It has arrived, it has arrived! From Kanazawa, a city now bustling with tourists from around the world due to the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, comes a work by the second generation Kashu Kanewaka, Tsujimura Matasuke Kanewaka. He is counted among the first-rank retained smiths of the Maeda family of the Kaga Hyakumangoku domain. Born in the 16th year of Keicho (1611) (413 years ago) as the third son of the first generation Jinroku Kanewaka, he succeeded to the name of the second generation Kanewaka because his eldest brother Kagehira had no male heir. The sugata of this katana was originally a long blade of about 2 shaku 5 sun, which a later samurai of the Kaga domain shortened to match his own swordsmanship style out of a desperate desire to make it his own sashiryo. It is in shinogi-zukuri with a difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba and a shallow sori, presenting a fine sugata. The jigane is a well-tightened itame-hada, with chikei appearing in the ji. The hamon is Kanewaka’s specialty notare-ba, appearing as if deep nioi of light snow has accumulated; it is a masterpiece katana of Kanewaka Matasuke. In the Kaga Hyakumangoku Maeda family, it was said since ancient times of young samurai who owned a Kanewaka: "If he is a samurai with such strong ambition and good conduct as to possess a famous sword by Kanewaka, even if his rank is low, his heart is good, so let us give him a daughter in marriage." To such an extent were authentic Kanewaka swords cherished. The koshirae, featuring a black yuteki-nuri saya from the Edo period and a Kashu-habaki, adds further elegance to this historic and precious Kanewaka katana. As this is the first time this piece has appeared "raw" (fresh to the market), we are offering it at a special bargain price. Please do enjoy it.
NihontoWatchEdo · nagasa 69.7cm · sori 1.2cm
Shinto · Kaga
6 pieces on the market now
Among the shintō workshops of the northern provinces, the Kanewaka line of Kaga (Kashū) traces its root to Mino. The setsumei record that the first-generation smith was a son of Shihōsuke Kanewaka of Seki and that, though he stood in the lineage of the Seki smiths, he forged his blades in Kaga. " The second generation, Matasuke, was the third son of the first, born in Keichō 17 (1612), active from Kan'ei through Enpō, and dead in Enpō 5 (1677) at sixty-six. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanewaka兼若 | 1596-1619 | 10 |
| Kanewaka兼若 | 1673-1681 | 4 |
| Kanewaka兼若 | 1624-1644 | 2 |
| Takahira高平 | 1673-1681 | 1 |
| Yukimitsu行光 | 1469-1487 | 1 |
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 siteFor 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.
It has arrived, it has arrived! From Kanazawa, a city now bustling with tourists from around the world due to the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, comes a work by the second generation Kashu Kanewaka, Tsujimura Matasuke Kanewaka. He is counted among the first-rank retained smiths of the Maeda family of the Kaga Hyakumangoku domain. Born in the 16th year of Keicho (1611) (413 years ago) as the third son of the first generation Jinroku Kanewaka, he succeeded to the name of the second generation Kanewaka because his eldest brother Kagehira had no male heir. The sugata of this katana was originally a long blade of about 2 shaku 5 sun, which a later samurai of the Kaga domain shortened to match his own swordsmanship style out of a desperate desire to make it his own sashiryo. It is in shinogi-zukuri with a difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba and a shallow sori, presenting a fine sugata. The jigane is a well-tightened itame-hada, with chikei appearing in the ji. The hamon is Kanewaka’s specialty notare-ba, appearing as if deep nioi of light snow has accumulated; it is a masterpiece katana of Kanewaka Matasuke. In the Kaga Hyakumangoku Maeda family, it was said since ancient times of young samurai who owned a Kanewaka: "If he is a samurai with such strong ambition and good conduct as to possess a famous sword by Kanewaka, even if his rank is low, his heart is good, so let us give him a daughter in marriage." To such an extent were authentic Kanewaka swords cherished. The koshirae, featuring a black yuteki-nuri saya from the Edo period and a Kashu-habaki, adds further elegance to this historic and precious Kanewaka katana. As this is the first time this piece has appeared "raw" (fresh to the market), we are offering it at a special bargain price. Please do enjoy it.
NihontoWatchEdo · nagasa 69.7cm · sori 1.2cm
Shinto · Kaga
6 pieces on the market now
Among the shintō workshops of the northern provinces, the Kanewaka line of Kaga (Kashū) traces its root to Mino. The setsumei record that the first-generation smith was a son of Shihōsuke Kanewaka of Seki and that, though he stood in the lineage of the Seki smiths, he forged his blades in Kaga. " The second generation, Matasuke, was the third son of the first, born in Keichō 17 (1612), active from Kan'ei through Enpō, and dead in Enpō 5 (1677) at sixty-six. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanewaka兼若 | 1596-1619 | 10 |
| Kanewaka兼若 | 1673-1681 | 4 |
| Kanewaka兼若 | 1624-1644 | 2 |
| Takahira高平 | 1673-1681 | 1 |
| Yukimitsu行光 | 1469-1487 | 1 |
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 siteFor 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.
