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(日本刀ギャラリー) Nihontō Gallery

Shinshintō Tantō (新新刀短刀)


Nagasa (長さ):  15.5 cm
Sugata (姿):  Hira-zukuri (平造)
Jihada (地肌):  Itame (板目)
Hamon (波紋):  gunome (互の目)
Mei (銘):  Omote: (Sashu Mikawa Tenseido 薩州三河天生土) 
                 Ura: (Meiji-ni mi ni-tsuki hi 明治二巳二月日)

    

A shinshintō tantō polished in a sashikomei style. The undulating (gunome 互の目) pattern of the temperline (hamon 波紋) is very clear and bright. The temper pattern of the tip (boshi 帽子) shows a great turn back (ō-maru 大丸). The hamon consists of fine particles (nioi 匂). The actively literally meaning 'potato vine' (imozuru 芋蔓) is in and around the hamon and appear as dark horizontal lines. This is a characteristic feature is seen in Shintō and Shinshintō works by Satsuma Province swordsmiths. These type of short tantō were favored by the wives of samurai during the Edo Period. The fine blade collar (habaki はばき) is made of a single piece of silver foil with a applied texture over a copper base. It is stored in a plain wooden scabbard (shira-saya 白鞘).
This tantō passed the NTHK shinsa at the 2024 Orlando Show.  The signature on one side of the nakago is read "Sasshū (薩州) Mikawa Tenseidō (三川天生土)". The other side of the nakago is the date: "A Day in the second month of Meiji two (1869 CE), year of the snake" (明治二巳二月日).
 
Provenance: Purchased from the Tony Smith collection at the Tampa Show, March 2019. 

Koto Kanemoto Katana (古刀兼元刀)

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Nagasa (長さ): (2尺 2寸 8分)
Sugata (姿): shinogi-zukuri (鎬造)
Jihada (地肌): ko-itame (小板目)
Hamon (波紋): sanbonsugi-midare (三本杉乱れ)
Mei (銘): Kanemoto (兼元)


A long sword (katana 刀) with a blade length (nagasa 長さ) of (2尺 2寸 8分) 27.2 inches or 69.1 cm. It has a refined (shinogi-zukuri 鎬造). The style of the outline of the tempered edge (hamon 刃文) is a specific type of (gunome 互の目) called sanbonsugi-midare (三本杉乱れ). The hamon is done in a very fine crystal structure (nioi-deki 匂出来) intermixed with larger crystals of (nie沸). The forging pattern (jihada 地肌) is a fine (ko-itame 小板目).
The katana is signed with an orikaeshi-mei (折返し銘) of Kanemoto (兼元). This sword passed the NTHK 2024 East Coast Shinsa at the Orlando Show. The unofficial attribution is to a later generation of Kanemoto of Mino Province (後代兼元 美濃) circa Tenshō (天正) Era of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (安土桃山時代) from July 1573 CE through December 1592 CE.The katana is fitted to a plain white wooden scabbard (shira-saya 白鞘) for storage and gold foil habaki (はばき) for storage.


Provenance: Unknown purchased from a US based Japanese sword dealer.

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