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Description

This is a Katana by Echigo no Kami Kanesada, made around the Enpo era (1673-1681) in the Edo period. It features a wide mihaba, deep curvature, and a dynamic wave-patterned hamon. This blade is designated as a 51st NBTHK Juyo Token, signifying its exceptional quality and historical importance.

NBTHK Setsumei

Jūyō-Tōken, 51st Session — Designated October 13, 2005 Katana, mei: Echigo no Kami Kanesada (越後守包貞) Measurements Nagasa 70.4 cm, sori 1.5 cm, motohaba 2.95 cm, sakihaba 2.0 cm, kissaki-nagasa 3.5 cm, nakago-nagasa 23.5 cm Description Keijō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune; the ridge of the back drops rather steeply; mihaba is essentially standard; there is a noticeable difference between base- and tip-width; little hiraniku; the kasane is somewhat thick; there is a sense of funbari; the curvature is shallow, and the chūkissaki shows a slightly extended impression. Kitae: tightly forged ko-itame-hada; ji-nie adheres densely in fine granules and rather thickly; fine chikei enter well; the steel appears bright. Hamon: begins with suguha yakidashi; above that, a gunome-midare mixed with ko-notare, large gunome, small gunome, and the like, forming a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) effect; in places it shows a katayama-shaped style of irregularity; ashi enter long and well; the nioi is deep; thick ko-nie adheres; overall fine sunagashi run throughout, with kinsuji; the nioiguchi is bright and clear. Bōshi: sugu with a slightly ō-maru-like tendency, turning back shallowly; the tip shows hakikake. Horimono: None. Nakago: ubu; iriyama-gata nakago-jiri; sujikai kesho-yasurime; two mekugi-ana; on the sashi-omote, below the mekugi-ana and toward the mune side, there is a bold five-character signature cut with a thick chisel. Artisan Echigo no Kami Kanesada, second generation (二代越後守包貞) Era Mid Edo period (Kanbun–Enpō era), Shintō Explanation The second-generation Kanesada studied under the first-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada and succeeded him. At first he used the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada; however, when Iwamatsu—said to have been the first generation’s biological son—came of age, he ceded the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada to him and thereafter signed himself Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane (坂倉言之進照包). As for the time when he changed his name from Kanesada to Terukane, an extant work is known bearing the inscription “Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane” and “Echigo no Kami Kanesada retired” (on the reverse), together with the date “an auspicious day in the second month of Enpō 8.” From this, the change of name is thought to have occurred probably around Enpō 8. In terms of workmanship, he often produced tōran-midare in imitation of Sukehiro, as well as “Monju-style” gunome-midare; more rarely, works in large notare or in suguha are also seen. In any of these approaches, it is typical for his blades to exhibit deep nioi, plentiful nie, and a bright nioiguchi. This katana shows a tightly packed ko-itame forging in which fine-granular ji-nie adheres thickly and fine chikei appear well, yielding a bright ground. The hamon starts with suguha yakidashi and then develops into a gunome-midare mixed with ko-notare, large and small gunome, producing a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) impression; in places it presents a katayama-shaped irregularity. Long ashi enter well; the nioi is deep; thick ko-nie adheres; fine sunagashi run throughout the temper, and kinsuji appear, while the nioiguchi remains notably bright and clear. Although the blade chiefly displays the tōran-like irregularity that was this smith’s greatest forte, it also shows the distinctive hamon shapes known as katayama-midare, characteristic of his work; the overall presence of sunagashi likewise clearly indicates his personal traits. In addition, the somewhat steeply dropped mune and the construction with little hiraniku reveal further points of interest particular to him. Especially noteworthy is that the forging is of excellent quality, and the tempered area is exceptionally deep in nioi with thick ko-nie, such that both ji and ha are bright and clear throughout. This is a fine example by the second-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada, composed with an elegant restraint.

