{"product_id":"kanemoto","title":"Tantō : Kanemoto","description":"\u003ch1 data-section-id=\"oy58zg\" data-start=\"162\" data-end=\"178\"\u003eKanemoto Tantō\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-section-id=\"1qt70to\" data-start=\"179\" data-end=\"214\"\u003eMino Tradition – San'ami School\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-section-id=\"dylt13\" data-start=\"215\" data-end=\"247\"\u003eLate Muromachi Period (Sengoku Period, c.1500–1550)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003chr data-start=\"249\" data-end=\"252\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-section-id=\"1qewjms\" data-start=\"254\" data-end=\"299\"\u003eA Blade from Japan's Age of Warring States\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"301\" data-end=\"401\"\u003eThis tantō was forged during the Sengoku period, one of the most turbulent eras in Japanese history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"403\" data-end=\"580\"\u003eFor more than a century, rival warlords fought for power across the country. Castles rose and fell, alliances shifted constantly, and warfare shaped nearly every aspect of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"582\" data-end=\"727\"\u003eWeapons from this period were not ceremonial objects. They were practical tools carried by men who lived in an uncertain and often violent world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"729\" data-end=\"774\"\u003eThe present blade has survived from that age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"776\" data-end=\"921\"\u003eAlthough classified as a tantō, it is unusually long for its type and possesses a powerful, commanding appearance rarely found in later examples.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"923\" data-end=\"1016\"\u003eEven after five centuries, it still conveys the atmosphere of the age in which it was forged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr data-start=\"1018\" data-end=\"1021\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-section-id=\"17dp1n6\" data-start=\"1023\" data-end=\"1048\"\u003eThe Kanemoto Tradition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1050\" data-end=\"1164\"\u003eThe signature on this blade reads Kanemoto, one of the most celebrated names in the history of the Mino tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1166\" data-end=\"1343\"\u003eMany enthusiasts immediately associate the name with the famous second-generation smith Magoroku Kanemoto, whose works are among the most admired swords of the Muromachi period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1345\" data-end=\"1404\"\u003eThis blade, however, is not attributed to Magoroku himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1406\" data-end=\"1555\"\u003eInstead, it represents another generation within the Kanemoto lineage, preserving characteristics that help illustrate the development of the school.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1557\" data-end=\"1657\"\u003eKanemoto belonged to the San'ami School, one of the traditional Seven Seki Schools of Mino Province.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1659\" data-end=\"1827\"\u003eThe earliest generations are believed to have worked around Akasaka before later generations established themselves in Seki, where the school would eventually flourish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1829\" data-end=\"1973\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1829\" data-end=\"1973\"\u003eThis blade appears to belong to the formative period of the Kanemoto tradition, before the fully developed sanbonsugi style became dominant.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1975\" data-end=\"2084\"\u003eFor collectors interested in the evolution of Mino workmanship, this makes the blade particularly intriguing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2086\" data-end=\"2241\"\u003eRather than representing the mature style for which later Kanemoto generations became famous, it offers a glimpse into an earlier chapter of the tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr data-start=\"2243\" data-end=\"2246\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-section-id=\"90m12c\" data-start=\"2248\" data-end=\"2262\"\u003eWorkmanship\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2264\" data-end=\"2321\"\u003eThe jihada is tightly forged and remarkably well refined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2323\" data-end=\"2459\"\u003eSmall forging openings may be observed, but they do not distract from appreciation and are entirely consistent with a blade of this age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2461\" data-end=\"2517\"\u003eThe overall impression is one of excellent preservation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2519\" data-end=\"2615\"\u003eThe hamon differs from the famous sanbonsugi pattern associated with later Kanemoto generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2617\" data-end=\"2718\"\u003eInstead, it displays a more classical appearance that reflects the earlier development of the school.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2720\" data-end=\"2830\"\u003eWithin the hardened edge are numerous activities, including long streaks of kinsuji running through the hamon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2832\" data-end=\"2944\"\u003eThese bright lines create movement and vitality throughout the blade and are among its most attractive features.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2946\" data-end=\"3014\"\u003eThey reward close study and reveal new details under changing light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr data-start=\"3016\" data-end=\"3019\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-section-id=\"lpfu4y\" data-start=\"3021\" data-end=\"3056\"\u003ePreserved Through Five Centuries\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3058\" data-end=\"3101\"\u003eEvidence of repeated polishing can be seen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3103\" data-end=\"3181\"\u003eFar from diminishing the blade, this serves as a reminder of its long history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3183\" data-end=\"3294\"\u003eA sword cannot survive for nearly five hundred years without generations of careful ownership and preservation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3296\" data-end=\"3394\"\u003eEvery polish represents an effort to protect the blade and pass it forward to the next generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3396\" data-end=\"3490\"\u003eThe result is a work that remains both historically significant and visually compelling today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr data-start=\"3492\" data-end=\"3495\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-section-id=\"ev4xvo\" data-start=\"3497\" data-end=\"3512\"\u003eAppreciation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3514\" data-end=\"3603\"\u003eThis is a highly appealing example of a Sengoku-period tantō from the Kanemoto tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3605\" data-end=\"3716\"\u003eIts long proportions, refined forging, active hamon, and striking kinsuji make it rewarding to study in detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3718\" data-end=\"3873\"\u003eMore importantly, it appears to preserve characteristics from a period before the Kanemoto school reached the mature form for which it later became famous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3875\" data-end=\"4040\"\u003eFor collectors interested in the origins and development of Mino swordmaking, this blade offers an opportunity that extends beyond the appeal of a signed work alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4042\" data-end=\"4174\"\u003eIt is both a weapon of the Sengoku age and a surviving witness to the formation of one of Japan's most influential sword traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Provenance Selection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46596665016476,"sku":null,"price":800000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0731\/7979\/1516\/files\/IMG_5691.jpg?v=1774711852","url":"https:\/\/provenanceselection.com\/ja\/products\/kanemoto","provider":"Provenance Selection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}