A57278(W3193)
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Kenuki-style Warabite Sword signed Hayama Enshin In AugustMeiji 35th

Contemporary sword (Meiji 35th/1902) Tokyo
Length of cutting edge 40.9cm Width of base 28.2mm Thickness of base 5.3mm

NBTHK(Hozon) certificate


Blade construction: Kenuki-gata Warabite-tō type, with a double-edged Moroha Kissaki and a rounded spine (maru-mune). It has an inward curvature resembling a bayonet. Both the width and thickness of the blade are moderate and the less swelling Fukura (curvature near the tip) - constructed for superior thrusting performance. (See enlarged photo of blade.)
Forging Pattern: The Jigane steel shows a refined Nashiji-hada forged with extremely tight ko-itame grain, with fine Ji-nie (crystalline martensite particles) forming throughout.
Hamon: Notare-midare temper line made in rather on stronger side Nie-dek with thick layers of Mie belt along the Ha-buchi boundary line incorporating some frayed Hotsure elements where generates bright Nioi-guchi tempered edge line.
Bōshi : The temper curves in a gentle wave and becomes a chū-maru (medium-round) tip, descending deeply along the spine of Mune.
Hilt: Made of matching steel iron, pierced in a Kenuki-gata warabite design. The tsuba is an elongated oval with rounded corners (Nagakaku-maru) in kui-dashi style, finished in black lacquered iron. The tomo-tsuka (matching hilt) bears the inscription “Hayama Enshin” 羽山円真 and on the other side, the date of manufacture is engraved: “August, Meiji 35 (1902)” 明治卅五年八月日.
Scabbard: Finished in Koto-ito (zither-string pattern) brown lacquer. The Ashi-kanagu, Seme-gane and Kojiri are made of iron with a black lacquer finish.

The ancient swords of the Emishi (now in Tohoku region) are known as “Warabite-tō” (bracken-handled swords), so called because the pommel of the hilt curves in a rounded fashion resembling the head of a young bracken fern (warabi). In the Emishi regions, a distinctive sword form known as the Kenuki-gata Warabite-tō began to appear from the late Nara to early Heian period.
Unlike the straight swords (chokutō) used by the centralized Ritsuryō government, which employed inserted wooden hilts and mounted tsuba from the base of the blade, the Emishi warabite-tō featured a guard mounted from the tip side, with no inserted hilt wood. Instead, it was made from a single piece of steel iron — an integral tang design. Holes in the Kenuki (tweezer-like) shape were pierced into the hilt to reduce weight and absorb shock.
As the Ritsuryō state expanded into Emishi territory, the local populations were subjugated and came to be known as “fushū”. By the mid-Heian period, Kenuki-gata swords developed by smiths among the fushū of the Ōshū region were adopted as “Efu-tachi” (palace guard swords), used by high-ranking court officials responsible for protecting the emperor. By the late Heian period, these Kenuki-gata swords began to incorporate inserted hilt wood, transitioning from warabite-tō to full-fledged tachi.

The subject swordsmith - Hayama Enshin 羽山円真, whose real name was Suzuki Masahiro 鈴木正寬, was born in 1845 (Kōka 2) as the son of a retainer of the Yoshida Domain, in what is now Toyohashi City. Like his father, he served as a retainer of the Toyohashi Domain, but he made a decisive resolution to become a swordsmith. He studied under Suzuki Masao 鈴木正雄, a prominent disciple of Edo master Minamoto Kiyomaro 源清麿, and established his studio in Shimizu-chō, Yanaka, Shitaya Ward, Edo present in Tokyo.
His first signature was "Masahiro" 正寬 and he also went by the alias "Jōunsai" 浄雲斎. He was the last swordsmith to be profoundly influenced by Minamoto Kiyomaro 源清麿 and is considered one of the representative master swordsmiths of the Meiji and Taishō periods.
He identified himself as a specialist in the Awataguchi tradition, excelling in reproducing Yamashiro-den style works. He forged a sword for Ōmura Masujirō 大村益次郎 and in 1897 (Meiji 30), was commissioned by Prince Fushimi Sadanaru 伏見宮貞愛親王 to produce a replica of the Kogarasu-maru. From that time on, he became known for his exceptional skill in reviving and reproducing ancient swords, such as the Kenukigata warabite-tō.
The swords made by Hayama Enshin 羽山円真 are praised as the masterpieces as "Taishō Masamune"大正正宗 and he was also recognized as a master of Tameshigiri (test-cutting) in modern times.
When Gassan Sadakazu passed away in 1918 (Taishō 7) at the age of 84, Hayama Enshin in 1920 (Taishō 9) at 75, and Miyamoto Kanenori in 1926 (Taishō 15) at 97, the lineage of Shinshintō-period swordsmiths had nearly come to an end.

The subject Kenuki-gata Warabite-tō is a mature work forged by Hayama Enshin 羽山円真 at the age of 57. The Kui-dashi tsuba, Ashi-kanagu, Seme-gane and Kojiri are all considered to be original and made by Enshin himself. Until recently, the sword was held in a private museum in Okazaki City.
Due to its old polishing, there are some areas of rust.
Old polish/Condition scale: vmint-excellent (using a scale of mint-excellent-very good-good-fair-poor). due to old polish, some insignificant rust is visible in places.
reference:
Iwata Atou, “Owari Tōkōfu” (Record of Owari Swordsmiths), Nagoya City Board of Education, Shōwa 59 (1984)