Dōtanuki Masakuni
同田貫正国 (Dōtanuki Masakuni)
A Higo smith of the late 16th century, the leading figure of the Dōtanuki school, which worked for Katō Kiyomasa; robust, unadorned blades.
Profile
The Dōtanuki school arose at Kikuchi in Higo as a branch of the Enju school and later moved to Tamana. Masakuni, later Kōzuke no Suke, is its best-known name: tradition says Katō Kiyomasa gave him one of the characters of his own name and that the Dōtanuki were smiths in his service, with blades kept in Kumamoto castle. His blades are thick, with much meat at the edge, a long kissaki and little curvature; almost unadorned, they are valued more for strength than for beauty. After the fall of the Katō the school declined. A katana of his at the Honmyō-ji temple is a cultural property of Kumamoto Prefecture.
Rankings
- Mixed category (ō-, yoki- and wazamono) (Kaihō Kenjaku, 1797)