Aizu 11th generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada, real name Furukawa Seizaemon, was born in Aizu-Wakamatsu in Tenpo 8 (1837) (186 years ago). At the age of 16, he became a hanko (official domain swordsmith) of the Aizu Clan. This katana was made in Bunkyu 2 (1862) (161 years ago) when he was 25 years old. Looking at this blade, one can see that he possessed first-class skill as a toko even at a young age. In December of the following year, Bunkyu 3 (1863), he went to Kyoto, received the title of Izumi no Kami, and changed his name to Kanesada. The 11th generation Kanesada is the last master smith of the Aizu Kanesada lineage. Currently, he is extremely famous as the creator of Hijikata Toshizo’s beloved sword, and the popularity of this smith has reached its peak due to Touken Ranbu. The sugata of this blade shows a sharp form with a distinct difference between the motohaba and sakihaba. The jigane displays a masame-hada, forged into a powerful steel. The hamon is a suguha style in nioi-deki with nie, where the nie is well-attached and sunagashi appears actively, creating a very spirited edge. It truly possesses the value of a sword loved by the Shinsengumi Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo. This sword was specially commissioned by the Aizu clansman Oiwa Katsumichi and forged through a "hundred-fold" tempering process. From the mei inscription "Bunkyu Ninen Oshiki (January) Ichigatsu no Yoki Toki (Auspicious Day)," one can clearly see the 11th generation Kanesada’s erudition. The koshirae, reflecting the taste of the Aizu clansman Oiwa Katsumichi at the time, remains in its original state and is precious. Some swords by the 11th generation Kanesada boasted such incredible sharpness that they were said to have cut through a human body in a single stroke during tameshigiri, reaching all the way into the dodan (execution mound). Despite his fame, extant works by the 11th generation Kanesada are rare today, making this blade wonderfully precious. Please enjoy this 11th generation Aizu Kanesada, who became particularly famous during the turbulent end of the Edo period.
NihontoWatchEdo · nagasa 70.9cm · sori 1.1cm
Mino-den · Mino · around 1624-1644
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 87%
2 pieces on the market now
Mino-den · Mino
27 pieces on the market now
Kanemoto (兼元) worked at Akasaka in Mino Province, and the line takes its place among the smiths of the late Muromachi period whom the NBTHK registers under the Mino-den tradition centered on Seki. The setsumei place the family within the Sue-Seki (Sue-Mino) milieu, naming Kanemoto alongside Kanesada as the two leading figures of the province in this era; one tantō note instead pairs the name with Kaneshiba, and another with Izumi no Kami Kaneshige, marking the company the line kept. The name passed through successive generations, and the records repeatedly state that distinguishing each generation has not been definitively settled. Dated long signatures reading "Nōshū Akasaka-jū Kanemoto" survive from the Meiō, Bunki, Daiei, Kyōroku, and Eishō eras, while two-character signatures bear no date. The first generation is documented through pieces dated Meiō 6, 8, 9, and 10, all giving the Akasaka residence; the most accomplished hand, and the one the world singles out under the sobriquet "Magoroku Kanemoto," is the second generation. The shared vocabulary of the line is the sanbonsugi (three-cedar) gunome, a sequence of linked pointed crests that rise and fall in groups. The ground is Mino-den through and through: itame-hada mixed with mokume and flowing masame, tending toward standing grain (hada-dachi), with fine ji-nie, chikei, and a whitish shirake-utsuri that the setsumei call out again and again. The temper mixes togariba (pointed elements) and gunome, is nioi-dominant with ko-nie, and runs sunagashi, kinsuji, and occasional tobiyaki; the bōshi is typically midare-komi turning in ko-maru, often described as Jizō-like with hakikake or a falling kaeri. The chief means of separating the second generation from the later line is regularity: as the generations descend, the pointed crests grow sharply angular and standardized, whereas Magoroku's sanbonsugi is deliberately uneven, the gunome heads rounded in places, and the pattern shifts freely into nihonsugi, yonsugi, and gosugi groupings of two, four, and five. The records describe this as a gyōsō (cursive, free) manner.
The first generation, by contrast, does not emphasize sanbonsugi at all, favoring gunome mixed with gunome-chōji and at times yubashiri and tobiyaki; both generations also made suguha, and one tantō is an uncommon Rai-utsushi in elegant straight temper that evokes Kaneyuki. For kantei, the line is read through the standing Mino grain, the shirake-utsuri, and above all the irregular sanbonsugi, with the leaning bōshi a noted point: the records observe that the honka model and these blades share a bōshi that falls over. Named and documented works recur across the register. A naginata dated Kyōroku 1 (1528) carries the full Akasaka signature and is valued as documentary source material, dated two-character pieces being scarce. A katana bearing a kinzōgan inscription on the reverse is known as "Sasatsuyu Kanemoto" and is recorded in the hands of Makishima Kenmotsu Akishige, of the same clan as Furuta Kosukezaemon. The "Aoki Kanemoto," a second-generation work, is said to be the sword with which Aoki Ichishige, a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, killed Magara Masataka of the Asakura side at the Battle of Anegawa in Genki 1 (1570). A further katana carries a Genna 1 (1615) kinzōgan cutting-test inscription by Nakagawa Saheita reading "two bodies," and one suguha katana descended in the Echizen Matsudaira family. Two katana signed Kanemoto sit in the Imperial Collection (Gyobutsu). Across these works the line is registered as the cutting-edged representative of Sue-Seki, its hand recognized wherever the three-cedar temper runs uneven over standing Mino steel. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1521-1528 | 30 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1573-1592 | 0 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1592-1596 | 0 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1818-1830 | 0 |
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 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.
