和泉守兼定
Izumi no Kami Kanesada
Description
Izumi no Kami Kanesada was a swordsmith lineage of the early to mid-Edo period (c. 1624–1681 and beyond), working within the Mino tradition originating in Seki, Mino Province (modern Gifu Prefecture). The Kanesada name became legendary in Japanese history and pop culture through its association with the favorite sword of Hijikata Toshizō (1835–1869), the fearsome Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi — the special police force that maintained order in Kyoto during the tumultuous final years of the Tokugawa shogunate. Hijikata's blade, known by the nickname "no-sada" (the famous Kanesada), became the symbol of his martial prowess and unwavering loyalty to the old order. He carried it through countless battles in Kyoto and ultimately to the final stand at the Battle of Hakodate in 1869, making the sword a legendary icon of the Bakumatsu era. Today the sword and the name "Izumi no Kami Kanesada" are synonymous with the spirit of the Shinsengumi and the last true warriors of samurai Japan. The Kanesada lineage traces to the Seki swordsmiths of the Muromachi and Sengoku periods, when Mino-den blades — "Seki-mono" — were distributed across Japan as functional fighting swords for warriors of every rank. Mino-den characteristics include itame jihada with masame tendency, and lively hamon featuring sharp, angular gunome and sanbon-sugi (three-cedar) patterns with active nie. DATEKATANA presents Izumi no Kami Kanesada as the embodiment of the warrior spirit of the Bakumatsu era — a sword lineage whose name became intertwined with Japan's most dramatic historical transformation.
Famous Works
- 刀（土方歳三愛刀「之定」）
- 脇差
- 刀（各代作）