛景らに僅かにみられる。こういった平造打刀は当時ある程度普及していたものであるが、絵巻では多くの武士なかでも軽輩の差料であったといわれており、一流刀工の作は少なく消耗品的に扱われた可能性が高く、この鳴狐は高位の武士の特注により製作されたものといわれている。
秋元家はもと関東管領：上杉憲政に仕えていたが、憲政は管領職を上杉謙信に譲ってしまい、やがてお家断絶となったので、秋元家の藩祖：秋元長朝は、文禄元年（1592）、徳川家康に臣事、やがて上野国惣社（群馬県前橋市）において一万石をはむ身となった。子孫は累進して六万石となり、四代：喬朝、七代：凉朝は老中にまでかけ登った。八代：永朝は愛刀家で、新々刀の祖：水心子正秀を召し抱え、水心子を相手に自らも刀を造ったし、金工：佐野直好の手解きで、彫金の術を学んだほどの凝り性だった。歴代将軍の覚えも目出度かったので、拝領物も多かった。
秋元家の蔵刀は昭和6年5月4日に売立が行われたが、鳴狐は売立目録には載っておらず、競売以前に秋元家を出たものとみえる。鳴狐は昭和6年1月19日、斎藤茂一郎氏の名義で重要文化財（旧国宝）に指定される。ただし、鑑刀随録（今泉久雄：著 昭和12年刊）に所載するも、未だ秋元子爵家蔵となっている。平成3年、渡邊誠一郎氏が東京国立博物館に寄贈されたものである。
なお、余談ながら、鳴狐は稀代の偽銘切師である鍛冶平こと細田平次郎直光の「鍛冶平押形」に所載するのは誠に驚嘆というほかにない。当時、秋元家にあった鳴狐を鍛冶平がどのようにして押形を採取したのかは全くの謎である。
鍛冶平押形には「館林様御物 号鳴狐 慶応三卯六月廿五日一覧 刃長サ壱尺七九分」とある。
細田平次郎直光（鍛冶平）は、大慶直胤、或いは、次郎太郎直勝の門人で、一流刀工ではなかったが、鍛冶平を有名にしたのは他でもなく、皮肉にも偽銘を切ることであった。しかも、偽銘の切り方が巧みであった。鍛冶平は、いろいろな刀工の偽銘を切り、また時には銘鑑にもない、位の低い刀工の銘まで切っている。鍛冶平は、刀工としては珍しく刀剣研究に熱心な人であって、遺された押形資料の多さは、鍛冶平の集めた押形集によってもよく分かるが、その努力は大変なものであったと推察される。
押形のなかには、大名刀「名物鳴狐国吉」の押形があり、「慶応三卯六月廿五日一覧（元治本上巻）」とあり、全身押形まで取っている。どうして、このような名刀を、一刀工にすぎない鍛冶平に見ることができたかであるが、秋元家の御抱研師の手元に、次研にでも上がっていたのだろうか。秋元家でさえ、直に手に取って見れるものではない。本阿弥家はむろんのこと、よほどの刀剣愛好家でさえも、この時代には、押形までは取ることをしないのに、若い一介の刀工でしかない鍛冶平が、この名刀の押形を取っていることは、鍛冶平の無類の研究熱心さと、鍛冶平のその意味での偉さを物語っている。「鳴狐国吉」を手に取り、押形も取って、自らも刀匠として、このような名刀を造りたいと、夢にも見、また希望に胸をふくらまさせたことであろう。この鍛冶平が、時世とはいえ、後年に長曽弥虎徹をはじめとする多くの偽作を造る「偽銘切り」になるとは、本人も思ってみないことだったであろう。
文久・元治両本の押形は、明らかに研究のために、一生懸命取ったもので、必ずしも偽作を造るために集めた資料ではない。ただ、これが後年に数多の刀剣鑑定家を悩ます巧みな偽作を造るうえに、大変役立つことになったことは確かである。[from tsuruginoya]
source