Courtesy of Sesko’s

KANESHIGE (兼重), 1st gen., Shōhō (正保, 1644-1648), Musashi – “Izumi no Daijō Fujiwara Kaneshige” (和泉大掾藤原兼重), “Izumi no Kami Fujiwara Kaneshige” (和泉守藤原兼重), “Izumi no Kami Kaneshige” (和泉守兼重), real name Tsuji Suke´emon (辻助右衛門), he came originally from Echizen province and was there an arrowsmith before he became a swordsmith, during the early Kan´ei era (寛永, 1624-1644), he moved to Edo and was employed there by the Tōdō family (藤堂), he received the honorary title Izumi no Kami and there is the tradition that he was the master of Kotetsu (虎徹), and because of similarities in their workmanship – especially in the strength of the jigane – indeed a certain connection between Kaneshige and Kotetsu can be made out, in general Kaneshige, follows the workmanship of the Shimosaka smiths (下坂) from the lineage of Yasutsugu (康継) from his home province of Echizen, his jigane is a densely forged itame mixed with masame and fine ji-nie, but his jigane is not blackish it is common for Hokkoku-mono and also the hada does not stand out as it is the case at other smiths of the Yasutsugu school, the hamon is a suguha or a Shimosaka-like gunome in ko-nie-deki, ryō-wazamono