KANABO SCHOOL
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KATANA
The katana pictured and described below was part of the 2004 Chicago Token Kai "The outstanding Features of Yamato Swords" lecture, and display by Gordon Robson.
Signature: Nanto ju Kanabo Hyoenojo Masatsugu
Length: 2 Shaku, 2 Sun, 8 Bu, 5 Rin
Sori: Sori: 3 Bu, 5 Rin
The construction is hon-zukuri with an iori-mune. The blade is wide and there is ample thickness. The shinogi is high, and the ko-shinogi is long. The kissaki is long. The shape is stout with shallow koshi-zori. The kitae is ko-itame mixed with flowing masame that is entirely well worked and tight. The hamon is gunome-midare. The habuchi is unevenly covered in nie, and the nioiguchi is tight and subdued. The tops of the hamon are entirely uniform, and square-shaped tempering is conspicuous. The boshi is shallow midare-komi with a nie covered tip, brushing and a kaeri. There are round-ended bohi with soe-bi carved on both sides of the blade. The nakago is ubu, and the yasuri are kattesagari.
This sword is by second generation Kanabo Masatsugu who was active circa Tensho (1573-1592). Among Kanabo smiths, the number of extant blades by this sword-smith is the greatest, and in comparison to the rarely seen dates on Sue-Koto in general and Yamato works in particular, there are a relatively large number of dated swords by this smith. In addition to katana, wakizashi and tanto, this smith is also famed for producing a large number of yari, with jumonji-yari being especially plentiful, naginata and nagamaki. His blades cut extremely well and have been rated wazamono.
The Kanabo style of workmanship is essentially Yamato-den; however, their jigane has a coarse hada pattern, the nie covering in the ji-ha is uneven and the nioiguchi in the hamon are subdued, which are all characteristics shared among swords that cut well. A characteristic often seen in their hamon is box-shaped tempering in which the shoulders flare out at the base. This characteristic is highly conspicuous in the hamon of this work and visible in the hamon of the previous Nobukiyo. In comparison to the rather magnificent construction of the Nobukiyo katana, this blade has a more average width and thickness, which reflects its later period of production. A comparison of the shapes of these two blades shows that Masatsugu's works are beginning to look more Shinto than Koto.
