The Schools of SHOAMI

Shoami is a name you will hear and read about, and you will not give it much thought – but you should, from the point of view of there having once been a very large number of them, with a subsequently very large output.  The main problem about identifying older examples of Shoami work is that it would seem that no contemporary physical records of their ‘organisation’ exists today. This is not to say that it is impossible to ascribe a School to a Shoami tsuba that you may find – far from it. Later Edo works of Shoami tsubashi are all too well known to tsuba collectors simply because there were so many workers in very many places in Japan who followed the established traditions of Shoami. This makes it possible to find Shoami tsuba everywhere you go, if you can read the signs, but it has to be admitted that, with some remarkable exceptions, late Edo works are a change of what the School began to produce in the late Muromachi period.

Ko-Shoami

The first tsuba of the Ko-Shoami type appear in the late Muromachi age. From that time to the end of the Momoyama age constitutes the period in which tsuba of the Ko-Shoami type were produced. Since this term means "old Shoami it simply refers to the beginning of the Edo age. In the Edo age this school is simply called Shoami. There do not seem to be any signed examples of Ko-Shoami tsuba. In contrast to this, the majority of the Shoami tsuba made in the Edo age are signed. The reason why this school did not sign in its early stages can only be surmised.

There are diverse opinions concerning the origin of the Ko-Shoami style. Some say it was derived from the Onin school. Others say it came from the Heianjo school. Both of these ideas would seem to be invalid. The forging, edge, web, and hammering point to the origin of the Ko-Shoami in the katchushi workers of the Muromachi age. The ability of the Ko-Shoami exceeds that of either the Onin or Heianjo workers of that period. This ability in forging a good plate would not have been possible unless this school had been a group of katchushi workers who took to decorating their plate with inlay work. Near the end of the Momoyama age the Ko-Shoami school split into several groups. Each group moved to a different area. After settling in the new area they started independent schools with their own characteristics, not necessarily depending on the style of the Ko-Shoami for their basis. Naturally the decorative style will be seen in the early examples of these divergent schools, much as it was in the Ko-Shoami period. These provincial branches of the main school were to greatly influence the style of the native artist in each area. To some extent the style that developed in each branch school was to have characteristics that distinguish it from one another. During the Edo age the size and power of the many Shoami schools was to grow until by the end of that period it was the largest family group of all the tsuba workers.

The outstanding capabilities of the Ko-Shoami workers will be seen in their subtile designs, good shape, fine tempering, and strong forging. The graceful appearance of their designs shows the sophistication of the capital where they worked. There is harmonious beauty between the fine inlay and the quiet plate metal. The Ko-Shoami nunome inlay shows the finest skill in this technique of any group. They secured the nunome to very strong cross-hatching, using sheets of metal a little thicker than those of the nunome inlay of the Edo age. Even though the Ko-Shoami inlay is earlier than the majority of the nunome work, it is often in far better condition. In the Edo age the Shoami were often not as skilful in applying their nunome and it has been wholly or partially destroyed through their ineptitude. In most cases the Ko-Shoami tsuba will be in better condition than the Shoami tsuba made a hundred years later.

Kyo-Shoami

From the end of the Muromachi age, to the begining of the Edo age we have the decline of the tosho and Katchushi schools, the last of the Owari sukashi, and the origin of the Bushu, Higo, and Akasaka schools; but the largest and most powerful of all was the Shoami school. The majority of the Shoami workers had moved to provincial areas but a few stayed on in the capital, as the descendants of the Ko-Shoami; these artists were the Kyo-Shoami workers of the Edo age.

The early Edo age was the greatest period for the Shoami and the Kyo-Shoami surpassed all their provincial relatives. Their designs were richer,more detailed, and far more sophisticated than the other schools who worked in iron plate. They begin to sign their work in some cases, and their fame grew throughout the country for their elegant style and superior craftsmanship. This glory was to last until the Kyoho era (1716-1735), when such schools as Higo, Akasaka, and the kinko surpassed the Kyo-Shoami in the race to opulence and dominated the field. For the rest of the Edo age the Kyo-Shoami show a steady decline to the point where their work in its last stages bears hardly any resemblance to its renowned style of two hundred years previous.

