Jitsua
実阿 (Jitsua)
A smith of Chikuzen of the late Kamakura period, from the old line of Ryōsai and Sairen, whom tradition makes the father of Samonji; very little of his work survives.
Profile
Jitsua worked in Chikuzen province, in northern Kyūshū, in the late Kamakura period. The Britannica encyclopedia cited by Kotobank names him with Ryōsai (良西, Ryōsai), Sairen (西蓮, Sairen) and Nyūsai (入西, Nyūsai), the old smiths of the province, and says that very few blades of any of them remain, of classical workmanship, like those of other Kyūshū smiths. The same source records the tradition that he was the father of Samonji, the smith who signed “左” (Sa), and Japanese Wikipedia gives him as his father. His dates are unknown.
The Kyoto National Museum holds a tantō signed “実阿” (Jitsua), which its record dates to the 14th century.
Notable works
- Tantō signed “Jitsua”, 14th century according to its record, Kyoto National Museum.