Kanna Japanese Smoothing Plane Blade By Chiyotsuru Nobekuni - 70mm

Blade Weight: 352g

Blade Angles: 24°

Blade thickness: The blade near the bevel(about 5.20mm)，Top of Blade（about 8.60mm）

Manufacture Era: Around 1950s

Chip Breaker Width: 62mm 

Chip Breaker smith: Nagamine Kiyoshi (1895 ~1982）

Dai manufacture: unknown

Dai size(length, width, thickness): 275mm 90mm 36mm

Total weight: 1200g

Accessories: -

Additional Information: This is an unused Japanese hand plane (kanna). It comes from a retired miyadaiku (shrine/temple carpenter) based in the Tokyo area. The blade is an original work forged in-person by the third-generation Chiyozuru, purchased when the master was still a young apprentice. While he owns several others in his collection, this is the only piece he was willing to part with at this time. Additionally, the uragane (chipbreaker) of this plane was forged by the legendary blacksmith Shigenobu.

After purchasing it, I consulted Mr. Tsuchida for appraisal, who confirmed it to be an authentic work by Ochiai Yuichi . He also informed me that the plum blossom mark on the front right side of the blade signifies that it is forged from Shirogami (White Paper Steel). 

This blade does not bear the common ”Third-Generation Chiyozuru“ (三代目千代鶴) mark, but is instead stamped with “Sensandai“(千三代). The story behind this dates back to 1947 (Showa 22), when he succeeded to the name ”Third-Generation Chiyozuru.“ Around the mid-1950s (mid-Showa 20s), a trademark dispute prevented him from using the ”Chiyozuru” name, forcing him to adopt the transitional mark “Sensandai” (signifying 'Chiyozuru the Third Generation')—though he later resumed the use of the “Third-Generation Chiyozuru” signature. That said, to the best of my current knowledge, not every piece bearing the “Sensandai” stamp was necessarily forged by Uichi Ochiai himself.

After Mr. Ochiai Yuichi retired in 1973, most of the third-generation Chiyozuru planes are made by Ochiai Uichi's sons, Ochiai Giichi (落合義一，the eldest son) and Ochiai Kazuyoshi (落合和吉，the second son). After 1987, Yoshiichi's health deteriorated and Kazuyoshi was the only one who continued to work in the blacksmith shop. Therefore, most of the third-generation Chiyozuru plane currently on the market are made by Ochiai Kazuyoshi.

Although the plane appears to have been used once, this is actually the result of a popular retail practice at the time where planes were sold “ready to use right out of the box.” In other words, both the dai (wooden body) and blade had already been properly conditioned, and the blade pre-sharpened by the Daiya. This is evidenced by the blue label on the front of the dai, which reads '本調子 直使い' (Hon-chōshi Sugu-tsukai, meaning tuned and ready for immediate use). While the dai has been exceptionally well preserved—completely straight and free from warping or twisting—it is not currently in ready-to-use condition due to the passage of time.