Kantei
Close-up in half-light of a curved blade; along the edge shines a temper line with irregular peaks.

Swordsmith of Yatsushiro (Kumamoto) · Akamatsu Tarō

Kaneteru (兼照)

A swordsmith of the Akamatsu Tarō family of Yatsushiro (Kumamoto), second son of Kimura Kaneshige and uncle of Kanemitsu: his life, his work and his sources

Kaneteru (兼照, Kaneteru) is one of the swordsmiths of the Akamatsu Tarō (赤松太郎, Akamatsu Tarō) family, of Yatsushiro, in Kumamoto Prefecture. The second son of the swordsmith Kimura Kaneshige, he was born in 1957 and has been forging since 1988. Almost everything known about him is told by sources that cannot be linked, and so it is marked as attribution.

Photo: dealer in Japan

1957
Born
1988
Forging since
4 (2001–2009)
Dated katana described here
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Kaneteru; signs 赤松太郎兼照 (Akamatsu Tarō Kaneteru) or 兼照 (Kaneteru) AT
Kanji and reading
兼照 (Kaneteru) AT
Birth
1957 (Shōwa 32) AT
Where he forges
Yatsushiro (八代, Yatsushiro), Kumamoto Prefecture, the old province of Higo (肥後, Higo), at the family forge AT
Master
It is not on record who taught him; he is the son of the swordsmith 木村兼重 (Kimura Kaneshige) PC
School or tradition
The Akamatsu Tarō forge, which takes 源清麿 (Minamoto Kiyomaro) as its model AT
Licence
The year is not on record; he has been forging since 1988 (Shōwa 63) PC
Rank
No prize with a year and no mukansa rank are on record PC

In short

What we know. He is the second of the three swordsmith sons of Kimura Kaneshige: the eldest is Kanetsugu, father of Kanemitsu, and the youngest, Kanehiro. He signs with the name of the forge, works with the steel the family smelts, and katana of his dated from 2001 to 2009 are known, among them a copy of Kiyomaro.

How we know it. From the Kimura family tree and from the descriptions of his blades, which cannot be linked. The signature of the 2009 katana can be read in the photos of its tang.

What we do not know. Who taught him, the year of his licence, his prizes with their dates and whether he has work in any museum or shrine. No source that can be linked tells his life.

Sections

  1. The Kimura family · Yatsushiro Life and forging His family of swordsmiths, the Yatsushiro forge and what is on record of his competitions.
  2. Kiyomaro · home-made steel Work and style The style of the forge and four katana of his dated from 2001 to 2009, one of them in photos.
  3. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026 and the credit for each image.