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Swords›Osaka Shinto›Kanesada›Katana: Echigo no Kami Kanesada (51st NBTHK Juyo Token)
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Shinto Kanesada

Katana: Echigo no Kami Kanesada (51st NBTHK Juyo Token)

mei · Enpo (1673-1681) · nagasa 70.4cm · sori 1.4cm

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Shinto Kanesada — 1 of 6
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Measurements & details
Smith
Shinto Kanesada
Type
Katana
School
Osaka Shinto
Period
Around 1673–1682(Enpo)
Province
Settsu
Signature
Signed(100% of this smith's designated works are signed)
Measurements
Nagasa 70.4cmSori 1.4cmMotohaba 3.16cmSakihaba 2.15cmKasane 0.72cmWeight 760g
Description

This is a Katana by Echigo no Kami Kanesada, made around the Enpo era (1673-1681) in the Edo period. It features a wide mihaba, deep curvature, and a dynamic wave-patterned hamon. This blade is designated as a 51st NBTHK Juyo Token, signifying its exceptional quality and historical importance.

NBTHK Zufu Commentary

Juyo #51

AI translation — may contain errors

-, 51st Session — Designated October 13, 2005

, : Echigo no Kami Kanesada (越後守包貞)

Measurements 70.4 cm, 1.5 cm, 2.95 cm, 2.0 cm, 3.5 cm, 23.5 cm

Description Keijō: , ; the ridge of the back drops rather steeply; is essentially standard; there is a noticeable difference between base- and tip-width; little ; the is somewhat thick; there is a sense of ; the curvature is shallow, and the shows a slightly extended impression. : tightly forged ; adheres densely in fine granules and rather thickly; fine enter well; the steel appears bright. : begins with ; above that, a mixed with , large , small , and the like, forming a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) effect; in places it shows a katayama-shaped style of irregularity; enter long and well; the is deep; thick adheres; overall fine run throughout, with ; the is bright and clear. : with a slightly -like tendency, turning back shallowly; the tip shows . : None. : ; ; ; two ; on the , below the and toward the side, there is a bold five-character signature cut with a thick chisel.

Artisan Echigo no Kami Kanesada, second generation (二代越後守包貞)

Era Mid period (–Enpō era),

Explanation The second-generation Kanesada studied under the first-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada and succeeded him. At first he used the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada; however, when Iwamatsu—said to have been the first generation’s biological son—came of age, he ceded the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada to him and thereafter signed himself Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane (坂倉言之進照包).

As for the time when he changed his name from Kanesada to Terukane, an extant work is known bearing the inscription “Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane” and “Echigo no Kami Kanesada retired” (on the reverse), together with the date “an auspicious day in the second month of Enpō 8.” From this, the change of name is thought to have occurred probably around Enpō 8.

In terms of workmanship, he often produced tōran-midare in imitation of Sukehiro, as well as “Monju-style” ; more rarely, works in large or in are also seen. In any of these approaches, it is typical for his blades to exhibit deep , plentiful , and a bright .

This shows a tightly packed forging in which fine-granular adheres thickly and fine appear well, yielding a bright ground. The starts with and then develops into a mixed with , large and small , producing a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) impression; in places it presents a katayama-shaped irregularity. Long enter well; the is deep; thick adheres; fine run throughout the temper, and appear, while the remains notably bright and clear.

Although the blade chiefly displays the tōran-like irregularity that was this smith’s greatest forte, it also shows the distinctive shapes known as katayama-, characteristic of his work; the overall presence of likewise clearly indicates his personal traits. In addition, the somewhat steeply dropped and the construction with little reveal further points of interest particular to him. Especially noteworthy is that the forging is of excellent quality, and the tempered area is exceptionally deep in with thick , such that both and are bright and clear throughout. This is a fine example by the second-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada, composed with an elegant restraint.

