Sword by Kanetsune and some questions on maintenance

[Zarathustra]

Hello Everyone!

 

I bought my first sword some weeks ago. It is mumei but has a paper by NTHK which attributes it to Noshu Seki Kanetsune.

I would really like to get to know my sword a little better, so I have bought some Books on Nihont in general, the one by Markus Sesko (Leitfaden für das japanische Schwert) has also very much information on specific schools and smiths but I haven't found anything more on Kanetsune  in the books or in the Internet, exept for Kanetsune being considered ryo wazamono.

So do you have any more Information on him, or can reccomend any books on Mino school?

Also I like to know more about the Koshirae, and how to care for it, because i have never read anything on how to care for tsuba etc.

And secondly, I have som questions on mainenance. I noticed some stripes on my swords edge and a strange pattern, could this come from the oil?

I couldn get sword oil fast enough, so i used pure clove oil, a few drops on washi.

 

Thank you

Florian

 

Edit: I have a feeling it could come from the shirasaya as well, because the shirasaya is too tight, so it is really hard to get the sword out of it and maybe it scratched the surface or something. this it why I store the Blade not in the shirasaya at the moment.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Here you go: https://to-ken.uk/resources/sword%20etiquette.html

[ChrisW]

Keeping it in its shirasaya is also the preferred method for long-term storage. A very handsome blade by the way!

[Zarathustra]

Could you tell me more specific what on this list may be the important part for my questions? I've read it through but feel none of my questions answered.

 

[Brian]

Just some advice. Do not use pure clove oil.
Sword oil is regular mineral oil with a drop or 2 of clove oil for smell. Pure clove oil can stain and is not effective. Just find any gun oil or machine oil and give it a wipe or 2...then wipe off. If you can see the oil, you are using too much.
Have a look here: http://www.sho-shin.com/kanetsune.html and here: http://www.shibuiswords.com/mino-mono.htm

There were a few Kanetsune, so post your papers so we can see if they have narrowed it down.
 

[Oshy]

Hi Florian,

 

Im thinking it might be oil residue. I use 91% Isopropyl to remove all old oil prior to adding fresh oil as part of my maintenance routine. You might try that.

 

As long as you keep the blade lightly oiled and inside the airtight saya/shirasaya, all should be ok (assuming proper humidity levels below 60%). I believe Koshirae can be a bit more temperamental and also doesn't like humidity levels that are too low. Lacquer, leather etc can require extra care.

[Zarathustra]

Just some advice. Do not use pure clove oil.

Sword oil is regular mineral oil with a drop or 2 of clove oil for smell. Pure clove oil can stain and is not effective. Just find any gun oil or machine oil and give it a wipe or 2...then wipe off. If you can see the oil, you are using too much.

Have a look here: http://www.sho-shin.com/kanetsune.html and here: http://www.shibuiswords.com/mino-mono.htm

There were a few Kanetsune, so post your papers so we can see if they have narrowed it down.

 

 

As far as i can read they didnt, but here´s the paper :D

 

@Oshy

Thanks for the advice. The current situation makes isopropyl alcohol unobtainable, and my local pharmacy has none, but i have some Idea where to get some from.

 

Edit: Totally forgot the Back of the Paper

[Geraint]

Dear Florian.

 

This is a useful book for you. https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b710-mino-and-supplement-cox

 

Nice sword.

 

All the best.

[Tokaido]

Hello Florian,

the paper gives a date around Tensho (1573-1592). That should be the 8.th or 9.th generation Kanetsune according to Markus Seskos book, see below.

 

Please do oil the blade gently with a gunoil like Balistol to remove the stains left by the pure clove oil. Rubb the blade dry with very soft tissue (face-tissue) or a microfibre cloth used for camera lens before inserting back into the shirasays. You do not want to accumulate excessive oil inside the shirasaya.

 

Right now with the Corona mess, it may be difficult to get in contact with many of the local collectors. But the NBTHK European Branch is located in Bonn and the Nihonto Club usually meets in Neuwied. So if "stay at home" is no longer necessary, you might be able to get in touch with some of sword enthusiasts in your area :-)

 

Greetings

Andreas

 

 

 

Sorry guys, I have the german version only at hand:

 

