Kantei
Round iron guard with an ox, a pine and chrysanthemums engraved in line and an inscription beside the central hole, in black and white.

Swordsmith of the Edo period · wazamono

Matsuba Hongyō (松葉本行)

Kawachi no Kami Motoyuki: a swordsmith of the Edo period in the wazamono list, and two tsuba with his name

Matsuba Hongyō (松葉本行) is the swordsmith whom the Yamada cutting list records as Motoyuki of Osaka and Kawachi no Kami Motoyuki (河内守本行): Hongyō and Motoyuki are two readings of the same kanji. On record about him are his wazamono grade, two tsuba signed with his name and his title in Tokyo museums, and three articles that the journal of the Saga Prefectural Library devoted to him. His dates, whom he learned from and his style are not recorded in the sources consulted.

Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase

Wazamono (4th of 4)
Grade in the wazamono list
Kawachi no Kami
Title
2
Tsuba signed with his name in museums
3 (1964-1967)
Articles in the journal of the Saga Prefectural Library
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Matsuba Hongyō or Matsuba Motoyuki; with his title, Kawachi no Kami Motoyuki AT
Kanji and reading
松葉本行 (Matsuba Hongyō or Matsuba Motoyuki); 河内守本行 (Kawachi no Kami Motoyuki); 河内守源本行 (Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Motoyuki), on a tsuba AT
Period
The Edo period: the 『懐宝剣尺』 (Kaihō Kenjaku), of 1797, already includes him. The dates of his life are not recorded in the sources consulted. AT
Province
The wazamono list of the English Wikipedia gives him as Motoyuki of Osaka (大坂, Ōsaka), in Settsu province. That the Saga Prefectural Library devoted three articles to him points to a period in Hizen. AT
School
Not recorded in the sources consulted PC
Master
Not recorded in the sources consulted PC
Title
Kawachi no Kami (河内守, Kawachi no Kami); the year he received it is not recorded in the sources consulted AT
Cutting rank
Wazamono (業物, wazamono), the fourth grade of the 『懐宝剣尺』 (Kaihō Kenjaku), according to the English and Japanese Wikipedia AT
Documented fact and tradition
Documented: two tsuba signed with his name and his title, in the Tokyo National Museum and in the Edo-Tokyo Museum, and three articles about him in the journal of the Saga Prefectural Library, from 1964 to 1967. Undocumented in the sources consulted: his dates, his origin, his master and his style. AT

In short

The Yamada cutting list places him among the 業物 (wazamono), the fourth of its grades. The English Wikipedia names him Motoyuki of Osaka and gives Matsuba Motoyuki and Kawachi no Kami Motoyuki as the same swordsmith; the Japanese Wikipedia repeats the equivalence.

The Tokyo National Museum holds an iron tsuba signed 河内守本行 (Kawachi no Kami Motoyuki), and the Edo-Tokyo Museum another signed 刀作人河内守源本行 (tōsakunin Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Motoyuki): the word 刀作人 (tōsakunin) says that its maker forged swords. Most probably both are the work of the swordsmith on the list.

We have not found any photograph of a blade of his that can be published, nor a description of his style in the sources consulted.

Sections

  1. One name, two readings Life and times Matsuba, Hongyō and Motoyuki, and the Saga studies.
  2. His signature Work and style His signatures and the tsuba that bear his name.
  3. In museums and lists Famous works The two museum tsuba and his place in the cutting list.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted and the image credits.