Douzuki Noko Japanese Precision Cross Cutting Hand Saw - 240mm

Smith name: Nakaya Zenbei Ⅵ (六代中屋善兵衛)

Steel: Carbon Steel

Cutting edge length: 240mm

Total length: 590mm 

Blade thickness: about 0.30mm

Cutting Depth: about 45mm

Weight: 204g

Blade sharpening and adjusting: Tsuchida Noboru

Manufacture Era: Before 1970

Accessories：-   

Additional Information: This saw is lightly used and in nice overall condition. I discovered it at a secondhand shop in Aizuwakamatsu. It appears to have originally belonged to a local tategu-ya (architectural fittings / screen craftsman). The blade has been tuned and professionally sharpened (set and filed) by Mr. Tsuchida, so it is ready for immediate use upon arrival.

My assessment regarding the blacksmith’s mark and generation is based on cross-referencing available photographic and historical archives, combined with my own experience. Furthermore, the secondhand shop where I acquired it is located very close to the tool shop established by the 7th-generation Zenbei, providing strong corroborating evidence.

According to the reference “The Saw Blacksmiths of Aizu: Modern Portraits and Their Genealogies”, the 1st-generation Zenbei passed away on December 7, 1835 (birth date unknown). Continuing through to the 6th generation, who forged saws as a livelihood (born February 13, Taisho 2 / 1913; passing year unknown; active until the late Showa period), this saw-smith lineage spans over a century of history.