NihontoWatchWeight (excluding saya): 972g It has arrived—a katana with a tachi-mei by the swordsmith Hizen no Kuni Kanemoto, who masterfully replicated the work of the famous Hizen no Kuni Harima no Daijo Fujiwara Tadakuni, the pride of Saga Prefecture. The swordsmith Hizen no Kuni Kanemoto, real name Motomura Kanesaku, was born in Meiji 40 (1907) and was chosen for the honor of being a Rikugun Jumei Tosho (Army Commissioned Swordsmith). He was a master craftsman who received the President's Award from the Army Gunto Technology Encouragement Association. This sword is a utsushi of Harima no Daijo Fujiwara Tadakuni, the nephew of Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi. The sugata of this sword shows a significant difference between the motohaba and sakihaba with a graceful sori, exhibiting the excellent sugata of a Hizen-to. The jigane is a finely packed ko-itame hada with ji-nie, and the horimono consists of skillfully carved bo-hi. The hamon is his specialty, a gunome-midare. Within the ha, he has brilliantly fired the most distinctive feature of Harima no Daijo Fujiwara Tadakuni: gunome-ba where the interior of the elements are rounded, resembling the eyes of a horsefly. Since ancient times, this type of ha has been called "Abu-no-me Choji" (horsefly-eye choji) and is particularly famous in the sword world as the defining characteristic of Harima no Daijo Fujiwara Tadakuni. The modern koshirae, featuring a leather-wrapped tsuka, adds further splendor to this tachi-mei sword by Hizen no Kuni Kanemoto. We received this piece from an elderly collector who stated, "I have grown old, so please pass this sword—a utsushi of Saga Prefecture's pride, Harima no Daijo Fujiwara Tadakuni—to someone who will cherish it at an affordable price." Therefore, we are offering it at a special discount. Please enjoy this fine blade.
NihontoWatchKanemoto兼元
Offered by Nipponto
Hizen · around 1926-1989
3 pieces on the market now
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
¥550,000