ENAMOTO SADAHITO, GENDAITO/SHINSAKUTO/TANTO

[Ed]

SADAHITO, ENAMOTO
GENDAITO, SHINSAKUTO
MEI: 
URA: RI RI no TAME / SEIKI-MATSU AKI no HI
For Lilly, on a day in the fall at the end/turn of the century.
OMOTE: SADAHITO SAKU
DATE: SHIRASAYA DATED 2002
NAGASA: 25.08cm (9.875")
OVERALL: 35.56cm (14")
MIHABA: 2.875cm (1.125")
KASANE: 0.63cm (0.25")
SORI: SLIGHT SAKI-SORI
NAKAGO: UBU 
MEKUGI ANA: ONE
YASURIME: KIRI
MUNE: IORI
HADA: TIGHT KO=ITAME WITH UTSURI
HAMON: MIDARE
BOSHI: KOMARU
HORIMONO OMOTE: NONE
HORIMONO URA: NONE
HABAKI:  1 PC. SILVER
SHIRASAYA

 

Sadahito was the second son of Yusuishi Sadayoshi. Sadayoshi studied under Gassan Sadakatsu in Osaka. Later he relocated to Mishima in Shizuoka. He became Mukansa in 1996 and died in 2000.

 

Enamoto Sadahito was born in 1954 and began his training under his father while in elementary school. He became a licensed sword smith in 1977. He specializes in Soshu den as well as the Gassan tradition.

 

This Tanto is obviously a Mamori-gatana.  Generally, mamori-gatana are housed in koshirae. And given as wedding gifts. Not sure if this one was ever mounted in koshirae, but it didn’t come to me with a koshirae. 

 

The inscription “Ri Ri no Tame, Seiki-Matsu Aki no Hi”. This translates as “For Lilly, on a day in the fall at the end/turn of the century”.

 

While the nakago is not dated the shirasaya is. It also states it was made in the US. 

It reads: 
Beikoku ni oite Heisei jūyonen rokugatsu hi
Enomoto Eishichirō Sadahito

“In the US, on a day in June of Heisei 14 (2002),
Enomoto Eishichirō Sadahito”

 

Courtesy of Sesko’s:
SADAHITO (貞人), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Shizuoka – “Izu-jū Sadahito saku” (伊豆住貞人作), “Izu no Kuni Sadahito” (伊豆国貞人), real name Enomoto Eishichirō (榎本栄七郎), born 1954, second son of Enomoto Sadayoshi (貞吉).

 

This tanto is in excellent condition and would make a nice addition to the collector of tanto, gendaito, Sadahito fans, collectors of mamori-gatana, kaiken etc.

 

$2200 plus S/H and any associated fees (PayPal, wire, etc.)

 

If you are interested in owning this tanto contact me at: Yakiba.com@gmail.com

 

 

[eternal_newbie]

What a fascinating blade... made by a well-known Mukansa smith, while in the US, for someone with a distinctly non-Japanese name. I'd love to know the story behind that! Maybe he was a wedding guest?

[Ed]

15 hours ago, eternal_newbie said:

What a fascinating blade... made by a well-known Mukansa smith, while in the US, for someone with a distinctly non-Japanese name. I'd love to know the story behind that! Maybe he was a wedding guest?

 

Tried find out more as it was interesting to me as well. But, I had no luck. I met him in 2008, of course that was before I owned this Tanto.

[eternal_newbie]

On 3/5/2026 at 9:07 AM, Ed said:

Tried find out more as it was interesting to me as well. But, I had no luck. I met him in 2008, of course that was before I owned this Tanto.

 

Hmm... I was answering a topic somewhere else and remembered this anecdote by Ted Tenold:

 

And now I'm wondering, because the dates certainly make it a possibility...

[Ed]

I remember that.