Oku Motohira

Profile

Motohira of the Oku (奥) family was one of the leading Satsuma smiths of the shinshintō period. Born in 1744 as the eldest son of the smith Oku Motonao (元直), he died in 1826. He worked for the Shimazu clan and received the title Yamato no Kami in 1789. Before then he signed 薩陽士元平 (Satsuyō-shi Motohira) or 薩陽士奥元平 (Satsuyō-shi Oku Motohira); afterwards 奥大和守平朝臣元平 (Oku Yamato no Kami Taira no Ason Motohira). Dated works are known from 1781 to 1819. He worked in the Sōshū tradition as interpreted in Satsuma: blades wide at the base with a large kissaki, an itame ground rich in ji-nie, and a hamon of gunome midare or suguha in ara-nie, showing the inazuma and kinsuji typical of the school. Horimono are rare. Together with Masayoshi (正良) he is regarded as one of the two principal Satsuma masters of his day. His younger brother Motoyasu (元安) was also a smith, and his grandson carried the name on as Motohira II (1833–1905).