About the maker

Kanesada

包貞

Ōsaka Shintō, the nidai Echigo no Kami Kanesada / Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane (Settsu) · Settsu · around 1673-1682

Tōken Taikan top 11%

12 pieces on the market now

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The nidai Echigo no Kami Kanesada signed two katana dated Enpō 4 (1676), and both rose to Tokubetsu Jūyō, the pair the most highly placed works of his hand on record. He is the second generation of the Kanesada line of Ōsaka, working through the Enpō and Tenna years among the leading smiths of the Ōsaka Shintō. The published sources tell a single, consistent biography across his blades. He studied under the shodai Echigo no Kami Kanesada, became his successor and adopted son, and at first signed Echigo no Kami Kanesada himself; but when the shodai's natural son Iwamatsu came of age, he yielded the Kanesada name to the boy and thereafter signed Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane. A surviving blade inscribed Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane, with Echigo no Kami Kanesada retired on the reverse and dated the second month of Enpō 8, fixes that change to about 1680. Of the man behind the two names the NBTHK is direct: "the nidai Kanesada was a master who surpassed the shodai"[[c:1]].

His hand is read first in the surging tōran-midare, the billowing-wave temper the published sources call his greatest forte, learned in emulation of Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro of the same Ōsaka generation. The temper opens at the base from a straight suguha yakidashi and then rises into a large ō-gunome-midare, mixing ko-notare, gunome and yahazu-like teeth, that crests into the wave. Within it the judges single out a hamon they treat as his own: "the katayama-midare, a hamon distinctive to this smith"[[c:2]], the one-sided, leaning wave he carries often with a run of three linked gunome below the yokote. Long ashi enter well, the nioi is deep, the ko-nie thick, fine sunagashi runs throughout and kinsuji appear, the nioiguchi bright and clear, the bōshi sugu to a small ko-maru. Beside this he keeps the aligned gunome of his background, and the recurring fine sunagashi through the temper the sources read as "a feature of the Monju lineage that forms his background"[[c:3]].

The jigane is the constant beneath every manner. It is a tightly packed ko-itame, sometimes mixed with mokume, over which very fine ji-nie lies thickly and fine chikei enter well, the steel bright and clear. On the finest blades a mizukage rises at the machi. The published sources praise this forging as refined and of excellent quality, bright in steel tone, and it is the brightness of both ji and ha together that they repeatedly name as the mark of his work. The construction supports the kantei as much as the activity does: the mune-oroshi drops steeply, the hiraniku is scant, the body broad with a Kanbun-Shintō taper, points of make the judges note as his own.

His range divides into three faces the swordbooks list together. The earliest, carried on the two Enpō 4 Tokubetsu Jūyō, is the aligned ō-gunome with somewhat chōji-like elements, a manner close to the shodai's but already brighter in nioi and firmer in ko-nie, the talent read as surpassing the teacher. The mature and most personal face is the tōran with its katayama lean, judged at its best as bolder, more varied and more dynamic than usual. The third is a quiet suguha, comparatively uncommon on his signed work, which one Jūyō reads as modeled on a high master of the Sōshū tradition, particularly the manner of Gō Yoshihiro, the intention discernible above all in the state of the hardened edge. Dated pieces are few, so the Enpō 4 katana are valued as documentary material for placing the rest.

What sets the nidai apart from the wider Ōsaka school is exactly what the judges name as his own. His bright deep-nioi tōran, with its leaning katayama form and the three linked gunome below the yokote, distinguishes him from the symmetrical wave of his contemporaries, while the steep mune-oroshi and scant hiraniku mark the make. The fine sunagashi threading the temper carries the Monju descent forward into the Ōsaka idiom, and the rarer suguha shows him reaching back to Sōshū. He stands as the second pillar of the Kanesada house, the smith who took his father's manner and, in the judgment of the published record, carried it past him.

For the collector the nidai is a substantial but bounded name. Seventy-six of his blades stand in the Tokubetsu Jūyō and Jūyō tiers, but only the two Enpō 4 katana reach the higher rank, so a top example surfaces seldom and a more typical Jūyō from time to time, with patience. The published sources call one of the dated katana "one of his representative works"[[c:4]] and another, of recorded whereabouts, "an outstanding piece within the second generation Kanesada's oeuvre"[[c:5]]. His blades are held in collections grounded in their own provenance: a wakizashi signed Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane, carrying his katayama-midare and the three linked gunome, descends through the Yamauchi family of Tosa, and two of his works are recorded in the Imperial collection. A signed nidai Kanesada, bright in ji and ha and bearing his leaning wave, is among the more attainable of the first-rank Ōsaka Shintō names, not beyond reach, but a landmark when a fine dated example does appear.

