Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)

Swordsmith Blade inscribed by 兼道 (Kanemichi) Japanese

Fittings maker Mounting inscribed by 義照 (Yoshiteru) Japanese

blade, 16th century; mounting, 1871

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 378

A tantō is a dagger or blade shorter than 30 cm.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)
Swordsmith: Blade inscribed by 兼道 (Kanemichi) (Japanese, active mid-16th century)
Fittings maker: Mounting inscribed by 義照 (Yoshiteru) (Japanese, active 19th century)
Date: blade, 16th century; mounting, 1871
Geography: Gifu Prefecture
Culture: Japanese
Medium: Steel, wood, lacquer, baleen, silver, gold
Dimensions: L. 15 11/16 in. (39.8 cm); L. of blade 14 1/6 in. (35.8 cm); L. of cutting edge 10 1/4 in. (26.1 cm)
Classification: Daggers
Credit Line: Gift of Brayton Ives and W. T. Walters, 1891
Object Number: 91.2.2
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

In the same gallery

In the same medium

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Blade for a Double-Edged Sword (<i>Ken</i>), Steel, Japanese — Blade for a Double-Edged Sword (*Ken*)
Japanese
5th century

Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō), Sukemitsu of Bizen Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper, rayskin, silk, Japanese — Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō)
Multiple artists/makers
sword (katana) blade, dated 1440; short sword (wakizashi) blade, 15th century; mountings, late 18th century

Helmet in the Shape of a Crouching Rabbit, Iron, lacquer, silver, gold, leather, silk, Japanese — Helmet in the Shape of a Crouching Rabbit
Japanese
17th century

Sword Guard (Tsuba), Omori Hidenaga Japanese, Copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold, copper, silver, Japanese — Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Omori Hidenaga
18th century

Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)

Kanemichi

blade, late 16th–early 17th century; mounting, 19th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.