Help with Dad’s Bring Back SWORD!

[mecox]

Sara,  menuki something like this compared to yours.  That is helmet over a tachi sword.

 

       

[Brian]

Quite a popular theme for menuki, have seen them a few times.

[mecox]

@Slaborde  Sara here are some details from the example 6-7-8  I sent you. Your original tsuba could well have been in this style.  Also note the menuki, although a different design (flowers) similar style to yours.

 

            

[Slaborde]

16 hours ago, mecox said:

Sara,  menuki something like this compared to yours.  That is helmet over a tachi sword.

 

       

 

[Slaborde]

@mecox that is awesome. Thank you!

[Slaborde]

@mecox @Bruce Pennington I hope I’m not wearing out your patience. I’m reading about menuki and the tsuka… and I came across information on samegawa- ray skin wrap. Wait! I always notices the bubbly surface, and not really thinking about it I always had styrofoam come to mind. (Like I said, I didn't think about it.) But I never would have thought skate skin. I’ve checked a number of different sources and it seems that yes skate skin was used.

 

Im checking in with you. Is this tsuka have skate skin on it?

 

Every moment is a burst of amazing information. I understand why you enjoy mastering this information.

 

[mecox]

@Slaborde  samegawa/same is a ray/stingray and  is good on yours.  Later in war there was some use of early plastics in artifical material, and at end of war were using paper/tape/bark etc.

Seeing you are chasing info look at following post.  There is some terrific material in here, but  second one is for you = Encyclopedia....and only $12.50, just what you need.

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

No worries, Sara, this is my hobby and I love chatting about this stuff.

 

I started learning about all this when looking for parts missing from my dad's sword.  Pretty soon you'll have a cabinet with 20 swords, too!

[Scogg]

It’s such a fascinating and rewarding topic to explore. Every Japanese sword carries its own unique story and history. Welcome to the obsession!
 

I hope you can make it to the upcoming PNW Token Kai meeting in December. That being said: Mal and Bruce have already done a fantastic job covering your sword in detail. They’ve gone above and beyond and I doubt I could offer much, if any, additional information. I'm just a collector, while Mal is the kind of person that I would go to for this kind of detailed info. He and Bruce really know their stuff.

But if you are able to attend the meeting; there will be other swords to admire, and we can talk about your blade in-person, and go over maintenance and cleaning (if you would like). There's also something to gain about having a sword in-hand, and being able to point to features and discuss it's respective condition/quality, rather then relying on photos alone.

Anyway, cool sword and this thread has been an interesting and fun read.
All the best,
-Sam

[Slaborde]

On 10/22/2025 at 4:26 PM, mecox said:

@Slaborde  samegawa/same is a ray/stingray and  is good on yours.  Later in war there was some use of early plastics in artifical material, and at end of war were using paper/tape/bark etc.

Seeing you are chasing info look at following post.  There is some terrific material in here, but  second one is for you = Encyclopedia....and only $12.50, just what you need.

 

 

Done!  Thank you

[Slaborde]

@mecox @Bruce Pennington  I attempted to "translate" the bio piece on Kaneyoshi from the Japanese Wordsmiths in GIFU 1937 so when family read it they could understand it.  Honest, I used the Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords but many of the words I wanted clarity on weren't addressed in there. 

 

First, Could you read through my interpretation of the Okada Takeshi bio below and see if I got the words(I've highlighted in bold correct)?  

Second, If I'm reading the section about him becoming a promoter of traditional sword making processes and leading the forging process at Seki Token... how do you think that is reflected in the swords he produced at Seki?

 

兼義 Kaneyoshi (岡田 武 Okada Takeshi)

Born: Oct 30, 1909

Registered: Oct 20, 1939

1937: Seki-machi, Otsu 2247/3. ?

1939: Seki-machi, Yoshida-cho. ?

1942: Seki-machi, Ikuta-cho. ?

History: He trained under “Mino kaji” his uncle as a child (starting in 1923) and made agricultural tools. He was making swords (independently) from 1933.

 

Summary: He went to Oshu (Fukushima) for further training, then returned to Seki to train in tanrenjo (traditional sword making or working the forge?)

 

He trained under Niwa Kanematsu Kanenobu (兼信) (#17). He became a promoter of traditional sword-making by koshiki tantren ("ancient style" of forging, emphasizing traditional methods and techniques throughout the entire process?) and leading the tanren-bu section (forging? in the Seki Token Kaisha company. 

 

Then he became a full employee of Noshu Nipponto Tanrenjo (Kabushi Kaisha). He was the younger brother of Okeada Kanesada (岡田兼定).

 

Sword Exhibition – Competitions

1939: At the 4th Shinsakuto Exhibition his first submission won Kinpai (gold cup?)  Then he focused on training new tosho (swordsmiths?)