Historical importance

Where Kanesada stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.

随一
Foremost
屈指
Leading
有数
Major
著名
Notable

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Designation record
78 designated works
Gyobutsu (Imperial)
2
Tokubetsu Jūyō
2
Jūyō
74
12 works by Kanesada on the market→
Kanesada — full profileŌsaka Shintō, the nidai Echigo no Kami Kanesada / Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane (Settsu) school

Dated Works

Years he was demonstrably active, proven by signed-and-dated blades

Active period
1676–1682Editorial estimate: 1673–1682
21 of 76 designated works carry a date
1670
1680
1690
About the school

Osaka Shinto

大坂新刀

Shinto · Settsu

75 pieces on the market now

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Osaka in the early-to-mid Edo period was a merchant capital, a city of commerce and capital rather than a castle town tied to a single daimyo house, and the swordsmiths who gathered there worked for a wealthy townsman clientele as much as for warriors. The grouping known as Osaka Shinto (大坂新刀) took shape in Settsu from two feeder currents. Learn more →

17 recorded smiths255 designated works
Leading smiths
SmithEraDesignated
Shinkai真改1649-168279
Tadatsuna忠綱1673-171753
Kanesada包貞1673-168278
Kanesada包貞1648-165210
Kunisuke國助1658-166310
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NBTHK Certificate
Jūyō Tōken重要刀剣
Important Sword
›

A blade of top-grade workmanship and condition, formally judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin). Awarded only at the NBTHK’s competitive annual examination.

Of Japan’s roughly 2.5 million registered swords, only 12,307 (about 1 in 203) have ever attained Jūyō.

About the NBTHK›

The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.

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Description

This is a Katana by Echigo no Kami Kanesada, made around the Enpo era (1673-1681) in the Edo period. It features a wide mihaba, deep curvature, and a dynamic wave-patterned hamon. This blade is designated as a 51st NBTHK Juyo Token, signifying its exceptional quality and historical importance.

