Japanese Katana by the contemporary Higo master Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu (赤松太郎兼嗣), signed and dated Reiwa 8 (April 2026) — modern (gendaitō) — a robust Kiyomaro-utsushi in self-smelted steel, brand-new and unused, in shirasaya

Signed-and-dated Kiyomaro-utsushi katana by Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu (real name Kimura Kanesada) of Yatsushiro, Higo · self-smelted (jika-seitetsu) steel · well-forged ko-itame with a little ko-mokume and ji-nie · a flamboyant gunome-chōji temper with sunagashi, kinsuji and ashi · broad build with a sharp point · just completed in 2026 — you are the first owner

A powerful, commanding Kiyomaro-utsushi — the work the Akamatsu Tarō school does best — forged by Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu, one of the foremost swordsmiths of Higo. Minamoto Kiyomaro, the bakumatsu genius of Shinshū, was ranked with Suishinshi Masahide and Taikei Naotane as one of the "Three Masters of Edo" (Edo Sansaku), and — living in Yotsuya in Edo — was praised as the "Masamune of Yotsuya." This blade recreates his spirit in the modern age; it was completed only in April 2026, so its purchaser will be its very first owner.

The smith — Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu

Kanetsugu (born 1951, Shōwa 26; real name Kimura Kanesada) lives in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, and learned the forging art from his father, Kimura Kaneshige. His brothers are the swordsmiths Kaneteru and Kanehiro, and his sons the swordsmiths Kanemitsu and Kaneyuki. The school he heads signs its work with the name Akamatsu Tarō, and is a house that once served as retained smiths to the Sagara family, lords of the Hitoyoshi domain. Renowned above all for Kiyomaro copies, and for sturdy, flamboyant blades that show off their high skill, it is a much-admired line of smiths. The Akamatsu Tarō family have insisted on their raw iron since ancient times, and to this day gather the iron sand themselves and, through jika-seitetsu (self-smelting), produce their own distinctive tamahagane; by their forging technique they pursue a peerless toughness and beauty. Their strength, cutting ability, and the clarity of both the ground and the temper are highly rated even among modern swords.

Workmanship and condition

This is a magnificent, forceful Kiyomaro-utsushi. At a nagasa of 2 shaku 4 sun 3 bu, broad in both mihaba and kasane, with a slightly lean (kare-gokoro) fukura at the point, it has a sharp, commanding silhouette. The well-worked ko-itame, mixed with a little ko-mokume and clothed in fine ji-nie, forms a strong, tight forging. The gunome-chōji hamon is alive with activity — sunagashi, kinsuji, and ashi. An orderly ground married to a flamboyant temper gives it the full dignity of an art sword — a masterwork, and without question a superb example of this Kumamoto-representative school. As a brand-new work fresh from the Akamatsu Tarō workshop, it has, of course, no flaws or rust of any kind.

The mounting

The blade is preserved in a plain wood shirasaya (resting scabbard).

A supreme, freshly made Kiyomaro-utsushi katana by Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu of Higo — its self-smelted ko-itame steel and bold gunome-chōji temper full of sunagashi, kinsuji and ashi, preserved in perfect as-made condition in a shirasaya. A first-rank modern work, offered to its first owner, ready to appreciate exactly as it is.

A consummate work in which the Higo master Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu, using his family's self-smelted steel, has brilliantly revived in the Reiwa era the fighting spirit of the Shinshū genius Minamoto Kiyomaro. With its commanding 2-shaku-4-sun-3-bu figure, lucid ground, and flamboyant gunome-chōji temper, this brand-new blade — which you will receive as its very first owner — is a supreme masterpiece to treasure for generations to come.

Specifications

• Type: Katana (shinogi-zukuri), Kiyomaro-utsushi; modern (gendaitō)
• Signature (mei): front — Higo no Kuni jū Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu saku (肥後國住赤松太郎兼嗣作); reverse — dated Reiwa 8, fourth month, a lucky day (令和八年四月吉日, April 2026)
• Certification: none
• Smith: Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu (b. 1951, real name Kimura Kanesada) — Akamatsu Tarō school, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto (Higo); son of Kimura Kaneshige; noted for Kiyomaro-utsushi in self-smelted (jika-seitetsu) steel
• Style: Kiyomaro-utsushi (after the bakumatsu master Minamoto Kiyomaro)
• Jigane: well-forged ko-itame with a little ko-mokume and fine ji-nie; strong and tight
• Hamon: gunome-chōji with sunagashi, kinsuji and ashi — bright and active
• Blade length (nagasa): 73.6 cm / 28.98 in (2 shaku 4 sun 3 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 1.8 cm
• Width at base (motohaba): 33.9 mm
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 6.7 mm
• Width at tip (sakihaba): 29.5 mm
• Thickness at tip (sakikasane): 5.6 mm
• Peg-holes (mekugi-ana): 1
• Weight (blade only): 960 g
• Condition: brand-new, as-made; no flaws or rust
• Mounting: shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard)
• Torokushō (Japanese registration) No.: Kumamoto 58690