On this page
- What he is after
- Documented works
- What these works tell us
- The katana of the Takamatsu-no-miya Kinenshō (2025)
- The katana of the Kunzanshō (2022) and the chokutō
- Tantō
- The 2026 tachi
- Works in shop listings
- His works, in his own photos (2017–2018)
- His works, in his own photos (2022–2023)
- His works, in his own photos (2024)
- His works, in his own photos (2025–2026)
- The Suijingiri Kanemitsu (水神切兼光)
What he is after
- The Bizen-den with chōji. In his competition blades and in the 2024 talk he works above all with chōji and jūka-chōji. A shop sums it up like this: “鎌倉中期の福岡一文字を彷彿とさせる太刀作等、話題作を発表” (“he presents much-discussed works, such as tachi reminiscent of the Fukuoka Ichimonji of the mid-Kamakura period”).
- Learning by copying. “大体あの自分たってあの古いのに習って制作することが多いので、時代時代のその形、姿だったり波紋だったりとかに…学ぶというか習うというか” (“I almost always make my works in the manner of the old ones, so I learn from, or imitate, the form, the silhouette or the hamon of each period”), in the 2024 talk.
- What does not come out the same. “やっぱなかなか同じようにはならないんで、もうある程度ここだけ抑えときたいなっていうポイントがあって、そこだけ抑えて仕事してる感じですね。あとは自分の個性しか出ない” (“it does not come out the same, so there are points I want to get right, and I work making sure of those; the rest is my character, which comes out by itself”).
- The school’s tradition: utsushi of Kiyomaro and vigorous blades, say the shops’ listings.
“名刀って言われる刀をどんどんどんどんこう映して、最終的に自分の刀っていうのを完成させたい… これは本当練習” (“I want to keep copying, again and again, the swords that are held to be masterpieces, and in the end complete my own sword… this is truly practice”).
Documented works
The competition works, with the data of the catalogue or the official card; the others, with those of the shop’s listing or the video that shows them.
| Work | Signature | Measurements | Hamon, prize or comment | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katana, 2011 | 肥後國住赤松太郎兼光作 / 平成二十三年五月吉日 (Higo no Kuni-jū Akamatsu Tarō Kanemitsu saku / Heisei nijūsannen gogatsu kichijitsu) | 80.7 cm; sori 1.9 cm; width 3.28 / 2.39 cm; kasane 0.63 cm | Itame with ji-nie; gunome and chōji midare with nie and sunagashi (a shop’s sale listing) | HD |
| Katana, 2016 | 肥後國八代住赤松太郎兼光作 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Akamatsu Tarō Kanemitsu saku) / 以自家製鉄鍛之 (jika seitetsu o motte kore o kitau) / 丙申年十二月吉日 (hinoe-saru-doshi jūnigatsu kichijitsu) | — | Advertised “for iai and tameshigiri” (a shop’s sale listing) | HD |
| Tachi, NBTHK 2017 | 肥後國八代住兼光作 / 平成二十九年初春 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Kanemitsu saku / Heisei nijūkyūnen shoshun) | 80.3 cm | 優秀賞一席 (Yūshūshō isseki) | HD |
| Tachi, NBTHK 2019 | 肥後國八代住兼光作 / 平成三十一年初春 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Kanemitsu saku / Heisei sanjūichinen shoshun) | 79.3 cm | — | HD |