NBTHK Setsumei

Jūyō-Tōken, 51st Session — Designated October 13, 2005 Katana, mei: Echigo no Kami Kanesada (越後守包貞) Measurements Nagasa 70.4 cm, sori 1.5 cm, motohaba 2.95 cm, sakihaba 2.0 cm, kissaki-nagasa 3.5 cm, nakago-nagasa 23.5 cm Description Keijō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune; the ridge of the back drops rather steeply; mihaba is essentially standard; there is a noticeable difference between base- and tip-width; little hiraniku; the kasane is somewhat thick; there is a sense of funbari; the curvature is shallow, and the chūkissaki shows a slightly extended impression. Kitae: tightly forged ko-itame-hada; ji-nie adheres densely in fine granules and rather thickly; fine chikei enter well; the steel appears bright. Hamon: begins with suguha yakidashi; above that, a gunome-midare mixed with ko-notare, large gunome, small gunome, and the like, forming a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) effect; in places it shows a katayama-shaped style of irregularity; ashi enter long and well; the nioi is deep; thick ko-nie adheres; overall fine sunagashi run throughout, with kinsuji; the nioiguchi is bright and clear. Bōshi: sugu with a slightly ō-maru-like tendency, turning back shallowly; the tip shows hakikake. Horimono: None. Nakago: ubu; iriyama-gata nakago-jiri; sujikai kesho-yasurime; two mekugi-ana; on the sashi-omote, below the mekugi-ana and toward the mune side, there is a bold five-character signature cut with a thick chisel. Artisan Echigo no Kami Kanesada, second generation (二代越後守包貞) Era Mid Edo period (Kanbun–Enpō era), Shintō Explanation The second-generation Kanesada studied under the first-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada and succeeded him. At first he used the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada; however, when Iwamatsu—said to have been the first generation’s biological son—came of age, he ceded the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada to him and thereafter signed himself Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane (坂倉言之進照包). As for the time when he changed his name from Kanesada to Terukane, an extant work is known bearing the inscription “Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane” and “Echigo no Kami Kanesada retired” (on the reverse), together with the date “an auspicious day in the second month of Enpō 8.” From this, the change of name is thought to have occurred probably around Enpō 8. In terms of workmanship, he often produced tōran-midare in imitation of Sukehiro, as well as “Monju-style” gunome-midare; more rarely, works in large notare or in suguha are also seen. In any of these approaches, it is typical for his blades to exhibit deep nioi, plentiful nie, and a bright nioiguchi. This katana shows a tightly packed ko-itame forging in which fine-granular ji-nie adheres thickly and fine chikei appear well, yielding a bright ground. The hamon starts with suguha yakidashi and then develops into a gunome-midare mixed with ko-notare, large and small gunome, producing a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) impression; in places it presents a katayama-shaped irregularity. Long ashi enter well; the nioi is deep; thick ko-nie adheres; fine sunagashi run throughout the temper, and kinsuji appear, while the nioiguchi remains notably bright and clear. Although the blade chiefly displays the tōran-like irregularity that was this smith’s greatest forte, it also shows the distinctive hamon shapes known as katayama-midare, characteristic of his work; the overall presence of sunagashi likewise clearly indicates his personal traits. In addition, the somewhat steeply dropped mune and the construction with little hiraniku reveal further points of interest particular to him. Especially noteworthy is that the forging is of excellent quality, and the tempered area is exceptionally deep in nioi with thick ko-nie, such that both ji and ha are bright and clear throughout. This is a fine example by the second-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada, composed with an elegant restraint.

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Swords›Osaka Shinto›Kanesada›Katana: Echigo no Kami Kanesada (51st NBTHK Juyo Token)
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Shinto Kanesada

Katana: Echigo no Kami Kanesada (51st NBTHK Juyo Token)

mei · Enpo (1673-1681) · nagasa 70.4cm · sori 1.4cm

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Measurements & details
Smith
Shinto Kanesada
Type
Katana
School
Osaka Shinto
Period
Around 1673–1682(Enpo)
Province
Settsu
Signature
Signed(100% of this smith's designated works are signed)
Measurements
Nagasa 70.4cmSori 1.4cmMotohaba 3.16cmSakihaba 2.15cmKasane 0.72cmWeight 760g
Description

This is a Katana by Echigo no Kami Kanesada, made around the Enpo era (1673-1681) in the Edo period. It features a wide mihaba, deep curvature, and a dynamic wave-patterned hamon. This blade is designated as a 51st NBTHK Juyo Token, signifying its exceptional quality and historical importance.

NBTHK Zufu Commentary

Juyo #51

AI translation — may contain errors

-, 51st Session — Designated October 13, 2005

, : Echigo no Kami Kanesada (越後守包貞)

Measurements 70.4 cm, 1.5 cm, 2.95 cm, 2.0 cm, 3.5 cm, 23.5 cm

Description Keijō: , ; the ridge of the back drops rather steeply; is essentially standard; there is a noticeable difference between base- and tip-width; little ; the is somewhat thick; there is a sense of ; the curvature is shallow, and the shows a slightly extended impression. : tightly forged ; adheres densely in fine granules and rather thickly; fine enter well; the steel appears bright. : begins with ; above that, a mixed with , large , small , and the like, forming a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) effect; in places it shows a katayama-shaped style of irregularity; enter long and well; the is deep; thick adheres; overall fine run throughout, with ; the is bright and clear. : with a slightly -like tendency, turning back shallowly; the tip shows . : None. : ; ; ; two ; on the , below the and toward the side, there is a bold five-character signature cut with a thick chisel.

