Aizu Kanesada

Profile

The tenth of the Kanesada (兼定) family of Aizu, a line of swordsmiths descended from Seki in Mino who worked for the Aizu domain in Mutsu province through the Edo period. His activity falls in the first half of the 19th century, and blades of his dated to the Tenpō era (1830–1844) are known. He signed with the family name, in forms such as 奥州會津住兼定 (Ōshū Aizu jū Kanesada). He was the father and teacher of the eleventh Kanesada, who began training under him at fourteen, later took over the workshop and forged many blades signed with his father's name (daisaku-daimei); the son went on to receive the title Izumi no Kami (和泉守) in 1863. The family genealogies also give him the name Kaneuji (兼氏). His work follows the manner of the Aizu school, where masame is common.