{"product_id":"authentic-japanese-katana-akamatsu-taro-kanetsugu-nbsk-shinsakuto-certificate-tozando","title":"Authentic Japanese Katana - Akamatsu Taro Kanetsugu - NBSK Shinsakuto Certificate | Tozando","description":"\u003ch2\u003eJapanese 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\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSigned-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\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA powerful, commanding Kiyomaro-utsushi — the work the Akamatsu Tarō school does best — forged by \u003cem\u003eAkamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu\u003c\/em\u003e, one of the foremost swordsmiths of Higo. \u003cem\u003eMinamoto Kiyomaro\u003c\/em\u003e, the bakumatsu genius of Shinshū, was ranked with Suishinshi Masahide and Taikei Naotane as one of the \"Three Masters of Edo\" (\u003cem\u003eEdo Sansaku\u003c\/em\u003e), 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe smith — Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKanetsugu (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 \u003cem\u003eAkamatsu Tarō\u003c\/em\u003e, 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 \u003cem\u003ejika-seitetsu\u003c\/em\u003e (self-smelting), produce their own distinctive \u003cem\u003etamahagane\u003c\/em\u003e; 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a magnificent, forceful Kiyomaro-utsushi. At a \u003cem\u003enagasa\u003c\/em\u003e of 2 shaku 4 sun 3 bu, broad in both \u003cem\u003emihaba\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ekasane\u003c\/em\u003e, with a slightly lean (\u003cem\u003ekare-gokoro\u003c\/em\u003e) \u003cem\u003efukura\u003c\/em\u003e at the point, it has a sharp, commanding silhouette. The well-worked \u003cem\u003eko-itame\u003c\/em\u003e, mixed with a little \u003cem\u003eko-mokume\u003c\/em\u003e and clothed in fine \u003cem\u003eji-nie\u003c\/em\u003e, forms a strong, tight forging. The \u003cem\u003egunome-chōji\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e is alive with activity — \u003cem\u003esunagashi\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ekinsuji\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eashi\u003c\/em\u003e. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe mounting\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is preserved in a plain wood \u003cem\u003eshirasaya\u003c\/em\u003e (resting scabbard).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Katana (shinogi-zukuri), Kiyomaro-utsushi; modern (gendaitō)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e 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)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification:\u003c\/strong\u003e none\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmith:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStyle:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kiyomaro-utsushi (after the bakumatsu master Minamoto Kiyomaro)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJigane:\u003c\/strong\u003e well-forged ko-itame with a little ko-mokume and fine ji-nie; strong and tight\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e gunome-chōji with sunagashi, kinsuji and ashi — bright and active\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade length (nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 73.6 cm \/ 28.98 in (2 shaku 4 sun 3 bu)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.8 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at base (motohaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 33.9 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at base (motokasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.7 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at tip (sakihaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 29.5 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at tip (sakikasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 5.6 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeg-holes (mekugi-ana):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (blade only):\u003c\/strong\u003e 960 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e brand-new, as-made; no flaws or rust\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTorokushō (Japanese registration) No.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kumamoto 58690\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n","brand":"Tozando Katana Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53735769375083,"sku":"531-KMK058690","price":1800000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/kumamoto58690_kanetsugu_1.jpg?v=1787038640","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/authentic-japanese-katana-akamatsu-taro-kanetsugu-nbsk-shinsakuto-certificate-tozando","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}