A Kanetsugu Katana (肥後国住赤松太郎兼嗣作)

Kanetsugu – born Kimura Kanesada in 1951 – is one of the most admired living swordsmiths in Japan, working in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island under the banner of the Akamatsu Tarô School, founded by his father Kimura Kaneshige. The school smelts its own tamahagane, giving the steel a distinctly rich, textured quality that sets their jigane apart from most modern work.

This katana is a faithful utsushi – a deliberate recreation – of a blade by Minamoto Kiyomaro, arguably the greatest swordsmith of the Shinshintô era. Kiyomaro worked in three major traditions: Sôshu, Mino, and Bizen; this piece follows the Bizen tradition. The blade carries an intimidating o-kissaki measuring over 10cm, and a bold, energetic gunome-choji-midare hamon alive with long streaks of kinsuji and sunagashi – consistent and healthy on both sides. Signed and dated on a lucky day in June of Heisei 7 (1995).

The sword was commissioned by a husband and wife, as Kanetsugu has noted in his own hand on the shirasaya sayagaki. The accompanying uchigatana koshirae is a modern creation of considerable character: an iron tsuba depicting a spider and its web with gold inlay, fuchi-kashira with deeply carved floral reliefs, and menuki in the form of the Kenmaki-ryû – a dragon swallowing a sword – all mounted on a tsuka wrapped in high-quality black leather over same.