Miyamoto Kanenori

宮本包則 (Miyamoto Kanenori)

Lineage: the signature does not state the generation

A Hōki smith (1830-1926) trained in Bizen, who forged swords for the emperors from Kōmei to Shōwa and was an artist of the imperial household from 1906.

Base of a straight, dark blade and its light tang with an inscription, ending in a ring, on a black background.
Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase · ColBase terms of use

Profile

Miyamoto Kanenori was born in Ōgaki, in Hōki, and at 22 went to Osafune: Yokoyama Sukenaga did not take him in, but Yokoyama Sukekane did, and with him he learned the Bizen manner for seven years. In 1863 he opened a forge in Kyoto, at Sanjō Horikawa, and forged for samurai loyal to the emperor; in 1866 he made a sword for Emperor Kōmei and the following year received the title Noto no Kami. In 1868 he spent over a hundred days in retreat at the Fushimi Inari shrine forging a votive blade. After the 1876 ban on wearing swords he went through hard years making tools, until he was called to forge the treasures of the Ise shrine. In 1906 he was named an artist of the imperial household on the same day as the first Gassan Sadakazu. In 1915, according to his article in the Japanese Wikipedia, he forged the generalissimo's sword for the enthronement of Emperor Taishō, which the article on the marshal's baton (元帥杖, gensuijō) gives to Gassan Sadakazu. His basis is nioi Bizen, with gunome-chōji and a flame-like bōshi in the manner of Kanemitsu. He worked almost until his death in 1926.

Monograph

Miyamoto Kanenori (宮本包則) His quick profile and the essentials. Read the monograph

See them in the catalogue

Back to the smiths

Quick read