Blade for a Tachi (Slung Sword), known as "Ō-Kanehira" (Great Kanehira)
Title
Blade for a Tachi (Slung Sword), known as "Ō-Kanehira" (Great Kanehira)
Description
By the artist Kanehira.
Kanehira was one of the smiths of the oldest province of Bizen, the most productive site of sword production from the Heian through the Muromachi period. The steel is layered so many times the blade developes visible steel crystals, the silver edge. This peice is famous for being the longest sword that Kanehira produced, naming it "Ō-Kanehira" (Great Kanehira). It was a treasured possession of Ikeda Terumasa, lord of Okayama Castle, and was long the most important sword in his family's collection.
Kanehira was one of the smiths of the oldest province of Bizen, the most productive site of sword production from the Heian through the Muromachi period. The steel is layered so many times the blade developes visible steel crystals, the silver edge. This peice is famous for being the longest sword that Kanehira produced, naming it "Ō-Kanehira" (Great Kanehira). It was a treasured possession of Ikeda Terumasa, lord of Okayama Castle, and was long the most important sword in his family's collection.
Source
Tokyo National Museum.
Date
Heian period, 12th century
Format
Steel; L. 35 1/8 in. (89.2 cm)
- Date Added
- May 9, 2011
- Collection
- Samurai Weaponry
- Citation
- “Blade for a Tachi (Slung Sword), known as "Ō-Kanehira" (Great Kanehira),” Artists, Patrons, and Japanese Art, accessed March 29, 2024, https://artistandpatrons.omeka.net/items/show/18.