Kogatana: Seki Kanesada

Nagasa

12 (三寸九分六厘)

Motohaba

12.5ミリ

Moto-kasane

2.6ミリ

Sakihaba

物打幅7.4ミリ

Saki-kasane

物打重ね2.0ミリ

寸法

全長20.4センチ

Registration

登録不要

Accessories

桐箱

Weight

重さ15.7グラム

As written by the shop

Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors · Show original

Kanesada is one of the representative toko mei of Seki in Mino Province, and the name was passed down from the late Muromachi period into the early modern era. Because the same mei was used over multiple generations and works admiring the fame of Kanesada are also seen in later periods, this item is not attributed to a specific generation but is introduced as a jidai-kogatana featuring a sanjimai. A kogatana is a small sword used as a close tool for samurai, such as cutting paper or cord and shaving wood, and was housed in the sheath of a sword using a kozuka as a handle. Although it is a practical item, it is produced through the same processes as a nihonto—where a toko forges the jigane, performs yaki-ire, and chisels the mei—so the skill of the toko and the character of the era are condensed within the small toshin. The ability to appreciate the unique charm of a forged object, distinct from tosogu, is the true pleasure of kogatana appreciation. This item is a kogatana with a slender sugata of 20.4 centimeters in total length, featuring an outline that extends cleanly from the hamachi toward the kissaki. The kissaki, which forms a sharp point while drawing a slight arc, and the long, tightened toshin give a handsome impression, allowing one to feel a dignified atmosphere unique to jidai-kogatana within a simple form rooted in practical use. The three-character mei "Seki Kanesada" is cut into the toshin. The simply carved mei and the calm keshiki of the jigane that has aged over time harmonize well, and the more one gazes at it in hand, the more one can appreciate the character of a kogatana that has been passed down as a close tool of the samurai. The charms of this item are its handsome sugata featuring a sanjimai and the gentle expression of the jigane that makes one feel its history as a practical tool. It can of course be enjoyed as part of a koshirae by placing it in a kozuka, but the kogatana itself can also be appreciated as an independent forged work; it is a tasteful hitokuchi that I would recommend to those who collect jidai-kogatana alongside tosogu.