Weight: 906g (excluding saya) It has arrived, it has arrived—a meito by the popular tosho, Bizen no Kuni Osafune-ju Kanehito. Tosho Kanehito’s real name is Mr. Ueda Katsuhito, born in Showa 22 (1947). He changed his tosho-mei from Kunihito to Kanehito, and then to Sukesada; he is the modern-day Bizen no Kuni Osafune Sukesada. He studied under the famous tosho Imaizumi Toshimitsu, who has a memorial hall at the Bizen Osafune Museum, and the famous Masamune-sho winner Kawachi Kunihira. Currently, he runs the Bizen Osafune Nihonto Denshusho himself and is nurturing many disciples. He succeeded in producing high-quality tamahagane from iron sand via jikaseitetsu (in-house smelting) that surpasses the current NBTHK tamahagane. Avoiding mere copies of old swords, he has a high reputation for creating original sugata and yakiba that emphasize original kireaji (sharpness) while possessing beauty. Forging in the sword mecca of Okayama Bizen Osafune—home to the National Treasure meito Yamatoroge—his current evaluation is rising rapidly. The sugata of this katana shows a fine form with a distinct difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a well-tightened ko-itame hada, forged into a powerful steel displaying jinie and chikei. The horimono consists of skillfully carved bo-hi. The hamon is a wide nioiguchi, ko-nie-deki notare-midare mixed with gunome, with many ashi within the ha. It is a magnificent, spirited blade and a kaishin-saku (masterpiece) of tosho Ueda Kanehito. As for the koshirae, a modern mounting using an Edo-period tsuba adds further splendor to this sword. On this occasion, we received this from an old collector with the request to "pass it on cheaply to the next generation." Although it is a sword that was specially custom-ordered at a high price, it handles well when swung and the sound of the hi (tachikaze) rings clearly, making it ideal for iai practice as well as for k鑑賞 (appreciation). We are offering it this time at a special low price. Tosho Kanehito’s kitchen knives are also currently highly reputed, reportedly costing over 300,000 yen each, yet they are selling out despite the high price. Please enjoy this precious meito by tosho Kanehito, which rarely appears on the market.
NihontoWatchEiroku (1558-1570) · nagasa 69.7cm · sori 1.6cm
Bizen · around 1980-2020
2 pieces on the market now
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.
