Kantei
A straight, narrow katana seen from both sides, two large views of the point and a light wooden scabbard with a long ink inscription.

Mito, Hitachi · late Edo period

Katsumura Norikatsu (勝村徳勝)

The Mito swordsmith who forged in the Yamato manner for the domain of Tokugawa Nariaki

Katsumura Norikatsu (勝村徳勝), whose name is also read Tokukatsu, was born in Mito in 1809 and died in 1872. According to Toryu-Mon, he began forging as a hobby in the domain armoury, trained in Edo with Hosokawa Masayoshi and Unju Korekazu and worked for the Mito domain in the Yamato manner, rare in his time. His son continued the name as the second generation.

Photo: dealer in Japan

1809-1872
Birth and death
1857
To Edo, in Koishikawa
Two
Generations
1850-1871
Dated blades
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Katsumura Norikatsu, also read Tokukatsu; at first he signed 徳一 (Norikazu) AT
Kanji and reading
勝村徳勝 (Katsumura Norikatsu); his usual signature, 水府住勝村徳勝作之 (Suifu-jū Katsumura Norikatsu kore o saku) AT
Period
Shinshintō, late Edo period and the first years of Meiji: dated blades from Kaei 3 (1850) to Meiji 4 (1871) AT
Province
Hitachi (常陸, Hitachi): Mito (水戸, Mito), which he signs with its literary name, 水府 (Suifu); from 1857, at the domain’s residence in Koishikawa, in Edo AT
School
Shinshintō Yamato-den (大和伝, Yamato-den), commissioned by the lord of Mito, Tokugawa Nariaki, according to Toryu-Mon AT
Master
According to Toryu-Mon, Norimune (徳宗), in the Mito armoury, and later, in Edo, Hosokawa Masayoshi (細川正義) and Unju Korekazu (運寿是一) AT
Generations
Two, according to Toryu-Mon: he and his son, his student, of whom few blades are known because the Meiji Restoration cut short his career AT
Rank
He does not appear in Tomita Kiyama’s list of shintō swordsmiths (1933) PC
Documented fact and tradition
Documented: his grave in the Tokiwa cemetery, in Mito, and two swords of his belonging to Shibusawa Heikurō, according to the Japanese Wikipedia; no blade of his in a national museum in the sources consulted. From tradition: that he was the swordsmith of the Mito patriots and that his swords were in the Sakurada Gate attack (1860), which Toryu-Mon gives as probable. AT

In short

Norikatsu is the swordsmith of Bakumatsu Mito. He worked for the domain of Tokugawa Nariaki, who forged with him, and Toryu-Mon calls him the favourite swordsmith of the Mito patriots. His work is in the Yamato manner: wide, thick blades, very pronounced masame and suguha in nie with nijūba and long sunagashi, and a long tang with long signatures. For Toryu-Mon, faced with a shinshintō Yamato-den one need think of only three names: Nanki Shigekuni in his last years, Sendai Kunikane in his last years and him.

Sections

  1. Two generations in Bakumatsu Mito Life and times From the Mito armoury to the Koishikawa residence, Nariaki, the Mito patriots and the second Norikatsu.
  2. Kantei keys Work and style The shinshintō Yamato-den: pronounced masame, suguha in nie and long signatures.
  3. Shibusawa Heikurō’s swords Famous works Shibusawa Heikurō’s daishō and what the dates of his blades say.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted and the image credits.