Sanjo Munechika

Date of birth and death unknown. A swordsmith in the Heian period. He is said to have lived around Eien (987-989). He was called Sanjo Kokaji because he lived in Sanjo, Kyoto, and the legend that he forged a famous sword after receiving a reply from Inari Shrine in Fushimi is well known from the Noh play "Kokaji." Kokaji refers to those who make iron products from iron materials, and is a name that distinguishes them from o-kaji (those who make iron materials from iron sand, etc.). There are very few surviving works with signatures, including those with "Munechika" and "Sanjo" signatures. The former is represented by the sword that is a current imperial possession handed down by the Sakai family of Wakasa, and the latter is represented by the famous Mikazuki Munechika, one of the five great swords of Japan.

Munechika's lineage is called the Sanjo school, and this school included such disciples as Kanenaga, Kuninaga, Arinari, Yoshiie, and Chikamura, of whom Kanenaga and Kuninaga are said to have moved to Gojo, and Arinari is also said to have moved to Kawachi Province (Osaka Prefecture).

[Nobuo Ogasawara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。平安時代の刀鍛冶(かじ)。永延(えいえん)（987～989）ごろの人という。京の三条に住したので三条小鍛冶(こかじ)の呼称があり、伏見の稲荷(いなり)明神の相槌(あいづち)を得て名剣を鍛えたとの伝説は、能『小鍛冶』によりよく知られる。小鍛冶とは鉄資材から鉄製品をつくるものをいい、大鍛冶（砂鉄などから鉄資材をつくるもの）と区別した呼称である。現存する有銘作品はきわめて少なく、「宗近」銘と「三条」銘とがあり、前者は若狭(わかさ)酒井家に伝来する現御物(ぎょぶつ)の太刀(たち)、後者は天下五剣の一つで名物の三日月宗近によって代表される。

　宗近の系統を三条派と呼称するが、この派には兼永(かねなが)、国永(くになが)、有成(ありなり)、吉家(よしいえ)、近村(ちかむら)などの弟子がいて、兼永、国永は五条に移住したという。また有成は河内(かわち)国（大阪府）に移ったとも伝えられる。

［小笠原信夫］

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