I have greatly simplified an amazingly complex and at times secretive process to
give an idea of how valuable each handmade blade was to the feudal warrior.
The focus of this essay will be the Sesshu (Settsu) sumi (or jyu) Ikeda Kijinmaru
Kunishige the beloved sword of Saitou Hajime and the fascinating lineage of its
creator. The blade is believed to be lost. It appeared on the list of swords which
sustained damage during the Ikedaya Raid.
Commentary by "S.K."…
Settsu no kuni (Sesshu) is what nowadays is Osaka and some parts of Hyogo
Prefecture. Just as a curiosity, Ito Kashitaro changed his name to Ito Settsu
when he departed from the Shinsengumi.
NAME
Sesshu is the name of the place. Sesshu is also known as Settsu.
Sumi (or jyu) is “lives in”.
Ikeda (Family name) Kijinmaru (meaning “fierce god’s son”; smith’s given name
when he was a young boy) Kunishige (smith’s given name when he became an
established sword smith, or inherited his master’s given name) is the name of the
smith
LENGTH WEIGHT
2 shaku 3 sun 1 bu (69.827 cm)
"made on Ten’na 2nd,70cm length" or the second year of the Japanese year
name (nengo) Ten’na Era
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~ikkaku/138saito.htm
Tennna is the incorrect spelling, should be Ten’na for the year Ten-wa (or
pronounce Ten’na)1681. The second year would be 1682. The length of the
sword was originally indicated to be 3-sun 1 minute. However, if the blade was
made in the Shinto era then it could not have possibly been forged in 1681. My
argument is based on the estimated dates of the swordsmith's father.
ESTIMATED CREATION DATE
The blade was created during the Shinto era. The world of sword appraisal is
highly technical and it is necessary to understand the time periods