三本杉 (Sanbonsugi)

What is Sanbonsugi in Japanese Katana terminology?

Sanbonsugi refers to a type of blade pattern (Hamon) in Japanese swords. It is a variation of ""互の目"" (Gunome), where the 'heads' of the 'nails' (gunome) are pointed and vary in height, resembling a cedar tree. In ""三本杉"", the 'heads' of the 'nails' are deeply tempered in a series of three, creating a continuous pattern.

This pattern is famously seen in the works of ""孫六兼元"" (Magoroku Kanemoto), a renowned swordsmith from the Mino tradition. His influence can also be seen in the works of swordsmiths from the Mino tradition during the Shinshinto period (new sword period).