Blade for a Dagger (Tantō)
This blade for a dagger (tantō) was made by swordsmith Miyamoto Kanenori (1830–1929) in a field camp during the Boshin War (1868–1869), likely to be for presentation by Prince Komatsu Akihide (1846–1903) and Prince Arisugawa Taruhito (1835–1895) to a member of the victorious Imperial Japanese Army under their command for military achievements. In 1906, Kanenori was appointed Imperial Household Artist (Teishitsu-Gigei’in) in order to preserve the millenia old traditional craft of swordmaking and pass it on to the next generation of artists.
Artwork Details
- Title: Blade for a Dagger (Tantō)
- Swordsmith: Miyamoto Kanenori (Japanese, 1830–1926)
- Date: 1868
- Culture: Japanese
- Medium: Steel, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), wood, horn, bamboo
- Dimensions: L. of cutting edge 8 7/16 in. (21.4 cm)
- Classification: Daggers
- Credit Line: Purchase, Dr. Kenneth Lam and Dr. Vivian Chui Gift, 2025
- Object Number: 2026.137a–e
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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early 19th century
early 19th century
ca. 1800
ca. 1840–50
dated A.H. 1234/A.D 1818–19
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