Artisan Echigo no Kami Kanesada, second generation (二代越後守包貞)

Era Mid period (–Enpō era),

Explanation The second-generation Kanesada studied under the first-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada and succeeded him. At first he used the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada; however, when Iwamatsu—said to have been the first generation’s biological son—came of age, he ceded the name Echigo no Kami Kanesada to him and thereafter signed himself Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane (坂倉言之進照包).

As for the time when he changed his name from Kanesada to Terukane, an extant work is known bearing the inscription “Sakakura Gonnojō Terukane” and “Echigo no Kami Kanesada retired” (on the reverse), together with the date “an auspicious day in the second month of Enpō 8.” From this, the change of name is thought to have occurred probably around Enpō 8.

In terms of workmanship, he often produced tōran-midare in imitation of Sukehiro, as well as “Monju-style” ; more rarely, works in large or in are also seen. In any of these approaches, it is typical for his blades to exhibit deep , plentiful , and a bright .

This shows a tightly packed forging in which fine-granular adheres thickly and fine appear well, yielding a bright ground. The starts with and then develops into a mixed with , large and small , producing a billowing, tōran-like (ranpū) impression; in places it presents a katayama-shaped irregularity. Long enter well; the is deep; thick adheres; fine run throughout the temper, and appear, while the remains notably bright and clear.

Although the blade chiefly displays the tōran-like irregularity that was this smith’s greatest forte, it also shows the distinctive shapes known as katayama-, characteristic of his work; the overall presence of likewise clearly indicates his personal traits. In addition, the somewhat steeply dropped and the construction with little reveal further points of interest particular to him. Especially noteworthy is that the forging is of excellent quality, and the tempered area is exceptionally deep in with thick , such that both and are bright and clear throughout. This is a fine example by the second-generation Echigo no Kami Kanesada, composed with an elegant restraint.

About the maker

Kanesada

包貞

Ōsaka Shintō, the nidai Echigo no Kami Kanesada / Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane (Settsu) · Settsu · around 1673-1682

Tōken Taikan top 11%

12 pieces on the market now

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The nidai Echigo no Kami Kanesada signed two katana dated Enpō 4 (1676), and both rose to Tokubetsu Jūyō, the pair the most highly placed works of his hand on record. He is the second generation of the Kanesada line of Ōsaka, working through the Enpō and Tenna years among the leading smiths of the Ōsaka Shintō. The published sources tell a single, consistent biography across his blades. He studied under the shodai Echigo no Kami Kanesada, became his successor and adopted son, and at first signed Echigo no Kami Kanesada himself; but when the shodai's natural son Iwamatsu came of age, he yielded the Kanesada name to the boy and thereafter signed Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane. A surviving blade inscribed Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane, with Echigo no Kami Kanesada retired on the reverse and dated the second month of Enpō 8, fixes that change to about 1680. Of the man behind the two names the NBTHK is direct: "the nidai Kanesada was a master who surpassed the shodai"[[c:1]].

His hand is read first in the surging tōran-midare, the billowing-wave temper the published sources call his greatest forte, learned in emulation of Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro of the same Ōsaka generation. The temper opens at the base from a straight suguha yakidashi and then rises into a large ō-gunome-midare, mixing ko-notare, gunome and yahazu-like teeth, that crests into the wave. Within it the judges single out a hamon they treat as his own: "the katayama-midare, a hamon distinctive to this smith"[[c:2]], the one-sided, leaning wave he carries often with a run of three linked gunome below the yokote. Long ashi enter well, the nioi is deep, the ko-nie thick, fine sunagashi runs throughout and kinsuji appear, the nioiguchi bright and clear, the bōshi sugu to a small ko-maru. Beside this he keeps the aligned gunome of his background, and the recurring fine sunagashi through the temper the sources read as "a feature of the Monju lineage that forms his background"[[c:3]].

The jigane is the constant beneath every manner. It is a tightly packed ko-itame, sometimes mixed with mokume, over which very fine ji-nie lies thickly and fine chikei enter well, the steel bright and clear. On the finest blades a mizukage rises at the machi. The published sources praise this forging as refined and of excellent quality, bright in steel tone, and it is the brightness of both ji and ha together that they repeatedly name as the mark of his work. The construction supports the kantei as much as the activity does: the mune-oroshi drops steeply, the hiraniku is scant, the body broad with a Kanbun-Shintō taper, points of make the judges note as his own.

