A Nidai Kanemichi Wakizashi (三品丹後守兼道)

Second generation Kanemichi of the Mishina School is the son of first generation Kanemichi of Settsu province, who had himself travelled from Kyoto to establish the Osaka branch of this distinguished lineage. The Mishina School is celebrated above all for its sudare-ba hamon – a temper line said to resemble the vertical slats of a bamboo curtain, or the rolling crests of ocean waves. On this blade it is executed with real flair, and the smith has added an elegant flourish: the sun and moon are cleverly depicted on either side of the kissaki (tip), a motif carrying deep symbolic resonance in Japanese warrior culture.

The blade is ubu (unshortened) at 52.7cm and carries the full four-character signature 三品丹後守兼道 on the nakago. A minor flaw exists in the jihada, honestly noted – it does nothing to diminish the visual impact of one of the most distinctive hamon in the Shintô canon. The sword comes certified by both NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho and NTHK-NPO Kanteisho, a dual-papered piece of real character.

This is a wakizashi that rewards close study – the interplay of the wave-like temper line with the sun-and-moon kissaki detail makes it one of the most visually distinctive pieces in this catalogue. It currently sits in shirasaya and would be a natural candidate for a fine custom koshirae.