Source: Lexikon der japanischen Schwertschmiede, A-M by © 2012 Markus Sesko 

Kanetsune (兼常), Tenbun (天文, 1532-1555), Mino – „Kanetsune“ (兼常), „Nōshū Seki-jū Kanetsune“ (濃州関住兼常), „Nōshū Seki no 

jū Kanetsune“ (濃州関之住兼常), Vorname „Heizaburō“ (兵三郎), er führte später den Namen „Nando Suke´emon“ (納戸助右衛門), er 

war der Ahnherr der späteren Mutō-Kanetsune-Linie (武藤兼常), er bekam im siebten Monat des zweiten Jahres Genki (元亀, 1571) von 

Oda Nobunaga den Ehrentitel „Seki-kaji-tōryō“ (関鍛冶頭領, wörtl. „Oberhaupt der Seki-Schmiede“) verliehen, er war von der 

beginnenden Tenbun- bis in die Tenshō-Periode (天正, 1573-1592) aktiv, er soll auch in Fushimi (伏見) in der Provinz Yamashiro 

geschmiedet haben, er starb im zehnten Monat des 16. Jahres Tenshō (1588), posthumer buddh. Name „Tennō Gentaku“ (天翁元沢), er 

fertigte meist etwas längere und eher robust anmutende Klingen mit breiter mihaba und sakizori, das jigane ist eine dichte mokume gemischt 

mit masame oder eine heraus-stehende itame gemischt mit masame, der hamon ist ein suguha mit ō-midare als koshiba an der 

Klingenwurzel, er härtete aber auch einen koshi-no-hiraita gunome-chōji mit togiyaki, generell sind seine hamon eher nie-lastig 

Kanetsune (兼常), Eiroku (永禄, 1558-1570), Mino/Izumo – „Unshū-jū Kanetsune saku“ (雲州住兼常作), er ging von Mino in die Provinz 

Izumo 

Kanetsune (兼常), Bunroku (文禄, 1592-1596), Mino – „Nōshū Seki-jū Kanetsune“ (濃州関住兼常), „Kanetsune“ (兼常), bürgerlicher 

Name „Nando Suke´emon“ (納戸助右衛門), er führte auch den Vornamen „Sukejirō“ (助次郎), älterer Bruder Owari-Seki Masatsunes         

(政常), er fertigte eine stattliche Keichō-shintō-sugata mit einem ō-kissaki, dichte itame, chōji-midare in ko-nie-deki, er war ein äußerst 

talentierter Schmied, lt. Überlieferung soll er Mitte der Keichō-Periode (慶長, 1596-1615) von Kananmori Nagamitsu (金森長光, 1605

1611), dem daimyō des Minoer Kōzuchi-Lehens (上有知藩) eingestellt worden sein, diese Überlieferung ist aber etwas abwegig, da 

Nagamitsu (nach jap. Zählweise) nur sieben Jahre alt wurde, es kann aber durchaus sein, dass er für das besagte Lehen tätig war, er starb im 

vierten Monat des zwölften Jahres Kan´ei (寛永, 1635), posthumer buddh. Name „Koshun-Eirin“ (孤俊永輪) 

Kanetsune (兼常), 9. Gen., Bunroku (文禄, 1592-1596), Mino – „Kanetsune“ (兼常), „Nōshū Seki-jū Kanetsune“ (濃州関住兼常), 

bürgerlicher Name „Nando Suke´emon“ (納戸助右衛門), er zählte sich als 9. Gen. Kanetsune, die vorangegangene Generationenfolge ist 

unklar, Vater von Sagami no Kami Masatsune (相模守政常) 

Kanetsune 

[BIG]

Kanetsune...

 

https://www.juwelier-strebel.de/asienkunst/Japan/verkauft/seite-16

 

Best

[Zarathustra]

Kanetsune...

 

https://www.juwelier-strebel.de/asienkunst/Japan/verkauft/seite-16

 

Best

Yes, this is the one I bought

[SAS]

Nice shape.

[Zarathustra]

Thank you all for your opinions. As I mentioned earlier, this is my first sword, and with it I started to learn more, and with more knowledge comes greater appreciation. (also it is by far easier to learn about swords with the book in hand and the sword in front of you on the table so you can have a quick look on what you're actually reading about)

I decided to buy exactly this sword because it was made in Seki, mino, which was the place where I first saw the beauty of Japanese swords during an exchange, and I'm very proud to own such a work of art. In a movie about Howard Carter, the one who discovered the grave of Tutankhamun, he was asked how to tell if something is original or fake. He replied: If you buy a fake copy, it will become duller every day, but if you have a genuine work of art, you will appreciate it more with every time you look at it.

That is exactly how I feel about my sword... Sorry for getting emotional, my wife just told me to marry the sword haha ^^

By the way, here are some more pictures of it:

 

And here some more of the fittings