KANEMOTO School

KANEMOTO: 
Technical  SUGATA - SENGOKU SUGATA made strong. High SHINOGI.
             HADA - KO-MOKU MOKUME with ITAME MASA mixed. MASA on 
                    the SHINOGI.
            HAMON - A few CHU-SUGU (or KO-GUNOME MIDARE, KO-CHOJI, 
                    GUNOME-TOGARI or GUNOME-MIDARE with SUNAGASHI) 
                    but this school is most famous for SANBONSUGI.
                    The 2nd generation is the renowned MAGOROKU, 
                    who made his HAMON uneven with the troughs 
                    coming close to the HA. On blades of later 
                    generations, SANBONSUGI became a defined 
                    signature HAMON of two short and one tall. 
                    Basically, the later the generation, the 
                    wider the YAKIBA and the greater the symmetry.
            BOSHI - JIZO or MIDARE, but later smiths made KO-MARU.
           NAKAGO - KANEMOTO NAKAGO with two character MEI.

KANEMOTO School:
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KANEMOTO(1) MEI-O 1492
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KANEMOTO(2) "MAGOROKU" TAI-EI 1521      KANEMOTO
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KANEMOTO(3) TAI-EI 1521     KANEHIRO -TEN-MON 1532- KANEMITSU
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KANEMOTO(4TH) TEN-MON 1532  KANEMOTO GEN-KI 1570  KANEYORI
                            Branch-line Brings       GEN-KI 1570
                                   Name to Shinto

KANEMOTO(1) MEI-O TAROSAEMON. Buddhist name: HOMYO-SEISEKI. 
     Last of AKASAKA SENJUIN KUNINAGA line. Theory says his 
     sphere of influences were SEKI smiths KANEMITSU, KANEMUNE, 
     KANEKUNI and KANEYUKI. We see swords between BUN-MEI 1469 
     and EISHO 1504. He first worked together with KANEOTO, then 
     made swords with his son. 
     ITAME with MASAME MINO KURO dark steel with SHIRAKE UTSURI. 
     KO-GUNOME MIDARE BA and KO-CHOJI. Patterns are FUKISOKU, 
     a marked irregularity. This feature is passed to his son, 
     MAGOROKU. SUNAGASHI develops in the mid and MURA-NEI will 
     be seen in the HABUCHI. YAKI-KUZURI broken-up YAKIBA, may 
     develop from his forging techniques.
     MEI is in the SHINOGI-JI. Early signatures, KANEOTO days, 
     are NIJI-MEI two characters, middle period, working with 
     his son, we see the NOSHU AKASAKA JU signatures.

   KANEMOTO
   NOSHU AKASAKA JU KANEMOTO
   NOSHU AKASAKA JU KANEMOTO SAKU

MAGOROKU KANEMOTO(2) TAI-EI. AKASAKA JU. The second KANEMOTO 
     in AKASAKA is the famous "MAGOROKU". His blades are judged 
     SAIJO O-WAZAMONO, the greatest in cutting. The whole KANEMOTO 
     family of smiths made swords in the general styles of 
     IZUMI-no-KAMI KANESADA and Kanemoto's very name alludes to 
     being the sixth in the KANESADA line, MAGO ROKU. MAGOROKU's 
     excelled style became the banner of his school and line. He 
     was the success and leader at AKASAKA. He then moved to SEKI 
     where KANEMOTO(3) was his student. 
     KANEMOTO(2) made wide bladed, somewhat thin SENGOKU-style 
     swords having a noticeable HIRA-NIKU. 
     Well-made and clear color ITAME with MASAME JITETSU. 
     GUNOME TOGARI BA and his SANBONSUJI, which is made uneven. 
     His YAKIBA can appear so uneven, SANBONSUJI may be hard to 
     discern. Or, his can be an obvious and delightful play with 
     the three-cedars format. 
     KANEMOTO Appraisal Note: MAGOROKU became famous for his 
     SANBONSUJI and the pattern became the school flag. The third 
     KANEMOTO will have a CHU-width, fairly evenly set SANBON 
     series. The forth KANEMOTO will have HIRO, wide-width, very 
     evenly done three cedar figures. His signature will have 
     strong strokes and straight lines on the legs of the MOTO.
     A late signature is seen where Hira-gana appears as "MA"-"KO",
     as MaKo-Roku Kanemoto and Kanemoto MaKo-Roku Saku. 

   KANEMOTO
   KANEMOTO SAKU
   NOSHU AKASAKA JU KANEMOTO SAKU