Lot Essay
This blade harks back to late Kamakura period examples such as those of Go Yoshihiro and Rai Kuniyuki, with wide Soshu-like tempering, and a configuration including uchizori and a slight drop in the back of the tang.
The founder of the Uda group, Kunimitsu, moved to Etchu from Uda in about 1317 and "Kuni" was used by subsequent members in their names: Kunifusa, Kunimune, Kunihisa, Kunishige, Kuniyasu, Kunihiro, Kunimori, Kunihira, etc. In the past, swords of this group (Udamono) were categorized as rustic (inabamono) or provincial (bachigaemono) blades. The fact remains, however, that the origins of the Uda school were in Yamato and this is why the outstanding Uda works bear such a strong resemblance to the works of the early Soshu tradition which sprang from the Awataguchi school.
The founder of the Uda group, Kunimitsu, moved to Etchu from Uda in about 1317 and "Kuni" was used by subsequent members in their names: Kunifusa, Kunimune, Kunihisa, Kunishige, Kuniyasu, Kunihiro, Kunimori, Kunihira, etc. In the past, swords of this group (Udamono) were categorized as rustic (inabamono) or provincial (bachigaemono) blades. The fact remains, however, that the origins of the Uda school were in Yamato and this is why the outstanding Uda works bear such a strong resemblance to the works of the early Soshu tradition which sprang from the Awataguchi school.