NihontoWatch(A swordsmith with deep ties to the right-wing titan Toyama Mitsuru Sensei, famous as a supporter of the Father of the Nation of China, Sun Yat-sen Sensei, during his exile in Japan) It has arrived, it has arrived; though it is mumei, a famous sword by the renowned swordsmith Kasama Shigetsugu has arrived. Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu Sensei was born in Meiji 19, served as an instructor at the Nihonto Tanrenjo, and forged swords at the residence of Toyama Mitsuru O in Tokiwamatsu, Shibuya, Tokyo, supported by the famous right-wing figure Toyama Mitsuru O, who aided Sun Yat-sen Sensei, called the Father of the Nation of China, and the Indian independence leader Rash Behari Bose. He is exceedingly famous as the greatest swordsmith of the Showa era. Regarding Toyama Mitsuru O (and the Sino-Japanese Kazuhira talks that ended as a phantom), when the Second Sino-Japanese War (Shina Jihen) broke out in Showa 12 (1937) and the Tungchow Incident occurred, the Prime Minister at the time, Konoe Fumimaro, planned to appoint Toyama Mitsuru O—who had close ties with his father Konoe Atsumaro and Foreign Minister Hirota Koki—as a Cabinet Councilor; furthermore, because Toyama Mitsuru O was close to Chiang Kai-shek from having sheltered and supported him during his exile in Japan, he attempted to dispatch him to the Republic of China to find a lead for Kazuhira. However, there were opponents to this dispatch, and unfortunately it was not realized. Had these Kazuhira negotiations by any chance gone well, the Second Sino-Japanese War would have ended early, and the Pacific War might not have occurred; looking back now, it was a regrettable turn of events. The swordsmith Kasama Shigetsugu raised many smiths at the Nihonto Tanrenjo, and the Ningen Kokuho smith Miyairi Akihira is one of his disciples. The smiths Yoshihara Yoshindo and Yoshihara Kuniie are his grand-disciples. This sword exhibits a magnificent sugata with a slight koshizori and a difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba, copying the Bizen swords that were the specialty of Kasama Shigetsugu; the jigane is a finely packed ko-itame hada, forged into a powerful, bright, and beautifully clear jigane. The hamon is a Bizen-den gunome choji mixed with kataochi choji with magnificent choji no ashi, and it is wonderfully clear. Though it is mumei, please by all means enjoy this sword which has been kiwame as Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu. On this occasion, the owner must part with it as he could not obtain his wife's understanding. Because we received it with the request to let it go cheaply to someone who likes such things since he has enjoyed it sufficiently, we are offering it at a special bargain price; please by all means enjoy this famous sword that tells the story of important Japanese history.
Offered by Nipponto
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As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Tokyo · around 1912-1926
Tōken Taikan top 63%
4 pieces on the market now
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.
This work carries older NBTHK “Kichō”-era papers, which the NBTHK no longer issues and largely disavows today. To confirm the attribution, submission to an official Japanese examination body (such as the NBTHK or NTHK) for modern certification could be considered.
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