KANESHIGE WAS ORIGINALLY FROM ECHIZEN PROVINCE ( HE ALSO WORKED IN "KII" PROVENCE ),
HIS FAMILY NAME WAS "TSUJI SUKEUEMON". HE STUDIED WITH THE YANONE GROUP OF SWORD SMITHS,
  AND WAS A STUDENT OF "YASUTSUGU" 1 st GEN. (YASUTSUGU WAS
TOKUGAWA IYEYASU'S PERSONAL SWORD MAKER). "KANESHIGE", WAS THE PERSONAL
SWORD SMITH TO THE O-DAIMYO "TODO"! ONE OF "IYEYASU'S WEALTHIEST GENERALS, WHO WAS
GIVEN THE PROVINCES OF "BIZEN" AND "MIMASAKA", WITH A REVENUE OF
"520,000" KOKU'S OF RICE!!! THE AVERAGE "DAIMYO" (WAR LORD) HAD A
REVENUE OF "10,000" KOKU'S OF RICE (CONSIDERED TO BE A LARGE AMOUNT).
ONE CAN EASILY SEE THAT "TODO O-SAMA" (BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN PORTRAYED
AS "GEN. TODA" IN THE MOVIE "SHOGUN", THAT IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY)
COULD HAVE RETAINED ANY SWORD SMITH HE DESIRED. HE CHOOSE "KANESHIGE"!
 

KANESHIGE'S TITLE WAS "IZUMI-NO-DAIJO". HIS RETAINER "TODO" IZUMI-NO-KAMI,
GRANTED HIM THE TITLE "IZUMI-NO-KAMI" (THE SAME AS HIS OWN), AND LATER THAT OF "KAZUSA-NO-SUKE"!
WAKIZASHI'S BY FAMOUS MAKERS WHO WERE GAINFULLY RETAINED BY POWERFUL DAIMYO'S ARE SCARCE!
THESE MASTERS, WERE KEPT VERY OCCUPIED PRODUCING KATANA'S FOR THE DAIMYO'S SAMURAI. IT IS QUITE
PROBABLE THAT  A LARGE NUMBER OF THE WAKIZASHI'S WE HAVE BY THEM TODAY, WERE PART OF DAISHO'S.

KANESHIGE WAS THE "SENSEI" (TEACHER) OF "OKISATO" C-1661 (ONE OF THE 5
MOST FAMOUS SHINTO MAKERS), KAZUSA-NO-KAMI C-1661 (HIS SON), AND
KANETSUNE C-1661 (HIS SON). MORIKUNI IZUMI-NO-KAMI, AND YOSHIMASA ARE
ALSO LISTED AMONG THOSE THAT STUDIED UNDER HIM. SEE GENEALOGY CHART.
IT WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED BY THE "NBTHK" THAT KANESHIGE 1 st.
WAS ALSO THE SENSEI ( TEACHER ) OF "YAMATO NO KAMI YASUSADA"
ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC MAKERS OF THE PERIOD.
 

KANESHIGE IS VERY WELL KNOWN FOR THE BEAUTY OF HIS HADA (BLADE GRAIN
STRUCTURE), STRENGTH, CUTTING ABILITY, AND BALANCE OF HIS BLADES.
THIS IS A 48.7 cm. - 19 3/8 " LENGTH BLADE, AND HAS WONDERFUL (SEE
HADA CLOSE- UP BELOW) KO-ITAME (FINE WOOD GRAIN) HADA, CHIKEI (LINES OF
MARTENSITE [MS] CRYSTALS, FLOATING JUST BELOW THE SURFACE), AND JI-NIE
(SPRINKLED WITH CRYSTALS). THE HAMON (TEMPERING) IS EXTREMELY FINE AND
VERY BRIGHT NIE [MS] CRYSTALS, IT IS NOTARE MIDARE ( IRREGULAR
OCEAN WAVES), AND HAS FINE ASHI (SUBTLE VERTICAL STREAKS). THERE
 IS ABUNDANT KINSUJI & INAZUMA. THIS BLADE IS WIDE ( KATANA SIZE ), THE HAMON IS
EXCEPTIONALLY WIDE WELL DONE. THE WORKS OF
"OKISATO" BEAR A STRONG RESEMBLANCE, TO THIS BLADE.
PLEASE PARDON THE RATHER POOR PHOTOS, THEY WERE NOT TAKEN WITH MY CAMERA.