1941: At the 6th Shinsakuto Exhibition there were 250 blades evaluated.  He was ranked 4th level of 5 (Chu Jo Saku) (Superior medium made; above average)

1942: Tosho Banzuke (Ranking of 400 swordsmiths) 4th level of 7 (Chu Saku) (Medium made; average)

1943: At the 1st Rikugun Gunto Tenran Kai Exhibition; 300 blades were there. He won Chairman’s Award (Kaicho-sho).

Listed best students: Okada Kanesada (#25; brother), Ikeda Kanetsuna, Takai Sadatsugu (#28) and Isaji Kanehiro.

Kaneyoshi registered post-war in Oct 12, 1971 at age 62, but died on March 15, 1972 five months later.

From: Japanese SWORDSMITHS IN GIFU 1937 (a list of 34 plus their biography); Malcolm Cox, 2021 update.

 

[mecox]

@Slaborde  Sara below is an edited version of your summary hopefully suited to your family history.  I cannot offer further to what has been provided.

 

           SWORDSMITH KANEYOSHI

 

His swordsmith “art” name is  兼義  Kaneyoshi.

His family name is  岡田  Okada and his given name is  武 Takeshi.

He was born in the town of Seki in Gifu Prefecture in Meiji 42 (1909) on October 30.

 

From when he was young, around age 14 in 1923 (Taisho 12) he began training in the making of agricultural tools under his uncle who was a qualified blacksmith toolmaker. They likely experimented with making swords at that time, as they made edged farm tools. He later went to Oshu (now called Fukushima Prefecture) in northern Honshu, to train further as a blacksmith, after which he returned to Seki to train as a swordsmith in traditional methods in the tanrenjo forge. He looks to have completed his apprenticeship in 1933 and was then making swords.

 

A 1937 official survey notes he had trained under Niwa Kanematsu Kanenobu (兼信 丹羽 兼松) who was born in 1874 and worked in Kamo-gun in Gifu Prefecture. Kanenobu was an experienced swordsmith who died in 1941 age 67.

 

From around 1935 he took on his older brother 兼定 Kanesada (岡田 定男 Okada Sadao) as a deshi (apprenice); he was born in 1905. The 1937 report notes that at that time Kaneyoshi had his own forge at Otsu in Seki but then did not have an apprentice.   In 1939 (Showa 14) on October 20 Kaneyoshi registered as a swordsmith in Seki City and at that time had moved to Yoshida-cho in Seki. He then focused on training new tosho (swordsmiths).  Noted students of his were: Okada Kanesada (brother), Ikeda Kanetsuna, Takai Sadatsugu and Isaji Kanehiro.

 

Kaneyoshi became a promoter of traditional sword-making by koshiki tantren  (the old style of forging, emphasizing traditional methods and materials).  He was then working in the Seki Token Kaisha (company) and was head of the tanren-bu forging section. Later he became a full time employee of Noshu Nipponto Tanrenjo Kabushi Kaisha (share holders).  In 1942 he was recorded to be living at Seki-machi, Ikuta-cho. He was well trained in traditional methods and considered to be a well above average swordsmith.  During the war he largely produced well made “showa-to” non-traditional blades as required but also some custom traditional Nihonto.

 

 As with many swordsmiths he entered Sword Exhibitions, which were judged competitions in which swordsmiths were ranked.

1939: At the 4th Shinsakuto Exhibition his first submission won Kinpai (Gold Medal)  

1941: At the 6th Shinsakuto Exhibition there were 250 blades evaluated.  He was ranked 4th level of 5 (Chu Jo Saku) (superior medium level)

1942: Tosho Banzuke (national ranking of 400 swordsmiths) 5th level of 7 (Chu Saku) (medium level)

1943: At the 1st Rikugun Gunto Tenran Kai Exhibition run by the Army; 300 blades were submitted. He won Chairman’s Award (Kaicho-sho).

 

Post-war swordmaking was permitted from 1954 and Kaneyoshi registered as a swordsmith on October 12, 1971 at age 62.  However, he died on March 15, 1972 only five months later.

 

Based on material in “Nihonto Message Board” and “Japanese Swordsmiths in Gifu 1937, Malcolm Cox, 2021”.

 

 

 

[Slaborde]

@mecox Thank you so much! This is so helpful.

[mecox]

@Slaborde   Sara, glad its helpful as members have put some time into it.  Of course its always appreciated if folk can make a donation to support costs of running NMB (e.g. big software licence, massive stored database etc). 

Easy to do at top of page "Donations".   Cheers.

[Brian]

Thanks for the punt Mal 
After just having to sort out a few hundred for the Japanese Sword Index hosting to continue it in Rich's name, really could use the promo. Thanks for all the info you provide so freely.