Unshō
雲生 (Unshō)
A smith of Ukai, in Bizen, of the late Kamakura, founder of the Ukai or Unrui school; one blade of his dated 1304 survives, and several are important cultural properties.
Profile
Unshō worked at Ukai (宇甘, Ukan), in Bizen province, in what is now Mitsu, in Okayama, and is the founder of the Ukai school (鵜飼派, Ukai-ha), also called Unrui (雲類, Unrui), because its smiths carry the character 雲 (un, “cloud”) in their names. The biographical dictionary cited by Kotobank says that one blade of his dated Kagen 2 (1304) survives.
His origins are uncertain. Japanese Wikipedia records three versions that do not agree: an Edo-period one made him come from Osafune, which Wikipedia regards as legend; another makes him the son of the second Morishige of Osafune; and an old repertory of signatures, the Kaji Meishū, makes him come from Izumo. It was also told that he forged swords on commission from the emperor Go-Daigo, a story that Wikipedia considers later and unfounded.
According to the same source, in 2020 five blades signed by him and one unsigned blade attributed to him were important cultural properties. More than one generation bore the name, and the sources do not divide the works among them.
Notable works
- Tachi signed “雲生作” (Unshō saku, “made by Unshō”), 75 cm, of the Naitō house of Murakami, Nagoya City Museum; important cultural property.
- Tachi signed “Unshō”, Kyoto National Museum; important cultural property since 1960.
- Tachi signed “Unshō”, with its tachi mounting, Tokyo National Museum; important cultural property.