Yari spearhead, signed ‘Kanesada’

This is a large yari (spearhead) created by Kanesada, a swordsmith in Mino Province (modern Gifu Prefecture). The blade is 38.7 cm in length and engraved with a title given to the Shinto gods.
In a document describing a battle in Korea in the 16th century, the first lord of the Yanagawa domain, Tachibana Muneshige, rendered distinguished military service with two spears; one is ‘Masakuni’ and the other is this spear ‘Kanesada’.
In the Edo period (1600-1868), during the Daimyo procession performed by the Yanagawa domain, the attendant, who marched just behind the lord’s palanquin, always carried this spear.