#kiyomitsu

During the Warring States period, swordsmithing was such a demanding job that it was recorded that dozens of swordsmiths were sent to the battlefield to repair swords damaged in battle. However, in the early Edo period when the world became Taihei, the demand for it decreased steadily, and it is said that the life of a swordsmith was in dire straits. Perhaps the reason why Kiyomitsu, the 6th generation, came to live in an unmanned hut is related to the background of the times. It seems that the 7th generation Kiyomitsu also lived in an unmanned hut.

The person who used Kashu Kiyomitsu

Tragedy genius swordfighter, Soji Okita

Kashu Kiyomitsu is a sword that was on the market at a relatively low price, so many people would have owned it or used it. Souji Okita, the leader of the Shinsengumi Ichiban Squad, who is famous as one of the strongest swordfighters at the end of the Edo period, was also one of the Kashu Kiyomitsu users.

For the Shinsengumi, who have been fighting on a daily basis, it is a daily occurrence that the sword is damaged or sent for repair. Therefore, it is probable that Souji always used multiple swords, but on June 5, 1945, Souji took a sortie with this Kashu Kiyomitsu when he faced the Ikedaya incident, a big catch of his life. I am.

The people gathered at Ikedaya were the Ishin Shishi who had a radical idea such as "let's set fire to the capital of Kyoto and kidnap the emperor" ... It is easy to imagine that if you fight, it will be a fierce battle. In fact, multiple people were killed on both the Shishi side and the Shinsengumi side, and the Shinsengumi executives Nagakura and Todo were seriously injured. Since Kiyomitsu is chosen as the sword to carry in such a fierce battle, Souji must have put a certain amount of trust in Kiyomitsu's performance.

As a result, Kashu Kiyomitsu was torn down in this battle and sent for repair, but the whereabouts after that are unknown. It seems that the tip part called the hat was damaged enough to break, so it may be impossible to repair it and it may have been dismissed. (Even if it was damaged and couldn't be used anymore, it would have been a valuable historical document if it was left behind ... I think that was something that the president at that time would have never thought of.)

There is a theory that Kiyomitsu for Okita Souji was the work of the famous 6th generation "Beggar Kiyomitsu", but if it is not a distinctive feature of the style depending on the generation, it has already been lost. It's difficult to tell what generation Soji Kiyomitsu was from. Even Souji himself, who bought the sword, didn't know what generation Kiyomitsu made ...

Kiyomitsu 6th is a person nearly 200 years before Souji was born. Since then, Kiyomitsu's name has been passed down from generation to generation, and it seems that the 12th Kiyomitsu, who was active in the same era as Souji, was a master craftsman who represented Kashu, so I feel that it is closer in the era. ..

Hideki Tojo was executed as a war criminal after climbing to the prime minister