Awa-Shoami

From recent information and a study of the actual tsuba it is clear that there are two styles of Awa Shoami tsuba. One is inlaid decoration in gold and silver nunome on a brass plate. The designs are flowers, birds, fretwork and scroll work. These are usually in geometric patterns. Some carving of lions, flowers, and other objects will be found. The second style is iron plate usually with fan shaped or diamond shaped plates of soft metal inlaid on the surface. These inlays are decorated with gold and silver nunome or carving. The designs are flowers and landscapes. In some cases suemon zogan is used instead of carving. The inside surface of the carved lines may be covered with nunome inlay. Those Awa tsuba of iron plate are of later workmanship than those of brass plate. The first style is not as common as this second style. Those of iron plate were probably made at the time of the fifth generation and after.

Bizen-Shoami

This family of artists was regarded highly by Lord Ikeda of Bizen Province. For their services they were given an allowance from the castle stores. From the provincal records and those of the Ikeda family, the history of the Bizen Shoami school is very well annotated. These records are in good order and reveal a wealth of information heretofore unknown to the authors of the past. The style of the Bizen Shoami school is rich in its decorative quality. The designs are naive but very tasteful. It has a resemblance to the Kyo-Shoami tsuba of the same period but it is not as delicate nor sophisticated as the work of the capital. The subjects of the designs are more applicable to the countryside, having a strong and bold quality. The majority of the subjects of the designs are of openwork in ubuzukashi style. They are decorated with nunome and/or iroe inlay.

Iyo-Shoami

One hears that the Iyo-Shoami school existed from very early times. They are thought to have struggled with the Kyo-Shoami workers for leadership of the Shoami family. There does not seem to be any documentation to support the idea that the Iyo-Shoami school is older than any other branch school. It is more likely that it was formed at the same time as the other schools that were dispersed to the provinces. If any branch school may be considered anterior to the others it would have to be the Kyo-Shoami school, for they were the direct descendants of the Ko-Shoami and remained at the capital. All other Shoami schools were formed slightly later than the Kyo-Shoami in the early Edo age. The majority of work of the Iyo-Shoami school is in low relief carving, line carving, flat inlay, large areas of raised inlay, or mixed inlay. The common characteristic of most Shoami schools, i.e. nunome inlay, is rarely found in the work of this school. In essence the style is simple, naive and has a country feeling. Nevertheless, it is not without interest.

Aizu-Shoami

There are numerous opinions to explain the origin of the Aizu-Shoami school. The most logical of these theories was the one put forward by the late Nagaoka Tsuneki, author of the Shonai Kinko no Kenkyu. In this kenkyu, Nagaoka stated that Jirohachi was the founder of the Aizu Shoami school. There does not seem to be any tsuba by Jirohachi bearing his place of residence. In fact, we are not sure that he ever worked in Aizu. He seems to have been an independant artist without apprentices who might have carried on the style of his school in the Aizu area. Thus we cannot state for certain the origin of this school, for there do not seem to be enough facts to tell us anything of the early period of the Aizu Shoami. By the Genroku era and after, the style was a combination of Shoami and later Umetada school styles.
Aizu Shoami tsuba mostly have an iron ji, and kinko works are very rare. The shinmaru gata (true circle) shape is encountered regularly. Most round tsuba are a bit taller than they are wide. Both hitsu-ana are often shaped like kogai-hitsu as opposed to the standard kozuka kogai configuration. A motif showing a person or thematic object with a natural landscape in the background is common. Motifs such as a bird or a group of birds, an animal or animals, or insects, are also often seen. The bottom right section will contain the main design carved in takabori and/or detailed with nunome or inlay work, while the upper left section area is carved with comparatively less detail - moresoft and suggestive. This effect implies visual distance, draws our eye to the main section of the work and gives the illusion of depth to the overall design. It is common to see some details in gold nunome as with all Shoami works. Also, often small design elements such as foliage, branches, etc. are inlaid in shakudo. Aizu shakudo inlay is often of good quality with a deep luster. Sukashi work executed on the entire tsuba is rare to non-existant with the exception of the 'cloud' motif favored by Shigenobu. Some makers liked to use small sections of sukashi as a design element, but it is normally a secondary embellishment to the main theme of the work. Iron ji can be encountered in several varieties. One is a thick plate with a dark brown patina and strong variations in the surface, having a rough appearance. This type of ji is often highly tempered and will show abundant hard martensite crystals on the surface. A second type is a more polished ji with a chocolate brown patina. Another type has a deep rich purple-black patina on a thick plate having a similar luster to first tier iron sukashi works from Genroku times.

