Awataguchi Kuniyoshi
粟田口国吉 (Awataguchi Kuniyoshi)
An Awataguchi smith of Kyoto in the mid-Kamakura period, Norikuni's eldest son according to tradition; above all a master of tantō and ken, with very few signed tachi.
Profile
Kuniyoshi is held to be Awataguchi Norikuni's eldest son, and he bore the title Sahyōe no Jō. Tradition says that Hōjō Tokiyori summoned him to Kamakura, where he signed Kunitaka for a time before returning to his own name. His dated works run from the 1260s to the 1280s. He forged mostly tantō, also elegantly shaped double-edged ken, and very few tachi: only two signed tachi are considered certain. His long blades already end in a chū-kissaki; the steel is a very dense ko-itame with ji-nie, and the temper a ko-nie suguha with a discontinuous nijūba that is almost his signature.
Monograph
Awataguchi Kuniyoshi (粟田口国吉)
A smith of tantō and ken with two certain signed tachi and a famous uchigatana, told with the level of evidence of each fact.
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Notable works
- Nakigitsune: a katana signed Sahyōe no Jō Fujiwara Kuniyoshi, at the Tokyo National Museum. Important cultural property.
- Sayo Saan Kuniyoshi: a signed tachi at the Kyoto National Museum. Important cultural property.