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Watanabe Kanenaga - Gendai

S0092

An important special order katana made for Mr. Miyanari by Watanabe Kanenaga at the age of sixty-five.  Hawatare: 2 Shaku 3 sun (69.69506 cm or 27.439"). The hamon is classic sanbonsugi, or three cedar pattern, of the Mino den.  The jigane is a compact itame nagare mixed in masame.   This is an utsushi  of a meito Maguroku Kanemoto.  He is listed in Fujishiro's Nihon Toko Jiten - Shinto Hen, featured on page 53 in Modern  Japanese Swordsmiths 1868 - 1945 by John Scott Slough, and is rated at 2,000,000 yen in Toko Takan by Shibata.  Fresh polish, shirasaya, and NTHK kanteisho

He was born on 1 January 1872 and died in October 1946 at the of age 74.  Watanabe Kanenaga, 渡辺兼永, a student of Zenjo Kaneyoshi,  established the Nihonto Forging Institute, 日本刀鍜錬塾, in Showa 12 (1937).  In April 1940 he received the title of  The Headmaster of Japanese Sword Smiths.  His style of work is mainly Mino tempered in sanbonsugi, gunome choji-midare, and suguha.  Among his eighteen students, was Miyairi Shohei, the Junin Kokuho (living national treasure) sword smith.                   $14,000

Extensive Sayagaki Which Includes That This Resembles A Meito Maguroku Kanemoto

Classic Sanbonsugi Of Mino Seki

Mino Kuni Seki Junin Watanabe Kanenaga Saku                            Itame Nagare Hada

Rokujugo Shi (age sixty-five)                                                                                          

Mino Kuni junin Watanabe Kanenaga Saku                             Special Order for Miyanari, May 1936            

Age Sxty-Five                                                                          Similar to a Meito by Maguroku Kanemoto

                                                                                      Jiba Skillfully Done With Great Effort

Hawatare 1 Shaku 3 Sun

NTHK kanteisho                                                      Modern  Japanese Swordsmiths 1868 - 1945