Gassan School

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gassan school ( Japanese 月 山 , Gassan , or 月 山 派 , Gassan-ha ) is a school of traditional Japanese swordsmiths (see also Nihonto ), which has its origins in the Kamakura period .

history

Classic Gassan school

The classic Gassan school originally originated in the province of Dewa around the year 1185 and existed until around 1333. It belonged to the Wakimono schools, i.e. That is, it did not arise from any of the five classic swordsmithing traditions ( Gokaden ). The swordsmiths of this school usually did not sign their blades with an individual signature, but used the Kanji for Gassan ( 月 山 ) to mark the blades. Therefore only a few swordsmiths of this school are known by their name.

Gassan School of Modern Times

At the end of the Edo period towards the beginning of the 19th century, the Gassan Sadayoshi moved from Sasagawa in the Dewa province to Osaka to learn the art of swordsmithing under Suishinshi Masahide . After completing his training, he began to forge again in the style of the classic Gassan school around 1833. He is considered to be the founder of the modern Gassan School or Osaka Gassan School. His adoptive son Gassan Sadakazu ( 月 山 貞 一 , 1836–1918) continued the art of swordsmithing and was appointed by the Japanese emperor next to the swordsmith Miyamoto Kanenori in 1906 to teishitsu gigei-in (member of the craft chosen by the imperial family). Sadakazu and his son Gassan Sadakatsu made blades in all classic swordsmithing traditions as well as the classic Gassan style. A student of Sadakatsu Takahashi Sadatsugu was appointed to Ningen Kokuhō ( 人間 国宝 , "Living National Treasure ") in 1955 . In 1971, Sadakatsu's son Gassan Sadaichi (who later renamed himself Gassan Sadakazu II) also received this honor. The modern Gassan school is continued today by Gassan Sadatoshi.

The Gassan School is thus probably the only swordsmith school that is still active to the present day even after the ban on carrying swords (Haitorei decree) in 1876.

Characteristics

  • The sword blades of the classical Gassan school are characterized by a special, wavy type of grain, the so-called Ayasugi hada ( 綾 杉 肌 ) - also called Gassan hada ( 月 山 肌 ).
  • Classic Gassan blades were also often signed with the two Kanji for Gassan ( 月 山 ) on the Nakago .
  • Modern Gassan blades were forged in all five of the classic swordsmithing traditions, but are also known for their Ayasugi hada.
  • The nakago was usually given special attention and care by blacksmiths of the modern Gassan school.
  • Gassan Sadakazu was also known for his excellent horimono .
  • Gassan Sadakatsu often used plum branches as a theme for horimono.

literature

  • Ogawa, Morihiro: Japanese Master Swordsmiths: The Gassan Tradition , Museum of Fine Arts, 1989.
  • Kōkan, Nagayama: The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords , p. 293 ff.
  • Leon / Yoshihara Kapp, Yoshindo: Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths - From 1868 to the Present .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.japanesesword.de/?site=book&id=16&PHPSESSID=0c622h2jaad6kgpvfd95umkkd1
  2. ↑ Kōkan, Nagayama: The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords, p. 293.
  3. ^ Ogawa, Morihiro: Japanese Master Swordsmiths: The Gassan Tradition, p. 16.
  4. ↑ Sesko, Markus: Schwerter des Nihonto-Club Deutschland, p. 104.
  5. ↑ Leon / Yoshihara Kapp, Yoshindo: Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths - From 1868 to the Present, p. 201.
  6. ^ Biography of Gassan Sadakatsu ( Memento from July 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ Leon / Yoshihara Kapp, Yoshindo: Modern Japanese Swords and Swordsmiths - From 1868 to the Present, p. 201.
  8. ↑ http://www.japanesesword.de/?site=book&id=16&PHPSESSID=0c622h2jaad6kgpvfd95umkkd1
  9. ^ Biography of Gassan Sadakatsu ( Memento from July 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive )