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Mei: Mumei, named Sui Ryu (Sleeping Dragon)
Jidai: Late Muromachi (c. 1570)
Habaki: 2-piece copper
Nagasa: 69.4cm
Moto-haba: 2.8cm
Kasane: 5mm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri daito
Jitetsu: Ko-itame
Hamon: Sanbonsugi
Nakago: O-suriage mumei
Mekugi: 3
Boshi: Midareba with kaen
Kanteisho: NTHK
Swordsmith Reference: Fujishiro Koto-hen
Tsuba: Mokko gata tsuba with kaku mimi. Ginger roots motif (7.3cm x 7.3cm)
Saya: Kawari nuri (black and gold lacquer) handachi saya with red copper fittings
Menuki: Brass dragons
Fuchigashira: Shakudo nanako with waves
This is a beautiful, long katana by the sandai (3rd generation) Mino Kanemoto in koshirae. The sandai Kanemoto was the son of the famous Magoroku Kanemoto and was also known as the nidai (2nd generation) Magoroku. This sword has the trademark sanbonsugi hamon that was perfected by the nidai. Sanbonsugi is a unique type of gonome midare where the peaks are grouped together in threes, hence the name sanbonsugi (three cedar trees). Unlike later generations of the Kanemoto line, where the sanbonsugi patterns becomes very stiff and repetitive, the hamon of the early generations is much more naturalistic. The kitae is a well-forged ko-itame with ji-nie.
Especially exciting about this sword is that it is a named blade. Many times famous swords or those that have some attached story were given a name. In this case the sword has been named Sui Ryu, or Sleeping Dragon.