TANTO BY AWATAGUCHI KUNIYOSHI
Designated Tokubetsu Juyo Token at the 18th shinsa held on the 12th of March 2004.
Shape: A hira-zukuri tanto.
Horimono: Two lines of Kakinagashi bo-hi are carved on the both sides of the blade.
Jitetsu: Small itame-hada contains mokume. Jinie and chikei combine to make incomparable beauty.
Hamon: Suguha-hamon with deep nioikuchi. Niju(double)-ba and Sanju (triple)-ba appear on the hamon.
Boshi: The temperline turns back in a large round manner.
Nakago: Suriage-nakago. Kuri-jiri.
The Awataguchi School was founded by Kuniie, whose father Kuniyoshi went to Kyoto from Yamato Province where he had connections with Kofukuji Temple. Kuniie founded the school in the Awataguchi district of Kyoto near the Seirenin Temple. It is estimated that this occurred around the early 1100's. This school flourished from the early to mid Kamakura period. Kuniie had six brothers, Kunitomo, Hisakuni, Kuniyasu, Kunikiyo, Arikuni, and Kunitsuna. Kunitomo's son, Norikuni, and his grandsons, Kuniyoshi and Kunimitsu together with Kuniyoshi's son, Toshiro Yoshimitsu continued the school traditions.
Awataguchi Kuniyoshi was the son of Norikuni and is said to have been the father of Toshiro Yoshimitsu. He was given the title of Sahei-no-jo and is thus known as Sahei-no-jo-Kuniyoshi. His active period in history can be known from his dated examples that range from 1280 to 1287. Kuniyoshi was known for tanto in various shapes including the ones in wide and long measurements. They are wide but in sun-zumari length (squeezed length) making the blade look like a Japanese kitchen knife or hocho. He made others in markedly smaller sizes. The variety of shapes of his tanto is what differentiates his works from tanto produced by the Rai School. This variety of shapes was passed on to his son, Yoshimitsu.
This tanto is in a remarkable state of preservation. It is wide and robust having undergone relatively few polishes over its 750+ year lifetime. It comes in a shirasaya with a sayagaki by Tanobe Sensei of the NBTHK who notes that this sword is "chin-chin cho-cho" or "especially precious". It also comes with a solid gold double habaki with the Tokugawa Aoi mon showing that it was once part of the collection of the Tokugawa family.
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