Aizu 11th generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada, real name Furukawa Seizaemon, was born in Aizu-Wakamatsu in Tenpo 8 (1837) (186 years ago). At the age of 16, he became a hanko (official domain swordsmith) of the Aizu Clan. This katana was made in Bunkyu 2 (1862) (161 years ago) when he was 25 years old. Looking at this blade, one can see that he possessed first-class skill as a toko even at a young age. In December of the following year, Bunkyu 3 (1863), he went to Kyoto, received the title of Izumi no Kami, and changed his name to Kanesada. The 11th generation Kanesada is the last master smith of the Aizu Kanesada lineage. Currently, he is extremely famous as the creator of Hijikata Toshizo’s beloved sword, and the popularity of this smith has reached its peak due to Touken Ranbu. The sugata of this blade shows a sharp form with a distinct difference between the motohaba and sakihaba. The jigane displays a masame-hada, forged into a powerful steel. The hamon is a suguha style in nioi-deki with nie, where the nie is well-attached and sunagashi appears actively, creating a very spirited edge. It truly possesses the value of a sword loved by the Shinsengumi Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo. This sword was specially commissioned by the Aizu clansman Oiwa Katsumichi and forged through a "hundred-fold" tempering process. From the mei inscription "Bunkyu Ninen Oshiki (January) Ichigatsu no Yoki Toki (Auspicious Day)," one can clearly see the 11th generation Kanesada’s erudition. The koshirae, reflecting the taste of the Aizu clansman Oiwa Katsumichi at the time, remains in its original state and is precious. Some swords by the 11th generation Kanesada boasted such incredible sharpness that they were said to have cut through a human body in a single stroke during tameshigiri, reaching all the way into the dodan (execution mound). Despite his fame, extant works by the 11th generation Kanesada are rare today, making this blade wonderfully precious. Please enjoy this 11th generation Aizu Kanesada, who became particularly famous during the turbulent end of the Edo period.
NihontoWatchEdo · nagasa 70.9cm · sori 1.1cm
Mino-den · Mino · around 1624-1644
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 87%
2 pieces on the market now
Mino-den · Mino
27 pieces on the market now
Kanemoto (兼元) worked at Akasaka in Mino Province, and the line takes its place among the smiths of the late Muromachi period whom the NBTHK registers under the Mino-den tradition centered on Seki. The setsumei place the family within the Sue-Seki (Sue-Mino) milieu, naming Kanemoto alongside Kanesada as the two leading figures of the province in this era; one tantō note instead pairs the name with Kaneshiba, and another with Izumi no Kami Kaneshige, marking the company the line kept. The name passed through successive generations, and the records repeatedly state that distinguishing each generation has not been definitively settled. Dated long signatures reading "Nōshū Akasaka-jū Kanemoto" survive from the Meiō, Bunki, Daiei, Kyōroku, and Eishō eras, while two-character signatures bear no date. The first generation is documented through pieces dated Meiō 6, 8, 9, and 10, all giving the Akasaka residence; the most accomplished hand, and the one the world singles out under the sobriquet "Magoroku Kanemoto," is the second generation. The shared vocabulary of the line is the sanbonsugi (three-cedar) gunome, a sequence of linked pointed crests that rise and fall in groups. The ground is Mino-den through and through: itame-hada mixed with mokume and flowing masame, tending toward standing grain (hada-dachi), with fine ji-nie, chikei, and a whitish shirake-utsuri that the setsumei call out again and again. The temper mixes togariba (pointed elements) and gunome, is nioi-dominant with ko-nie, and runs sunagashi, kinsuji, and occasional tobiyaki; the bōshi is typically midare-komi turning in ko-maru, often described as Jizō-like with hakikake or a falling kaeri. The chief means of separating the second generation from the later line is regularity: as the generations descend, the pointed crests grow sharply angular and standardized, whereas Magoroku's sanbonsugi is deliberately uneven, the gunome heads rounded in places, and the pattern shifts freely into nihonsugi, yonsugi, and gosugi groupings of two, four, and five. The records describe this as a gyōsō (cursive, free) manner.
The first generation, by contrast, does not emphasize sanbonsugi at all, favoring gunome mixed with gunome-chōji and at times yubashiri and tobiyaki; both generations also made suguha, and one tantō is an uncommon Rai-utsushi in elegant straight temper that evokes Kaneyuki. For kantei, the line is read through the standing Mino grain, the shirake-utsuri, and above all the irregular sanbonsugi, with the leaning bōshi a noted point: the records observe that the honka model and these blades share a bōshi that falls over. Named and documented works recur across the register. A naginata dated Kyōroku 1 (1528) carries the full Akasaka signature and is valued as documentary source material, dated two-character pieces being scarce. A katana bearing a kinzōgan inscription on the reverse is known as "Sasatsuyu Kanemoto" and is recorded in the hands of Makishima Kenmotsu Akishige, of the same clan as Furuta Kosukezaemon. The "Aoki Kanemoto," a second-generation work, is said to be the sword with which Aoki Ichishige, a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, killed Magara Masataka of the Asakura side at the Battle of Anegawa in Genki 1 (1570). A further katana carries a Genna 1 (1615) kinzōgan cutting-test inscription by Nakagawa Saheita reading "two bodies," and one suguha katana descended in the Echizen Matsudaira family. Two katana signed Kanemoto sit in the Imperial Collection (Gyobutsu). Across these works the line is registered as the cutting-edged representative of Sue-Seki, its hand recognized wherever the three-cedar temper runs uneven over standing Mino steel. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1521-1528 | 30 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1573-1592 | 0 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1592-1596 | 0 |
| Kanemoto兼元 | 1818-1830 | 0 |
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 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.
