Chōgi
長義 (Chōgi)
An Osafune smith in Bizen of the Nanbokuchō period, a leading figure of Sōden-Bizen: the least «Bizen-like» of the Bizen smiths.
Profile
Chōgi, also read Nagayoshi, worked at Osafune in the second half of the 14th century; his dated blades run from 1350 to 1380. He belongs to an Osafune branch distinct from the main line (Mitsutada, Nagamitsu, Kagemitsu, Kanemitsu). His manner, Sōden-Bizen, adds to the Bizen base the nie and broad midare of Sōshū-den: notare with gunome, sometimes in ear-shaped pairs, with a deeply turned-back bōshi. The blades are wide with a large kissaki, as the time required. Tradition counts him among Masamune's «ten pupils», but his dates rule it out. Few tachi remain, nearly all shortened and unsigned, and more signed tantō; several of his works are important cultural properties.
Monograph
Chōgi (長義)
The Bizen smith who looks least like Bizen, told with the level of evidence of each fact.
Read the monograph
Notable works
- Honsaku Chōgi: katana, important cultural property, Tokugawa Art Museum; its inscription was cut by Horikawa Kunihiro in 1590.
- Ōsaka Chōgi: tantō signed and dated 1360, important cultural property.