Kantei
A short, curved blade, horizontal, with the point to the right, the light, wavy temper along the edge and the rusted tang, with one hole, to the left.

Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History (bulletin “Tayori”, no. 138) · © Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History

Kaga Aoe · dated blades

Work and style

What is known of its blades: a dated reference katana, a wakizashi of Honda Masashige and the traits attributed to it.

On this page
  1. Kantei keys
  2. Reference works
  3. Lists and treatises

Kantei keys

Sugata
Not described in the sources consulted PC
Jihada
In the 1522 katana, the jigane looks whitish in places, the shirake, common in the Hashizume line. On blades attributed to the lineage, an itame with masame and utsuri is described. AT
Hamon
In the 1522 katana, a hamon with many variations. On attributed blades, gunome in nioi, mixed with midare and chōji. AT
Bōshi
Not described in the sources consulted PC
Nakago and mei
Signatures “Ietsugu”, “Ietsugu saku”, 加州藤原住家次作 (Kashū Fujiwara-jū Ietsugu saku), “Kashū Fujiwara Ietsugu saku” and “Kashū-jū Ietsugu”; some of them dated. HD

Reference works

WorkCategoryWhere it isDetails
Katana 加州藤原住家次作 (Kashū Fujiwara-jū Ietsugu saku), 大永弐年八月吉日 (Daiei ni-nen hachigatsu kichijitsu)No designationIshikawa Prefectural Museum of HistoryDated August 1522; it is Akabane-tō no. 41, one of the swords returned by the United States Army
Wakizashi 銘家次 (mei Ietsugu)No designationPrivate collectionSecond half of the 16th century; with the gold inscription 鳥屋入 (Toya-iri) and 政重 (Masashige), with his kaō: used by Honda Masashige
A short, curved blade, horizontal, with the point to the right, the light, wavy temper along the edge and the rusted tang, with one hole, to the left.
The wakizashi signed 家次 (Ietsugu) used by Honda Masashige, from the second half of the 16th century, in a private collection; exhibited by the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History in 2022. Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History (bulletin “Tayori”, no. 138) · © Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of History

Lists and treatises

  • It is not in the wazamono list of the Japanese Wikipedia, which does include two other Kaga smiths, 加州家吉 (Kashū Iekichi) and 加州家忠 (Kashū Ietada).
  • No work of his has been found that is a National Treasure, an Important Cultural Property or in the Kyōhō meibutsuchō.