{"product_id":"authentic-japanese-sword-for-sale-koto-era-wakizashi-kaneuji-tozando","title":"Authentic Japanese Sword for Sale - Koto Era Wakizashi - Kaneuji| Tozando","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAntique Japanese Wakizashi (ō-tanto), signed Kaneuji (兼氏) of Mino — late Muromachi period (Eiroku era) — a broad hira-zukuri blade — in a period koshirae with figural \"immortals and Hotei\" fittings\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSigned hira-zukuri wakizashi attributed to Kaneuji of the Mino (Shizu) line · itame-with-mokume with the bright white nie-hada of Mino · a Mino-style gunome-chōji temper · in a matched period mounting with a chestnut ishime saya\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA most attractive blade judged to be the work of \u003cem\u003eKaneuji\u003c\/em\u003e, a master representative of Mino province in the late Muromachi period. This is a \u003cem\u003ehira-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e wakizashi thought to have been forged around the Eiroku era (1558–1570), amid the upheavals of the Warring States. Accompanied by a well-preserved period mounting, it is a fine piece that unites historical value with the commanding air of a practical fighting blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWorkmanship and condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough a very few faint scratches from an old polish can be seen, the state of polish is exceptionally good and the blade remains sound — essentially flawless. The \u003cem\u003ejigane\u003c\/em\u003e is an \u003cem\u003eitame\u003c\/em\u003e mixed with \u003cem\u003emokume\u003c\/em\u003e, densely forged, across which the bright, white \u003cem\u003enie\u003c\/em\u003e-laden skin peculiar to Mino swords rises vividly. The \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e is based on a \u003cem\u003egunome-chōji\u003c\/em\u003e — the true hallmark of the Mino tradition — with fine \u003cem\u003eko-nie\u003c\/em\u003e along the temper edge making it bright and clear, showing Kaneuji's outstanding skill to the full. The tang (\u003cem\u003enakago\u003c\/em\u003e) is powerfully cut with the signature \u003cem\u003eKaneuji\u003c\/em\u003e, telling of its assured history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eForm\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat might be called an \"ō-tanto\" (large tanto), this piece has a \u003cem\u003emihaba\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ekasane\u003c\/em\u003e beyond those of an ordinary tanto — a commanding \u003cem\u003ehira-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e wakizashi. The ridgeless hira-zukuri form pursues sharpness and practicality to the limit, and conveys the refined mass of a \u003cem\u003echūmon-uchi\u003c\/em\u003e — a blade commissioned from a master smith for personal defense or a special purpose by a warlord bent on surviving the harsh Sengoku age. The solid heft and taut tension transmitted the instant it is taken in hand are, in a word, magnificent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOn the smith — Kaneuji\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaneuji was a smith of a distinguished hereditary house of Mino province (present-day Gifu), carrying on the line of \u003cem\u003eShizu Saburō Kaneuji\u003c\/em\u003e down through the generations. Late-Muromachi Mino swords, with their outstanding sharpness and high practicality, earned the absolute trust of the warlords of the Sengoku age. In an era that also produced much mass work, a carefully made \u003cem\u003echūmon-uchi\u003c\/em\u003e \"ō-tanto\" such as this is a special piece, and is very highly regarded in the appreciation and collecting of swords today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe koshirae\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is accompanied by a period mounting that further sets off its dignity. The \u003cem\u003emenuki\u003c\/em\u003e shine with gold inlay, and everything down to the \u003cem\u003efuchi-kashira\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003etsuba\u003c\/em\u003e is unified as a single matched set (\u003cem\u003eissaku\u003c\/em\u003e) with motifs of virtuous figures from legend — Daoist immortals \/ lofty sages (\u003cem\u003esennin \/ kōshi\u003c\/em\u003e) and \u003cem\u003eHotei\u003c\/em\u003e (Budai). From these emblems of long life and of inviting good fortune one senses the exceptional care and connoisseurship of the former owner, who in a brutal age of war wished \"to keep the dignity of a samurai and to pray for safety and prosperity.\" The \u003cem\u003esaya\u003c\/em\u003e is finished in a subdued chestnut stone-grain (\u003cem\u003echa ishime-ji\u003c\/em\u003e) lacquer, combining practical sturdiness with refined elegance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA very finely made hira-zukuri wakizashi by Kaneuji that carries the passion and spirit of the Warring States into the present. With its superb ground, bright and clear temper, and a flavorful period koshirae that conceals the stories of old legends, it is a blade through which one can feel the soul of the warlord and the breath of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wakizashi (ō-tanto), hira-zukuri\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e Kaneuji (兼氏)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification:\u003c\/strong\u003e none\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Late Muromachi period, ca. Eiroku era (1558–1570)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSmith \/ school:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kaneuji — Mino province (Shizu Saburō Kaneuji lineage)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJigane:\u003c\/strong\u003e itame mixed with mokume, densely forged, with the bright white nie-hada of Mino\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e gunome-chōji (Mino-den), with fine ko-nie; bright and clear\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade length (nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 36.06 cm \/ 14.20 in (1 shaku 1 sun 9 bu)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.76 cm (2 bu 5 rin)\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth at base (motohaba):\u003c\/strong\u003e 28.7 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness at base (motokasane):\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.4 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (blade only):\u003c\/strong\u003e 280 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight (without scabbard):\u003c\/strong\u003e 470 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e very well polished, essentially flawless (a few faint old-polish scratches); ji and ha sound\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e period koshirae — matched (issaku) fittings with immortals\/sages and Hotei motifs, gold-inlaid menuki, fuchi-kashira and tsuba; chestnut stone-grain (cha ishime-ji) lacquer saya\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTorokushō (Japanese registration) No.:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gunma 1482\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Tozando Katana Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53732236067179,"sku":"611-GMW001482","price":280000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0491\/2178\/8069\/files\/gunma1482_kaneuji_1.jpg?v=1786940873","url":"https:\/\/japanesesword.net\/products\/authentic-japanese-sword-for-sale-koto-era-wakizashi-kaneuji-tozando","provider":"Tozando Katana Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}