NAKATA KANEHIDE

A beautiful Gendaito by Gifu’s Intangible Cultural Property, Nakata Kanehide.  Kanehide made “High to Superior Grade Gendaito” and is/was rated at 2 Million Yen. He was known to make big beefy blades as seen in this example. Note the mihaba is 1.25”.  

Kanehide is referenced in the Toko Taikan (TK-122), Hawley’s (KAN-850), Slough’s Modern Japanese Swordsmiths pages 41-42, and Sesko’s Swordsmiths A-Z pg. 204.

CORRECTION: Since listing this sword I was made aware of several inaccuracies; these have been corrected in the following paragraphs. (Thanks Bruce).

Kanehide’s sword show something seen on very few other gendaito, which is an arsenal proof used three times in three separate places. Not only do Kanehide blades exhibit the “Star” stamp, but also another very small proof stamp which I originally thought to be a “seki” stamp.  However, as it turns out these are actually the “na” stamp 名, which stands for Nagoya Arsenal.  These stamps are placed on the nakago and on the mune. See photos of all three.

Secondly, I have found out that there were a few other smiths who did this. Gifu smiths Kanehisa and Kanehide along with a few others were marked this way with the Star-Na-Na stamps. The hypothesis is they may indicate superior blades.

From Sesko’s:

KANEHIDE (兼秀), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Nōshū-jū Kanehide” (濃州住兼秀), “Nōshū-jū Kanehide kinsaku” (濃州住兼秀謹作), “Nōshū Seki-jū Kanehide saku” (濃州関住兼秀作), “Nōshū Seki-jū Kanehide kinsaku” (濃州関住兼秀謹作), real name Tanaka Isao (田中勇), he was born August 24th 1913 in Ōkura (大桑) in Nagano Prefecture, in 1928 he went to Kōchi Prefecture and studied there under Kawashima Masahide (川島正秀), in 1937 he moved to Seki and entered another apprenticeship under Watanabe Kanenaga (渡辺兼永) whereupon he became the head of the coaching section of Kanenaga ́s training center Watanabe Kanenaga Nihontō Tanren Juku (渡辺兼永日本刀 鍛錬塾), he retired from this post in 1940 and founded in February 1941 the company Seki Tōken Corp. (関刀剣株式会社), during World War II he worked as a rikugun-jumei-tōshō but after the war he did not continue to forge swords until spring 1954, he received the title of intangible cultural property of Gifu prefecture and died in 1989 at the age of 75.

Price: $4800 plus S/H

REDUCED: $4200 plus S/H

If you are interested in owning this sword, contact me via the website or directly at yakiba.com@gmail.com