Kantei
An unmounted katana, resting on a stand of reddish wood with a garland of mother-of-pearl flowers.

Swordsmith of Mugegawa (Mino) · tōran-ba · mukansa

Ogawa Kanekuni I (尾川兼圀)

The first Kanekuni of Mino: a swordsmith for the army in the war, back at the forge at the age of forty-seven and mukansa in 2006, with Sukehiro’s tōran-ba as his hallmark: his life, his work, his prizes and his sources

Ogawa Kanekuni (尾川兼圀, Ogawa Kanekuni) was the first of the two Mino swordsmiths of that name. He forged for the army in the war, returned to the forge after the age of forty-seven and, from 1996 to 2005, won a prize almost every year in the NBTHK competition for new work, up to the rank of mukansa in 2006. His temper was the tōran-ba (濤瀾刃, tōran-ba), the waves of Tsuda Sukehiro.

Photo: dealer in Japan

1925
Born in Gifu
1977
Swordsmith’s licence
2006
NBTHK mukansa
2012
Dies at the age of 87
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Ogawa Kanekuni, the first of that name; signs 兼圀作 (Kanekuni saku) HD
Kanji and reading
尾川兼圀 (Ogawa Kanekuni) HD
Birth
25 January 1925, in 武芸川 (Mugegawa), today part of Seki, Gifu Prefecture AT
Death
2012, at the age of 87 AT
Where he forged
Yahata, in Mugegawa (Seki), in the old province of Mino HD
Master
From 1972, 金子孫六兼元 (Kaneko Magoroku Kanemoto), the twenty-seventh Kanemoto AT
School or tradition
Sōshū-den (相州伝, Sōshū-den), with the tōran-ba of 津田越前守助広 (Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro) AT
Licence
1977, from the Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkachō) AT
Rank
NBTHK mukansa since 2006 HD

In short

What we know. His profile in the Gifu branch of the NBTHK gives, year by year, his prizes in the competition for new work from 1996 to 2005, with the issue of 『刀剣美術』 (Tōken Bijutsu) in which each one appeared, and the rank of mukansa in 2006. It sums up his speciality as a tōran-ba with a bright edge that recalls Sukehiro.

How we know it. His life before 1996 (his birth, the war, the return to the forge and the licence) and his death in 2012 are told by several sources that agree with one another, but that cannot be cited.

What we do not know. Which work won each prize, the exact year of his recognition by the Ministry of Education, and whether there is work of his in a public museum: he does not appear in the databases of the national museums or in that of cultural heritage.

Sections

  1. The war · Kaneko Magoroku · Mugegawa Life and forging A swordsmith for the army at eighteen, thirty years away from the forge, and the return with the twenty-seventh Kanemoto.
  2. Sōshū-den · tōran-ba · Sukehiro Work and style Sukehiro’s tōran-ba, how his work is described and three blades in photos.
  3. Ten years of competition · mukansa Prizes His prizes from 1996 to 2005 in the NBTHK competition for new work and the rank of mukansa in 2006.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their link where possible, and the credit for each image.