His range divides into three faces the swordbooks list together. The earliest, carried on the two Enpō 4 Tokubetsu Jūyō, is the aligned ō-gunome with somewhat chōji-like elements, a manner close to the shodai's but already brighter in nioi and firmer in ko-nie, the talent read as surpassing the teacher. The mature and most personal face is the tōran with its katayama lean, judged at its best as bolder, more varied and more dynamic than usual. The third is a quiet suguha, comparatively uncommon on his signed work, which one Jūyō reads as modeled on a high master of the Sōshū tradition, particularly the manner of Gō Yoshihiro, the intention discernible above all in the state of the hardened edge. Dated pieces are few, so the Enpō 4 katana are valued as documentary material for placing the rest.

What sets the nidai apart from the wider Ōsaka school is exactly what the judges name as his own. His bright deep-nioi tōran, with its leaning katayama form and the three linked gunome below the yokote, distinguishes him from the symmetrical wave of his contemporaries, while the steep mune-oroshi and scant hiraniku mark the make. The fine sunagashi threading the temper carries the Monju descent forward into the Ōsaka idiom, and the rarer suguha shows him reaching back to Sōshū. He stands as the second pillar of the Kanesada house, the smith who took his father's manner and, in the judgment of the published record, carried it past him.

For the collector the nidai is a substantial but bounded name. Seventy-six of his blades stand in the Tokubetsu Jūyō and Jūyō tiers, but only the two Enpō 4 katana reach the higher rank, so a top example surfaces seldom and a more typical Jūyō from time to time, with patience. The published sources call one of the dated katana "one of his representative works"[[c:4]] and another, of recorded whereabouts, "an outstanding piece within the second generation Kanesada's oeuvre"[[c:5]]. His blades are held in collections grounded in their own provenance: a wakizashi signed Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane, carrying his katayama-midare and the three linked gunome, descends through the Yamauchi family of Tosa, and two of his works are recorded in the Imperial collection. A signed nidai Kanesada, bright in ji and ha and bearing his leaning wave, is among the more attainable of the first-rank Ōsaka Shintō names, not beyond reach, but a landmark when a fine dated example does appear.

Historical importance

Where Kanesada stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.

随一
Foremost
屈指
Leading
有数
Major
著名
Notable

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Designation record
78 designated works
Gyobutsu (Imperial)
2
Tokubetsu Jūyō
2
Jūyō
74
12 works by Kanesada on the market→
Kanesada — full profileŌsaka Shintō, the nidai Echigo no Kami Kanesada / Sakakura Gonnoshin Terukane (Settsu) school

Dated Works

Years he was demonstrably active, proven by signed-and-dated blades

Active period
1676–1682Editorial estimate: 1673–1682
21 of 76 designated works carry a date
1670
1680
1690
About the school

Osaka Shinto

大坂新刀

Shinto · Settsu

75 pieces on the market now

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Osaka in the early-to-mid Edo period was a merchant capital, a city of commerce and capital rather than a castle town tied to a single daimyo house, and the swordsmiths who gathered there worked for a wealthy townsman clientele as much as for warriors. The grouping known as Osaka Shinto (大坂新刀) took shape in Settsu from two feeder currents. Learn more →

17 recorded smiths255 designated works
Leading smiths
SmithEraDesignated
Shinkai真改1649-168279
Tadatsuna忠綱1673-171753
Kanesada包貞1673-168278
Kanesada包貞1648-165210
Kunisuke國助1658-166310
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NBTHK Certificate
Jūyō Tōken重要刀剣
Important Sword
›

A blade of top-grade workmanship and condition, formally judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin). Awarded only at the NBTHK’s competitive annual examination.

Of Japan’s roughly 2.5 million registered swords, only 12,307 (about 1 in 203) have ever attained Jūyō.

About the NBTHK›

The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.

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