Shonai Shoami

Shonai is located in the remote northern part of the main island of Japan. This detachment from the rest of the country has given the work of this school a simple elegant feeling. The quiet sincerity of the work of the Shonai Shoami rarely fails to be interesting. The Sakai family controlled the extensive lands of the Shonai area and for this received one hundred and forty thousand koku of rice annually.
This school originated from the great-grandson of Jirohachi, Shoami Matahachiro, he was a retainer of the Sakai family after he came from Edo in Kambun 4 (1664). The earliest style of work from the Shonai area is that of the Ko-Shoami school. This style was used by the Yoshida family of the Shonai Shoami. Their work is later than the Ko-Shoami tsuba produced in Kyoto, but it has about the same feeling. It may be separated from the Kyoto work if one observes the iron plate which is considerably later than the Ko-Shoami. The school of Matahachiro was greatly over shadowed by that of the first Yasuchika, who was a native of Shonai. When the style of Yasuchika became popular he greatly influenced the schools of Edo and, in turn, those of Shonai. This cross current of style and influence was very strong at this time and the winds that blew the popular styles of the early Shonai Shoami toward Edo were to be reversed later and the Edo style (with Shonai influence) returned to Shonai in later years. It is interesting to note when comparing the work of Kiyonari and the first Yasuchika that Kiyonari was twenty-three years older than Yasuchika. Though he was senior in years, Yasuchika was to influence his work as his fame grew.
Another school of the Shonai area is that of Sato Chinkyu, and his father Shirozaemon. It is not known if they were members of the Shoami family, even though they worked in pure Shoami style. Little is known of Shiozaemon, but Chinkyu is famous as the teacher of the first Yasuchika and of Arinari. Their early style closely resembles that of Chinkyu and is strong in the Shonai Shoami style. This was before Yasuchika created his own style after moving to Edo.
The work of the Shonai Shoami is diverse, but with a common bond in the old Shoami style. A clue to the work of this school will depend on a feeling for the mood of the area and an understanding of the influences and trends of the age.

Akita Shoami

In the past there have been four opinions as to the origin of the Akita Shoami school. One says Dennai was the originator of this school when he camefrom Edo. Another says that he founded this school coming directly from Shonai. A third idea put forward by Nagaoka says that "Dembei was the creator of the Akita school." A fourth idea is that there was a Ko-Shoami school line working in Akita before any of these artists reached there. The fourth idea seems to be the most logical. The name Yoshinaga is to be found from an early period in the Akita area. He is said to have been the teacher of Dembei, but their full relationship is not known. Nor do we have any names of artists before that of Yoshinaga. However, from an examination of the work of these men it would seem clear that Yoshinaga introduced the Shoami style into the Akita area, and if anyone can be called the father of the Akita Shoami school it would have to be he. Dembei is the most important artist of Akita and his master works resemble fine Umetada tsuba or Ko-Shoami work. He occasionally worked in a style closely resembling that of Oda Naonori of Satsuma. His work is about equal in rank to that of Kiyonari of Shonai. By the Kansei era (1789-1800) the work of the Akita school cannot be found. From that time forward it seems the school disappeared without leaving a trace of the artists who had lived there.

Subsidiary Schools of the Shoami

There were a number of other Shoami workers in various provinces who were either independent artists or members of such small groups that their existence has been overlooked. The late Akiyama doubted that there had ever been a Shoami school in Edo, but after careful investigation he found evidence indicating its existence. This school is now called the Bushu Shoami. These workers must have been the descendants of Jirohachi who had remained in Edo. The work of this group is in the Kyo-Shoami style or that of Jirohachi. The Bushu Shoami tsuba in Kyo-Shoami style are often mistaken for the work of the Kyoto school. This may be avoided by an examination of the iron plate. The Bushu Shoami plate is not as old or rich as that done in Kyoto. The Bushu Shoami school existed at a later date than did the Kyo-Shoami school.
Another school of note is that of the Sakushu Shoami of Mimasaka Province. Their style resembles the Inshu Suruga school work. In this respect the work of the Sakushu Shoami differs from that of all other Shoami schools. With this adopted style a provincial feeling is also to be found.
By the middle of the Edo age the Shoami style had lost much of its popularity. The rise of the BUSHU (Ito family) and the CHOSHU schools as well as the power of the new kinko aided in the decline of the power and prestige of the Shoami. They were forced to copy the style of these more popular schools until the original Shoami style was lost altogether. Only the Bizen Shoami school retained its original style to the end of the Edo age.


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