NihontoWatchThe 11th generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada is the most popular swordsmith among the Kanesada lineage, and because he faced the era of the Haitorei (Sword Abolishment Edict) while still young, the number of extant works is extremely small. This tanto bears the final date of what is known as the Kamo-uchi period. Aside from this tanto, works from Meiji 7, the year he returned to Fukushima (Aizu), are almost non-existent, and from Meiji 9 onwards, he took a post in Fukushima Prefecture and moved away from the forge. It seems to be a tanto into which he concentrated all his available skills, perhaps with the sentiment of it being a final work upon parting with Hosui Inshi, who looked after him in Kamo. Regarding the workmanship, the section with the kiritsuke mei is a fierce Soden style with every kind of hataraki within a suguha imitating Soshu Yukimitsu, while the sashimote displays a fierce omidare imitating Go Yoshihiro with kinsen, sunagashi, yubashiri, and yo. The fact that he crafted this as a katakiriba makes it truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Furthermore, the koshirae was made specifically for this blade at that time, and there is a high probability that the kataki koshirae is a dosaku work by the 11th generation Kanesada himself. Both the interior and exterior are extremely precious, and it is originally a product for which pricing is very difficult, but I have set the minimum evaluation strictly as a powerful masterpiece tanto by the 11th generation, excluding the historical background. It is truly a unique, peerless gem like no other. Aizu Izumi no Kami Kanesada is famous as the beloved sword of Hijikata Toshizo of the Shinsengumi. The grandson of the third generation Noshu Seki Kanesada from the Muromachi period was called Furukawa Magoichiro or Magoshiro; he became a smith for the Aizu daimyo Gamo Ujisato during the Keicho era and became the first generation of Oshu Kanesada. Thereafter, the Furukawa Kanesada family became the oldest lineage of swordsmiths in Aizu, flourishing as sword makers until the end of the Edo period, and along with Miyoshi Nagamichi and Shoken Motooki, he is a representative swordsmith of Aizu. The 11th generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada is the fine smith who represents the end of that lineage.
NihontoWatchOffered by Kusanagi
2 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Mino-den · Mutsu · around 1837-1903
2 pieces on the market now
Mino-den · Iwashiro
7 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanesada兼定 | 1818-1869 | 0 |
| Kanesada兼定 | 1624-1644 | 0 |
| Kanesada兼定 | 1624-1644 | 0 |
| Kanesada兼定 | 1655-1658 | 0 |
| Kanesada兼定 | 1661-1673 | 0 |
Meiji: survival after the edict
The Haitōrei edict of 1876 ended sword wearing and nearly ended the craft itself. Military demand and imperial patronage kept a remnant alive, and in 1906 Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori were named Artists to the Imperial Household.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
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.
NBTHK official sitePlease notify us of your intention to return, by email or fax, no later than the day after the item's arrival. Return shipping, insurance, and refund transfer fees are the customer's responsibility.
¥1,580,000