OtherShintō (New Swords)Jōjōsaku

河内守国助（二代）

Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke II

Period

Early Edo

School

Osaka Shintō

Active Years

17世紀中期

Tradition

Other

Rank

Jōjōsaku

Description

## A Towering Figure of Osaka Shintō — Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke II ("Naka-Kawachi") Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke II was one of the preeminent masters of the Shintō period, active primarily in Osaka during the Kanbun and Enpō eras (1661–1681), known by the nickname "Naka-Kawachi" (Middle Kawachi). As the son of the first-generation Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke, he inherited his father's position and is sometimes ranked alongside Tsuda Sukehiro and Inoue Shinkai as one of the pillars of Osaka Shintō at its finest. The second-generation Kunisuke is familiarly called "Naka-Kawachi," a name that arose from his position between the first generation ("Ko-Kawachi" / Little Kawachi) and the third generation ("Ō-Kawachi" / Great Kawachi). All three generations of the Kunisuke family played a major role in Osaka Shintō, and their house stands in Japanese sword history as one of the great representative families of Osaka swordmaking. ## The Environment of Osaka Swordsmiths — Warrior Demand in a Commercial City Osaka functioned throughout the Edo period as "the nation's kitchen" — a commercial city where demand for swords from warriors, wealthy merchants, and major temples and shrines concentrated. Where Kyoto smiths developed an elegant style suited to nobles and high-ranking warriors, Osaka smiths established a distinctive approach that prioritized the harmony of practicality and beauty. The Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke family, building on the reputation established by the first generation, commanded the trust of feudal lords and the warrior class as a leading swordsmithing house in Osaka. The second generation Kunisuke established his own distinctive style upon the foundation his father had built, ultimately earning particularly high regard within the world of Osaka Shintō. ## Blade Characteristics — Refinement and Variation in Osaka Shintō The works of Naka-Kawachi (second-generation Kunisuke) demonstrate at a high level the characteristic qualities of Osaka Shintō: refined jigane and richly varied hamon. The jigane shows fine ko-itame forging, richly covered in ji-nie with a moist and vivid surface. The clear, dignified beauty of his jigane — characteristic of Osaka swordsmiths — shows a distinct personality when compared to the Edo smiths of the same era. His hamon centers on gunome and notare with distinctive inclusions of box-shaped variations and flower-like forms. The nie is bright and clear, ashi and yō are active, and the landscape within the hamon maintains overall harmony while varying richly. In shape, the shallow curvature and long tang of the typical Kanbun Shintō form well represents the aesthetic standards of Osaka Shintō. While inheriting the Kunisuke-school style established by the first generation (Ko-Kawachi), the second generation incorporates distinctive personal variations in the hamon — and it is precisely this individuality that accounts for the special regard in which "Naka-Kawachi" is held. ## The Three Generations of Kunisuke — Three Generations of Osaka Shintō Excellence The first, second, and third generations of Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke are individually known by the affectionate nicknames "Ko-Kawachi," "Naka-Kawachi," and "Ō-Kawachi," and are evaluated collectively as the representative smithing house of Osaka Shintō. The emergence of three consecutive generations of excellent smiths from a single family demonstrates the high level of sword culture in Edo-period Osaka and the reliability of technical transmission within the workshop. Among the three generations, the second generation receives the highest overall evaluation for his works, and the name "Naka-Kawachi" has been handed down not merely as a sequential designation but as a byword for the highest standard in Osaka Shintō. ## DATEKATANA and Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke II DATEKATANA presents Naka-Kawachi — Kawachi-no-kami Kunisuke II — as the smith who embodies the diverse and rich beauty of Osaka Shintō. Standing alongside the twin giants Tsuda Sukehiro and Inoue Shinkai, the refined and varied works of Kunisuke II represent a different facet of the aesthetic heights achieved by Osaka Shintō. As a masterwork in which the cultural refinement of the commercial city of Osaka crystallized into the beauty of the Japanese sword, Naka-Kawachi's pieces continue to receive high regard today.