O-SURAGE (CUT DOWN)
MU-MEI (UNSIGNED)
3 ANA (HOLES)

KATANA (LONG BLADE)
"O-KISSAKI" (LONG POINT)
NAGASA (LENGTH): 69.5 cm. / 27 3/8"
SORI   (CURVE) :  1 cm.
MIHABA (WIDTH) :  3.3 cm. /  1 3/8"

"SUPERB SHARPNESS"

99% POLISH (A FEW SCUFFS)
MOUNTED IN, SHIRA-SAYA
(STORAGE CASE)


THE MINO - SEKI (KANEMUNE SCHOOL) BLADES OF THE MEI-O (1492) PERIOD ARE LONGER,
AND WIDER THAN NORMALLY ENCOUNTERED FOR THIS PERIOD, THEY ARE REMINISCENT OF THE 
"NAMBOKUCHO" STYLE. MANY HAVE A "O-KISSAKI" (LARGE POINT). THE SHAPE, AND BALANCE IS 
EXCELLENT. THE BLADE CHARACTERISTICS ARE UNIQUE. THE BOSHI'S (THE POINTS, HEAT TREATING) ARE
MAINLY MIDARE KOMI (IRREGULAR), BEGINNING AT THE "YOKOTE" (VERTICAL RIDGE
LINE), IT THEN IN MOST CASES TRANSFORMS INTO A "JIZO HEAD" ( SHAPE OF THE HEAD
OF THE DEITY JIZO ) THIS LOOKS LIKE A MONK KNEELING IN PRAYER, WITH HIS SHAVEN HEAD
SLIGHTLY BENT DOWN. 

THE "HADA" (BLADE GRAIN STRUCTURE): IS REMINISCENT OF EARLY KOTO WORK. MOKUME ( BURL WOOD ), MIXED WITH MASAME (STRAIGHT GRAIN, LIKE OAK),
THE MASAME (SOME LOOSENESS IS NORMAL) BECOMES STRONGER AS IT NEARS THE HAMON. IN THE SHINOGI-JI
(AREA ABOVE THE RIDGE LINE) THE HADA BECOMES VERY STRONG MASAME. THE HADA'S OVERALL TEXTURE APPEARS
SOFT, AND ELEGANT WITH DEPTH. MUCH OF THE APPEARANCE OF DEPTH IS DUE TO CHIKEI (NIE, LINES OF
MARTENSITE, FLOATING UNDER THE SURFACE). THERE IS ALSO ELEGANT UTSURI (SHADOW, OR REFLECTION OF THE
HAMON THAT APPEARS JUST ABOVE IT).

THE HAMON: THE NIE IS VERY FINE, AND THE NIOI (BOTH FINE MARTENSITE CRYSTALS) IS CLOUD LIKE. THERE
IS KINSUJI, INAZUMA (BRILLIANT LINE'S OF NIE), AND YO (FOOTPRINTS). KANEMOTO 2nd. DEVELOPED THE 
"TRUE SANBONSUJI" STYLE OF HAMON, MIDWAY THROUGH HIS CAREER. THE NAME LITERALLY MEANS; THREE CYPRESS
(CEDAR, OR PINE) TREES, WITH THE TALLEST IN THE CENTER, IT REPRESENTS THEM AS VIEWED FROM AFAR.
FOR THE MOST PART, "UNIFORM" SANBONSUJI IS INDICATIVE OF THE LATER KOTO "MINO-SEKI" SCHOOL. OCCASIONALLY
"SENGO MURAMASA'S" HAMON IS REFERRED TO AS SANBONSUJI (ALTHOUGH IT IS QUITE DIFFERENT, TO MY EYE).
THE HAMON IS ALSO A KEY POINT IN DETERMINING, BY WHICH GENERATION OF KANEMOTO A BLADE WAS MADE. "FIRST 
GENERATION KANEMOTO'S SANBONSUJI (SO CALLED), IS ACTUALLY MORE OF A GONOME-MIDARE, WITH A TREND 
TOWARD THE PEAKED SANBONSUJI. "SECOND GENERATION", MAGOROKU'S HAMON BEGINS MUCH LIKE HIS 
FATHERS, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DISTINGUISH EARLY MAGOROKU'S WORK FROM THAT OF THE FIRST LINE MAKERS.  THESE BLADES ARE NOTED FOR THERE "SUPERB SHARPNESS"!

AS THE YEARS PASS, THE PEAKS OF THE TREES, AND POINTED. AS THE SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS
PASS, THE SANBONSUJI BECOMES MORE UNIFORM, AND DISTINCT. THE PRE KANEMOTO 2nd. TRAITS IN GENERAL,
CAN BE APPLIED TO THE FIRST LINE MEI-O (1492) MAKERS.
STUDENTS OF "KANEMUNE".

For inquires: Purchasing or additional information, Please e-mail David E. J. Pepin or telephone him at 1-815-465-2299