Kantei
A bare katana, whole, on a stand covered with a white cloth, in a dark display case.

永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo)

Kiyomaro, Bizen-den and blades for use

Work and style

Broad, vigorous works modelled on Kiyomaro, Kanemitsu’s Bizen-den in the competitions and blades for use in iaidō and tameshigiri.

On this page
  1. The style of the forge
  2. Joint works
  3. Blades for use
  4. Works

The style of the forge

The school makes vigorous works whose ideal is Minamoto Kiyomaro (源清麿, Minamoto Kiyomaro), with utsushi of Kiyomaro, above all by Kanehiro and Kanetsugu.

Kanemitsu takes to the competition long tachi, from 74.9 to 80.3 cm, and tantō from 22.0 to 29.3 cm, in the Bizen-den line, with chōji (丁子) and jūka-chōji (重花丁子). His cards state models: the 2022 katana, in the manner of Osafune Kanemitsu (長船兼光), with midare-utsuri; the 2025 one, in the manner of the 水神切兼光 (Suijin-giri Kanemitsu). In 2020 and 2021 he exhibited tachi imitating the Sanchōmō (山鳥毛).

Joint works

Father and son have signed at least two works together (合作, gassaku): an utsushi of the Sanchōmō from 2019, “写山鳥毛 肥後國住赤松太郎兼嗣兼光合作” (utsushi Sanchōmō, Higo no Kuni-jū Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu Kanemitsu gassaku), and a katana from October 2022 for iaidō and tameshigiri, of 75.7 cm.

Blades for use

The forge is known among practitioners of iaidō and tameshigiri for its blades for use. A dōjō published in 2013 and 2014 videos of cuts on tatami and thick bamboo with blades signed 赤松太郎兼光 (Akamatsu Tarō Kanemitsu), according to their titles. It is the best public evidence of their work in cutting.