SWORD, Japan, Kanemoto 兼元.

Swordsmith: Kanemoto 兼元 Region: Mino 美濃 Date of Manufacture: 1469 (文王 Bunmei) - 1487 to 1615 (元和 Genna) - 1624 Art Period: Muromachi (1392–1573) to Edo (1603–1867) Sword Period: Koto (800-1596) to Shinto (1596-1781) Total blade length: Approx. 56.5 cm.
Nagasa: 44.8 It is difficult to determine which Kanemoto made the blade as it is in need of polishing. Eight possible blacksmiths who signed with "兼元" are listed below: KANEMOTO (兼元), Bunmei (文明, 1469-1487), Mino - "Kanemoto" (兼元), it is said that he first signed with Kanemoto (兼基) KANEMOTO (兼元), 1st gen., Meiō (明応, 1492-1501), Mino – “Kanemoto” (兼元), “Nōshū Akasaka-jū Kanemoto” (濃州赤坂住兼元), “Nōshū Akasaka -jū Kanemoto saku” (濃州赤坂住兼元作), first name Tarōzaemon (太郎左衛門), priest name Seikan (清関), it is said that he was a later descendant of the Akasaka-Senju´in smith Kuninaga (国長), other sources see him as son of Yukimitsu (行満), of Kanemune (兼宗), of Kanekuni (兼国) or of Kaneyuki (兼幸), he was active around Bunmei (文明, 1469-1487) and Eishō (永正, 1504-1521), during his early years he made some joint works with Kaneoto (兼音), elegant sugata, dense, somewhat blackish itame mixed with masame, irregular ko-gunome-midare mixed with ko-chōji, in addition sunagashi, mura-nie, uchinoke and nie-kuzure, he signed with small characters on the shinogi-ji of the tang, in later years his signature becomes larger and i s not necessarily positioned on the shinogi-ji, it seems that he signed in earlier years just with Kanemoto, later also with “Nōshū Akasaka-jū Kanemoto saku,” and towards the end of his career with “Nōshū Akasaka-jū Kanemoto,” jō-saku KANEMOTO (弼元), 2nd gen. Kanemoto, 1st gen. Magoroku, Daiei (大永, 1521-1528), Mino – “Kanemoto” (兼元), “Magoroku Kanemoto” (まこ六弼元) “Kanemoto saku” (兼元作), “Nōshū Akasaka-jū Kanemoto saku” (濃州赤坂住 弼元作), first name Magoroku (孫六), together with No-Sada, he is regarded as the most outstanding of all Sue-Seki smiths, he worked from the end of the Eishō (永正, 1504-1521) to the eraly Tenbun era (天文, 1532-1555) in Akasaka in Mino province, somewhat wide mihaba, rather thin kasane, scarce hira-niku, bright and clear jigane, itame mixed with masame, gunome mixed with irregular togari -gunome which can be considered as precursor of the later sanbonsugi, he signed powerfully and in large characters whereas the mei is executed rather angular and with straight strokes, his blades were famous for their supreme sharpness, saijō-ō-wazamono, saijō-saku KANEMOTO (弼元), 3rd gen. Kanemoto, 2nd gen. Magoroku, Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Mino – “Kanemoto” (兼元), “Nōshū Seki-jū Kanemoto saku” (濃州関住兼元作), “Seki-jū sandai-me Kanemoto” (関住三代目兼元, “3rd gen. Kanemoto, resident of Seki”), the moving to Seki took place with the 3rd gen. Kanemoto, another theory says that the 2nd gen. Kanemoto – ie the 1st gen. Magoroku – moved in his later years to Seki, the sanbonsugi of the 3rd gen. is more regular than that of the 2nd gen., it is said that this Kanemoto was a student of the 1st gen. and that he bore the first name Yashichibei (弥七兵衛) before he took over the name Magoroku, but there also exists the theory that Yashichibei Kanemoto and the 3rd gen. Magoroku Kanemoto were two different smiths – There exists the signature “Nōshū Akasaka-jū Magoroku sandai Kanemoto Sunshū Fuji-gun ni oite” (濃州赤坂住孫六三代弼元於駿州富士郡 , “made by the 3rd gen. Magoroku Kanemoto from Akasaka in Mino province in the Fuji district of Suruga province”). This is probably a work of the 3rd gen. Kanemoto or the 2nd gen. Magoroku respectively. Because of the supplement “Akasaka-jū,” it is possible that this Kanemoto moved to Seki with a stopover in Suruga province, jōjō-saku KANEMOTO (兼元), Eiroku (永禄, 1558-1570), Mino – “Kanemoto” (兼元), “Kanemoto Sanshichirō” (兼元三七郎), according to tradition the son of Kanekuni (兼国) KANEMOTO (兼元), Tenshō (天正, 1573-1592), Mino – “Nōshū Seki-jū Tarōzaemon Kanemoto” (濃州関住太郎左衛門兼元), “Kanemoto” (兼元), first name Tarōzaemon (太郎左衛門), chū-jō-saku KANEMOTO (兼元), Tenshō (天正, 1573-1592), Mino – “Kanemoto” (兼元), he moved from Mino to Ōno (大野) in Echizen province but it is said that he moved later also to Kaga KANEMOTO (兼元), Keichō (慶長, 1596-1615), Mino – “Seki-jū Kanemoto” (関住兼元), “Kanemoto” (兼元), first name Yosuke (与助).