YAMAURA KANETORA (c.1854)

KIYOMARO MON

Shinshinto

Chujosaku

NBTHK Hozon to Jikishinsai Kanetora

Fujishiro Papers to Yamaura Kanetora

Proud to offer a rarely seen work by Yamaura Kanetora.

Kanetora or Yamaura Kanetora was the son of Yamaura Masao/Saneo and the nephew of the famous Shinshinto smith, Yamaura/Minamoto Kiyomaro.

Kiyomaro (c. 1830) needs no introduction and is considered the very best Shinshinto Smith, some calling him the Shinshinto Masamune. His works are rated Saijo-saku by Fujishiro.

Kanetora’s father, Masao (c. 1844) was the older brother of Kiyomaro. The characters for Masao can also be read as Saneo. He is generally referred to as Saneo to distinguish him from Suzuki Masao also of the Kiyomaro mon. It is of note that Masao and Kanetora signed with many different names and pseudonyms over the course of their lives.  Masao’s works are rated Josaku by Fujishiro.

Kanetora began an apprenticeship with his uncle Kiyomaro around 1849 and signed with the mei Yukimune and Kanehira. He was retained by the Matsuhiro Fief and in 1856 changed his name to Kanetora.  He was known to have made many Gassaku or joint works with his father and was known to have worked in both Mino and the Soshu tradition as is this blade. Kanetora used many different pseudonyms including Jikishinsai as seen on the NBTHK papers. (see additional pseudonyms in the entry from Sesko’s Swordsmith A-Z below).

Kanetora’s works are rated Chujosaku.

It is quite rare to see a sword by Kanetora offered for sale, this is only the third one I have seen in over 25 years of study.  This sword is a delight to study as the polish is excellent and there is a myriad of activity contained in this blade. This Katana is a Naginata Naoshi, which means it was reshaped into a Katana from a Naginata.

The nakago is typical of Naginata or Naginata Naoshi. When viewing the shinogi in the nakago, note it runs off to one side. This is typical of many Naginata Naoshi and is the result of the reshaping, unlike a Katana which runs through the entire nakago. Notice on the mune of the nakago there is a character engraved which is said to mean “gift”, although I am yet to confirm this translation.

The sword is massive and much heavier than I imagined when I first saw photos of it.  The nagasa is not extremely long, but the mass or weight is impressive. This is due to the mihaba or width and the fact it has not been polished down excessively.

The Hada is Itame mixed with areas of Mokume.  Within the Ji there is Ji-nie, Sumigane, chikei and a few small tobiyaki. The Hamon is Midare based on Gunome and is done is Nie deki. There is much to see in and around the hamon. Hatarake such as Sunagashi, Kinsuji, Nie Sake, Nie Kuzure Ara Nie which spills over into the ji, Nijuba, etc.

This sword come with papers from both Fujishiro and the NBTHK. The NBTHK papers do not elaborate, but the Papers issued by Fujishiro clearly state, Naginata Naoshi Katana 薙刀直刀.  The term Naginata Naoshi would indicate this sword has been reshaped from a naginata. The term zukuri literally translates to style, design, or type. When made in the style of a naginata naoshi, it should read naginta naoshi zukuri 薙刀直し造.

While I strive to get the information correct, sometimes it is difficult to ascertain absolutes. In truth it doesn’t matter or affect the quality of the sword at all, it is merely my OCD working overtime to get it right, LOL.

From Sesko’s, Swordsmiths A-Z:

KANETORA (兼虎), Ansei (安政, 1854-1860), Shinano – “Kanetora” (兼虎), “Kanetora Shinshū Matsushiro-shin” (兼虎信州枩代臣, “Kanetora, retainer of the Matsushiro fief of Shinano province”), “Matsushiro-shi Kanetora” (松代士兼虎, “Kanetora, retainer of the Matsushiro fief), “Isshinsai Kanetora” (一信斎兼虎), “Ippōsai Kanetora” (一法斎兼虎), “Shinshū Matsushiro-shin Shōryūken Kanetora” (信州松代臣升龍軒兼虎), “Jikishinsai Kanetora” (直信斎兼虎), “Minamoto Ason Kanetora” (源朝臣兼虎), Kanetora – his first name was Hayatanosuke (隼太之助) – was born in the ninth month of the eighth year of Bunsei (文政, 1825) als oldest son of Yamaura Masao (山浦真雄), his youth names were Shūsaku (秀作) and Isamu (勇, also reads Isao, Yū, or Takeshi), he started as a swordsman and went in the first yea or Kōka (弘化, 1844) to Edo to study under the Jiki-Shinkage master (直心影流) Shimada Toranosuke (島田虎之助, 1814-1852), in Kaei two (嘉永, 1849), he started also an apprenticeship as swordsmith at his uncle Kiyomaro (清麿), back then he signed with Yukimune (行宗) and Kanehira (兼平) and was later employed like his father by the Matsushiro fief (松代藩), thereupon, it was the third year of Ansei (安政, 1856), he changed his name to Kanetora, he made many joint works with his father, his jihada is a dense mokume mixed with some masame that tends sometimes to muji, the hamon is a gunome- midare or suguha with ara-nie, he used the pseudonyms Isshinsai (一信斎), Jikishinsai (直信斎), Ippōsai (一法斎) and Shōryūken (升龍軒), he died in the eighth month of Meiji 28 (明治, 1895) at the age of 71, chūjō-saku

This sword comes in a high quality Shirasaya and is accompanied by two sets of Kanteisho papers. They are from the NBTHK and Fujishiros both attributing this sword to Kanetora.

$8950 plus S/H

**PRICE REDUCED: $7800 plus S/H

If you are interested in owning this beautiful sword from the Kiyomaro School, contact me directly at: Yakiba.com@gmail.com