Oshigata Request

[cabowen]

Members:

 

We are planning a show and shinsa next year and I am currently doing the groundwork for some exhibits we are planning.

 

With that in mind, one exhibit I am hoping to put together focuses on a very obscure group of smiths who worked from the late Taisho period to the present day. This group is unique in that all 10 or so smiths are related, that is, all are from the Kato family. I do not believe there is another group of family related smiths of this size in all of Japanese sword making history. They lived in the Meguro area of Tokyo. Today, there is at least one of them still forging blades.

 

Another unique feature of this group is the fact that they were all very good smiths. The first generation group of three brothers all trained along side of Horii Toshihide under Horii Taneaki. They work mostly in the Bizen den. Most of their work was made to order and is on par with the work of the big name smiths of the period.

 

Thus, to complement the exhibit, I am planning a small publication with the family and individual smith histories, photos, and oshigata. I have many oshigata, though not all are high quality. I am hoping some members of this board may have blades by this group and would possibly be willing to share an oshigata or pictures for the publication. I have included a listing of the smiths below.

 

I spent many hours with two of the third generation smiths and was able to gather quite a bit of info which will hopefully bring this talented group of smiths out into the light where they belong....

 

Smiths in the Kato family include:

 

First generation:

 

Kato Masakuni (加藤真国) Kato Sukekuni (祐国) Kato Kanekuni (兼国)

 

Second generation:

 

Kato Masayoshi (真義) Kato Suketsune (祐恒) Kato Tsuneyasu (恒康) Kato Masahira (真平) Tomida Sukehiro (nephew of the shodai smiths) (富田祐弘)

 

Third generation:

 

Kato Sukekuni (祐国) Kato Kanekuni (兼国)

 

Some of the smiths used a different mei from time to time but these are the most likely to be seen mei.

 

If anyone would like to contribute, please email me privately. Thanks for your consideration....

[k morita]

Hi, Chris,

 

I have only tang oshigatas on [Nihon-to oyobi Nihon-shumi].

Is it OK ?

[cabowen]

Thank you very much but I think I have those already.....