Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatch“Kaneshige” One of the finest sword smiths of the “Shinto Edo School” Kan-Bun (1661-1673) NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate KANESHIGE WAS ORIGINALLY FROM ECHIZEN PROVINCE ( HE ALSO WORKED IN “KII” PROVENCE ), HIS FAMILY NAME WAS “TSUJI SUKEUEMON”. HE STUDIED WITH THE YANONE GROUP OF SWORD SMITHS, AND WAS A STUDENT OF “YASUTSUGU” 1 st GEN. (YASUTSUGU WAS TOKUGAWA IYEYASU’S PERSONAL SWORD MAKER). “KANESHIGE”, WAS THE PERSONAL SWORD SMITH TO THE O-DAIMYO “TODO”! ONE OF “IYEYASU’S WEALTHIEST GENERALS, WHO WAS GIVEN THE PROVINCES OF “BIZEN” AND “MIMASAKA”, WITH A REVENUE OF “520,000” KOKU’S OF RICE!!! THE AVERAGE “DAIMYO” (WAR LORD) HAD A REVENUE OF “10,000” KOKU’S OF RICE (CONSIDERED TO BE A LARGE AMOUNT). ONE CAN EASILY SEE THAT “TODO O-SAMA” (BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN PORTRAYED AS “GEN. TODA” IN THE MOVIE “SHOGUN”, THAT IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY) COULD HAVE RETAINED ANY SWORD SMITH HE DESIRED. HE CHOOSE “KANESHIGE”! KANESHIGE’S TITLE WAS “IZUMI-NO-DAIJO”. HIS RETAINER “TODO” IZUMI-NO-KAMI, GRANTED HIM THE TITLE “IZUMI-NO-KAMI” (THE SAME AS HIS OWN), AND LATER THAT OF “KAZUSA-NO-SUKE”! WAKIZASHI’S BY FAMOUS MAKERS WHO WERE GAINFULLY RETAINED BY POWERFUL DAIMYO’S ARE SCARCE! THESE MASTERS, WERE KEPT VERY OCCUPIED PRODUCING KATANA’S FOR THE DAIMYO’S SAMURAI. IT IS QUITE PROBABLE THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF THE WAKIZASHI’S WE HAVE BY THEM TODAY, WERE PART OF DAISHO’S. KANESHIGE WAS THE “SENSEI” (TEACHER) OF “OKISATO” C-1661 (ONE OF THE 5 MOST FAMOUS SHINTO MAKERS), KAZUSA-NO-KAMI C-1661 (HIS SON), AND KANETSUNE C-1661 (HIS SON). MORIKUNI IZUMI-NO-KAMI, AND YOSHIMASA ARE ALSO LISTED AMONG THOSE THAT STUDIED UNDER HIM. SEE GENEALOGY CHART. IT WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED BY THE “NBTHK” THAT KANESHIGE 1 st. WAS ALSO THE SENSEI ( TEACHER ) OF “YAMATO NO KAMI YASUSADA” ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC MAKERS OF THE PERIOD. KANESHIGE IS VERY WELL KNOWN FOR THE BEAUTY OF HIS HADA (BLADE GRAIN STRUCTURE), STRENGTH, CUTTING ABILITY, AND BALANCE OF HIS BLADES. THIS IS A 48.7 cm. – 19 3/8 ” LENGTH BLADE, AND HAS WONDERFUL (SEE HADA CLOSE- UP BELOW) KO-ITAME (FINE WOOD GRAIN) HADA, CHIKEI (LINES OF MARTENSITE [MS] CRYSTALS, FLOATING JUST BELOW THE SURFACE), AND JI-NIE (SPRINKLED WITH CRYSTALS). THE HAMON (TEMPERING) IS EXTREMELY FINE AND VERY BRIGHT NIE [MS] CRYSTALS, IT IS NOTARE MIDARE ( IRREGULAR OCEAN WAVES), AND HAS FINE ASHI (SUBTLE VERTICAL STREAKS). THERE IS ABUNDANT KINSUJI & INAZUMA. THIS BLADE IS WIDE ( KATANA SIZE ), THE HAMON IS EXCEPTIONALLY WIDE WELL DONE. THE WORKS OF “OKISATO” BEAR A STRONG RESEMBLANCE, TO THIS BLADE. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate translation Kantei-Sho (鑑定書) – Appraisal No 1009385 wakizashi, signed: Kazusa no Suke Fujiwara Kaneshige (上総介藤原兼重) nagasa ~ 48.7 cm According to the result of the shinsa committee of our society, we judge this work as authentic and rank it as Tokubetsu-Hozon Tōken. August 20, 2018 [Foundation] Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, NBTHK (日本美術刀劍保存協會)
Certificate reading — 銘 上総介藤原兼重
NihontoWatchOffered by SamuraiSword
Echizen · around 1661-1673
1 piece on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
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 site24 hour inspection period for all Antique items (USA only); all sales final on International orders.
$7,500