Sanjō Munechika
三条宗近 (Sanjō Munechika)
A Kyoto smith of the Heian period, from the Sanjō quarter; one of the first smiths of the curved sword and maker of the Mikazuki Munechika.
Profile
Tradition places Munechika in the Eien era (987-989), under Emperor Ichijō, in the Sanjō quarter of Kyoto, and calls him Sanjō Kokaji; the dates scholars give range from the 10th to the 12th century. His work is among the earliest examples of the fully developed Japanese sword. The nō play «Kokaji» tells how he forged the sword Kogitsune-maru with the help of a fox sent by the deity of Inari, but no blade of that period confirms it. His signed works are extremely rare: some read «Sanjō» and others «Munechika». His tachi are slender, with a ko-kissaki and high curvature, a dense itame, ji-nie and a ko-midare in nie with crescent-shaped uchinoke. His pupils form the Sanjō school.
Monograph
Sanjō Munechika (三条宗近)
Who Munechika was, what is documented and what is legend, with the level of evidence of each fact.
Read the monograph
Notable works
- Mikazuki Munechika: tachi signed «Sanjō», one of the tenka goken, national treasure, Tokyo National Museum.
- Tachi by Munechika given by Sakai Tadamichi to Emperor Meiji in 1909: imperial collection.
Famous swords
- Mikazuki Munechika 三日月宗近