NihontoWatchThis blade was signed by Musashi no Kami Fujiwara Kanenaka(武蔵守藤原兼中) during the early Edo period. There is also an inscription on the backside of the tang, saying that it was made in Echizen province(today’s Fukui prefecture). It is said that Kanenaka was a descendant of Magoroku Kanemoto, one of the most famous swordsmiths in Mino province(today’s Gifu prefecture). He was born in the 8th year of the Keicho era(1603) and lived until the Tenwa era(1681-1684). He originally started his career in Mino province. He forged swords in Echizen province(today’s Fukui prefecture) during the Eiroku era(1658-1670). There was also a record of him forging swords in Edo city. Since this was forged in Echizen, we assume it was created about 340-370 years ago. Echizen Province was prosperous during the Edo period, being ruled by the Echizen Matsudaira clan, a direct retainer of Tokugawa clan who ruled the Edo government. Many skilled swordsmiths moved to Echizen from different regions because of high demand among Samurai who lived there. Among them, there were many renowned swordsmiths who were originally from the Mino province(Gifu prefecture), such as Kanenaka. They are called Echizen Seki swordsmiths. Musashi no Kami was an honorable title that was only given to highly-skilled swordsmiths back then. We believe Kanenaka’s artistry was excellent enough to be recognized back then. This blade is appraised as a Tokubetsu Hozon Token(特別保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK(Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai:日本美術刀剣保存協会). Fuchi-Kashira By seeing its curly hair, this Fuchi Kashira’s motif might be the Kara-Jishi (唐獅子). They are engraved in semi-three-dimensionally so that they look very vibrant and lively. Shishi (獅子) means a lion in Japanese, and the Kara-Jishi is a lion brought from the Continent to Japan in the Toh period (唐, Tang dynasty, 618-907). The Kara-Jishi typically has curly hair for its head, neck, body, and the tale. In Buddhism, the Kara-Jishi is regarded as a symbol of wisdom, and Monju Bosatu (文殊菩薩, Manjushri Bodhisattva) rides lions. According to a theory, Kara-Jishi originates from Komainu (狛犬, stone guardian dogs that exorcize evil spirits). Tsuka and Menuki It is challenging to judge the motif for this Menuki, but it seems a kind of plant is designed. Although most of the gold color has already been flaked off because of aging, we guess that this Menuki was initially colored with golden metal. This handle’s Menuki and Fuchi Kashira might show a popular combination of lion and the flower; peony. There is a Houwa (法話, Buddhist monks tell the story of Buddhism in an easy-to-understand manner) that treats Kara-Jishi and peony. The lion is called the king of the beasts. However, even this invincible animal has only one fear; a bug in the lion’s body. This pest grows in the hair and eventually breaks the skin and bites the flesh. Nevertheless, it dies if it is exposed to be the night dew of peony. Therefore, the lion rests under peony flowers at night, looking for a haven. The maker of this Koshirae (general term of sword mountings) might have chosen due to this folklore. Tsuba and Habaki Circle-shaped Tsuba made from iron. Its edge is engraved with rope-shaped lines; it makes an ornamental look for this work. Also, on the surface of this Tsuba, there are leaf-shaped carvings. Vines are depicted and inlaid with brass around these holes. The Karakusa (唐草, arabesque) design is a pattern in which stems and leaves of vines are twined and make curves. Since ivy has a strong vitality and grows up without interruption, people regarded this design as a symbol of prosperity and longevity. Vine is called Tsuru (蔓) in Japanese, and it has another pronunciation; “Man.” There is a word 万 (it is also read Man), which means thousand. In the Karakusa pattern, leaves and vines are connected like Obi (帯, belt). The word “帯” can also be read “Tai.” Due to its pronunciation, the term “代 (Tai)” is associated. From this word-association game, an idiom 万代 is associated, and it means a thousand generations. In other words, we could imagine that people used this design wishing prosperity and longevity for their clans for a long time. Authentication Paper They authenticated the blade on Aug 20th in the 30th year of Heisei (2018). They appraised it as a Tokubetsu Hozon Touken, the blade especially worth preserving for Japanese society.
Kanenaka兼中
Offered by Samurai Museum
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Echizen · around 1681-1684
Tōken Taikan top 76%
2 pieces on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Under the Tokugawa peace the daishō became a regulated uniform, and demand gathered in the castle towns, above all Edo itself. The craft split two ways: brilliant display work for connoisseurs, and tested blades whose cutting results were sometimes inlaid in gold.
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 siteReturns/exchanges limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.