Just slightly over five years ago I wrote an article about a katana that found its’ way into my possession. If you read the article you’ll see that at first I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but in the end I replaced parts of it and made it into a useable sword.
Originally I had planned to use it for tameshigiri, but as time went by I never did find the time, instead I’d take it out every now and again and do some light iai practice with it. Recently, I have decided that it is kind of wasted on me and made the decision to sell it, hopeful to someone that will actually use it and/or appreciate it more than perhaps I did.
Details
Smith: Fukumoto Kanemune
Date: mid-late 1930s?
Blade/sori length: 66.8cm/1.3cm (see it compared to a standard kendo bokuto below)
Condition: the blade is in very good condition. The hamon is clear but there are slight marks on the boshi (they can be polished out maybe?)
Comes fitted with: a new standard saya, tsuka (including kashira and sageo) and the original tsuba and menuki
In the box: the original saya and tsuka
Registration card: yes
Price: best serious offer
Shopping: separate, to be calculated later (a guesstimate is about $150)
Payment: PayPal (USD)
Will send to: America or Japan easily. Sending to other countries can be a minefield, so please ask.
My friend, who ships a lot of swords overseas, will help with the paperwork and packing, so it will be sent professionally.
Please note that although he is a pro at these things, I am not! So it will probably take a little bit of time between purchase and sending, as he is located in a different prefecture and I’d have to get it to him. But rest assured, once it’s settled you’ll get it as soon as it can be feasibly arranged.
What can I do with it?
The sword can be used for tameshigiri as is (I have never tried though).
It is suitable for iai, but perhaps is slightly short for some people. It slightly sticks sometimes at some point when re-sheathing it in the new saya.
Interested?
You can either email me on kenshi247net [AT] gmail.com or get in touch via social media (FB or instagram) and we can chat about it. I am inclined to take the first serious offer from someone in Japan, America, Canada, France, or Germany. Places like Russia, China, Chile, Italy we can’t send to.
Pictures
Gallery one: some quick snaps I took recently. Check out the length comparisons vs a kendo kata bokuto (Feb 2025).
Please note that the tsuba-saver stopper thing is not included (that was a gift).
Gallery two: these are some snaps I took back when it was newly refurbished (Dec 2019).
Gallery three: this is the guy in the shop showing me the signature on the tang and giving it a clean (Mid 2019).
Gallery four: this shows the sword as it original came to me (Jan 2019).
