Is Interestng Enough

[Peter Bleed]

Friends,

Please allow me to present for a discussion a sword that seems like it ought to be interesting, but that is also, well, challenging.

As shown in the attached images. The sword is signed:

Mino Yoro ju Kokaji  Kaneyoshi  saku.  And it is dated mid fall 1937 (Showa 12, Chuaki).

 The blade is in shirasaya with an individual’s name on the end of the shirasaya tsuka. The blade presents strident ayasugi hada made with what looks like high contract steel. The 1937 date seems rather unusual.

 All that seems pretty interesting, but (!) the blade (which is probably in its original polish)  has several  kizu and even small fukure.  I have also never been able to really figure out who KANEYOSHI was. There  is scant record of a smith by that name (KAN469), and he seems to have been proud to be from Mino, although he used that non-Mino “kane”.  And what’s a “kokaji”? I suppose it could have been the dude’s surname, but since it literally  means “small/minor smith” it could mean that he was modestly claiming only to be an amateur or an apprentice working with another “real” swordsmith. The signature seems skillfully cut and does not look like it was made by somebody who merely spent a weekend visiting a smith at the famous onsens of Yoro.

A sword like thing might be an interesting document about the formative years of gendai sword history. But does interesting history overcome the  kizu?

Please share your insights, correct my errors, and tell me about this sword.

Thank you

Peter

[christianmalterre]

"A sword like thing might be an interesting document about the formative years of gendai sword history. But does interesting history overcome the  kizu?"

 

clearly not!

 

Chris

[Fuuten]

Maybe Marius knows, as i believe he just finished a book about gendai pieces.. However its always possible its an unlisted smith.

 

Also i admit to chuckling at the 'dude' notice.

[george trotter]

Hi Peter,

I had a look through my sources and the only Mino Kaneyoshi with these kanji mentioned is Otani Yoshizo who became a Seki Guntosho on Feb, 1 1943.

I can only speculate of course, but if this is by him, and dated Sho 12, then it may be one of his early endeavours at sword making. While folded etc you say it seems to be "contract" steel...I presume you mean "not Tamahagane"...which is the usual combination that produces a showato (meaning it might be folded, and even water quenched, but it is still showato). This is one of his early swords, if so, it seems he only ever rose to the level of showato maker. 

A clue is the style of mei...it appears to be typical of one of the nakirishi employed to sign the many Seki Blades of WWII...maybe this is early example of the mass production (with Seki Swordmaking Co-op stamps) that was to start from Sho 14-15?

This is just my observation and I could be way off of course...

Regards,

[BIG]

Hi Peter,

 

may be younger brother of kanehide. Markus describes kokaji as a nickname.

 

http://japansword-kogenshakaidojo.blogspot.de

 

Best Regards

[Brian]

Silly question, but are we sure we have Showa there, and not something like Meiji?

Just hard to formulate those kanji into a certain era for my eyes.

[Guido]

It's clearly Shōwa 昭和 (not Meiji 明治):

[Brian]

Clearly.

[Markus]

It is indeed a work of Kotani Yoshizô Kaneyoshi.

 

He was born in 1894 and mei like "Mino Yôrô-jû Kokaji Kaneyoshi saku" (美濃養老住小鍛治包義作) or "Mino Yôrô-sanroku-jû Kotani Kaneyoshi saku" (美濃養老山麓住小谷包義作)

are his early signature variants. Later on, he was assisted in developing his cursive script mei by the local calligrapher Ôno Hyakuren (1864-1941). And as Peter

said, Kokaji is just a nickname that refers to Sanjô Kokaji Munechika.

 

More info on Kaneyoshi will be found in my upcoming Gendaito book but this is one of those cases where a living online database makes sense. One quick adjustment,

and the info is updated (with pics), easily available for future generations of collectors.

 

[george trotter]

Good info Markus...thanks. I thought Kotani or Otani...of course I picked the wrong one haha.

It is amazing that you have such highly detailed sources...wow!. Your book/site will be really valuable.

Regards,

[Peter Bleed]

Let me second what George said! Amazing work, Markus!.

I will correct a typo, too. I meant "high contrast  steel. It truly looks like" this blade has a couple of layers of stainless steel. I wish that Kaneyoshi would have become "an important" smith. And Markus has helped me see that his use of "KokajI" was less a modest comments on Kaneyoshi's assessment of  abilities than an arrogant linkage that was way out of place given the skills he demonstrated in this kizu rich blade! Thank you again, Markus.

Still, I have to think that this sword is an "interesting" reflection of experimentation and exploration that was going on in the world of Japanese swords in the "Pre-War years." This sword shows that techniques and skills were being developed in sword making communities.  I find it also interesting that this sword seems never to have been a gunto. It did not achieved "art" status. Maybe it was "research", but it seems never to have been called into service.

Peter

[Brian]

More pics Peter!

[Peter Bleed]

Thank you Brian, but...

I tried to get some pictures of the hada of this sword, but I just couldn't get anything worth posting. Thanks for your interest.

Peter

[tokashikibob]

Gents,

   Tonight while it's too cold to do anything else, what better way to spend some idle winter hours than a hot fire, cold beer and the NMB!

   So I was doing some research on the gunto pictured below  and believe it's a Kotani KaneYoshi due to the odd Kane kanji.  It is in very good condition.   It has the odd celluloid samegawa. 

 

Question:  The date on the blade is Feb 45.  How unusual is that it was not outfitted in Type 44 fittings?

 

Best Regards,

  Bob

[SteveM]

昭和十九 = 1944

[ROKUJURO]

.....It truly looks like" this blade has a couple of layers of stainless steel.......

.....Still, I have to think that this sword is an "interesting" reflection of experimentation and exploration that was going on in the world of Japanese swords in the "Pre-War years."......

Peter,

 

it is technically possible to weld stainless steel to high carbon steel, however this requires the complete exclusion of oxygen. This can be done by encasing the primary metal block (which will consist of a number of metal sheets of the two steel components) in an air-tight welded iron box. When the welding of the block is completed, the combined steel block can be removed from the iron box and forged to the final shape. 

 

The final quenching and tempering of such a blade may offer some further difficulties to get to the desired results. Anyhow, the JIGANE of such a blade would show a strong Damascus-like pattern after etching.  

 

I have no idea if such a technique was known and practiced by Japanese swordsmiths. 

[tokashikibob]

昭和十九 = 1944

Thanks Steve!  That clears up my question!