* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kanesada ("Nosada")
兼定（之定）
Description
Kanesada ("Nosada") and the Seki Smiths
Kanesada is a lineage of swordsmiths based in Seki in Mino Province (present-day Seki City, Gifu Prefecture), and from the first generation onward the family passed down the name generation after generation. Among them, the second-generation Kanesada was a master smith of the late Muromachi period who was active from around the fourth year of the Bunmei era (1472) to around the sixth year of the Taiei era (1526), and he is also said to have gone by the name Kichiemon-no-jō. The second-generation Kanesada is regarded, together with Magoroku Kanemoto, as one of the two great pillars representing the Seki smiths.
The Origin of "Nosada"
Because the second-generation Kanesada cut the character 定 in the variant form 㝎, he is commonly called "Nosada" to distinguish him from the other Kanesada. There are various theories as to whether he was a biological son or an adopted son of the first-generation Kanesada, and a tradition also survives that he was born in Kai Province and later moved to Seki.
Characteristics of the Work
Nosada's works display a powerful, practical form, with a broad blade width, thin kasane, and an elongated kissaki. The jigane is itame mixed with masame, and shirake-utsuri appears prominently. Many of the hamon are nioi-dominant with gunome mixed in. Besides works in the Sōshū-den and Bizen-den styles, there are also Yamato-style works with a suguha character, so his range of work is broad. He also left works with a playful character, such as those with added saidan-mei and kuji carvings.
Major Works and Reputation
Nosada's works were ranked in the top grade, "Saijō Ōwazamono," in the Edo-period sword rankings Kaihō Kenjaku and Kokon Kaji Bikō. Because of their sharpness, in the Edo period they were traded at prices high enough that they were called "Senryō Kanesada." Representative works include the "Sasa no Tsuyu" with a saidan-mei inscription, and the jūmonji yari "Ningen Mukotsu," which was favored by Mori Nagayoshi, a fierce general of the Oda family, and is said to have been passed down to his younger brother Mori Tadamasa after Nagayoshi's death. Nosada's works are also known to have been widely favored by Sengoku-period warlords.
Famous Works
- Sasa no Tsuyu
- Ningen Mukotsu (jūmonji yari)