| Chokutō, 2021 | 北斗七星金象嵌 (Hokuto shichisei kinzōgan) 肥後國八代住兼光作 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Kanemitsu saku) / 令和三年十月吉日 (Reiwa sannen jūgatsu kichijitsu) | 68.2 cm | Straight blade with the Big Dipper inlaid in gold; exhibited in 2022 | HD |
| Tantō, NBTHK 2022 | 花鎮兼光 (probable reading: Hanashizume Kanemitsu) / 令和三年二月日 (Reiwa sannen nigatsu hi) / 彫宗風 (probable reading: hori Sōfū) | 29.3 cm | 優秀賞一席 (Yūshūshō isseki); engraving by 宗風 (probable reading: Sōfū) | HD |
| Katana, NBTHK 2022 | 肥後國兼光 / 令和壬寅年二月吉日 (Higo no Kuni Kanemitsu / Reiwa mizunoe-tora-doshi nigatsu kichijitsu) | 74.9 cm | Kunzanshō (薫山賞). The maker’s comment: “南北朝期、備前長船兼光に倣い製作しました” (“made in the manner of Osafune Kanemitsu of Bizen, of the Nanbokuchō period”); he seeks the utsuri with clay, not by hardening the bare blade | HD |
| Joint katana, 2022 | 肥後國八代住赤松太郎兼嗣兼光合作 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu Kanemitsu gassaku) / 以自家製鉄鍛之 (jika seitetsu o motte kore o kitau) / 令和四年十月吉日 (Reiwa yonen jūgatsu kichijitsu) | — | Advertised “居合試斬向” (iai tameshigiri-muki, for iai and tameshigiri) (a shop’s sale listing) | HD |
| Tachi, NBTHK 2023 | 肥後國八代住兼光作 / 令和五年二月吉祥日 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Kanemitsu saku / Reiwa gonen nigatsu kisshōbi) | 79.8 cm | 優秀賞 (Yūshūshō, fifth) | HD |
| Tantō, NBTHK 2023 | 兼光 (Kanemitsu) | 22.0 cm | Kanzanshō (寒山賞). Comment: “厚藤四郎に倣い製作しました” (“made in the manner of the Atsu Tōshirō”) | HD |
| Daishō, 2023 | 肥後八代住兼光作 / 令和五年七月吉日 (Higo Yatsushiro-jū Kanemitsu saku / Reiwa gonen shichigatsu kichijitsu) | Katana of 78.7 cm, sori 2.6 cm, motohaba 3.5 cm and an 8.5 cm kissaki; wakizashi of 58 cm | “Modern copy of the Yamanbagiri”, gunome midare, polished for martial arts. Signature, measurements and authorship according to a seller’s video | AT |
| Tachi, NBTHK 2024 | 肥後國兼光造之 / 令和六年初春 (Higo no Kuni Kanemitsu kore o tsukuru / Reiwa rokunen shoshun) | 78.6 cm | 努力賞一席 (Doryokushō isseki) | HD |
| Tantō, NBTHK 2024 | 兼光 (Kanemitsu) | 25.2 cm | 優秀賞一席 (Yūshūshō isseki). Comment: “粟田口藤四郎吉光の五虎退に倣い制作致しました” (“made in the manner of the Gokotai of Awataguchi Tōshirō Yoshimitsu”) | HD |
| Katana, NBTHK 2025 | 肥後國兼光 / 令和七年二月日 (Higo no Kuni Kanemitsu / Reiwa shichinen nigatsu hi) | 69.8 cm (official card) | Takamatsu-no-miya Kinenshō (高松宮記念賞). Comment: “名物 水神切兼光に倣い製作致しました” (“made in the manner of the meibutsu Suijingiri Kanemitsu”); sankozuka-ken engraving over the bōhi | HD |
| Tantō, NBTHK 2025 | 兼光 (Kanemitsu) / 令和七年二月日 (Reiwa shichinen nigatsu hi); engraving 彫宗風 (probable reading: hori Sōfū) | 24.9 cm | Kunzanshō (薫山賞) | HD |
| Tachi, NBTHK 2026 | 肥後國兼光造之 / 令和八年初春 (Higo no Kuni Kanemitsu kore o tsukuru / Reiwa hachinen shoshun) | 79.5 cm | 努力賞四席 (Doryokushō yonseki); very showy jūka-chōji, with utsuri | HD |
| Utsushi of Muramasa, 2021 | 写村正 (utsushi Muramasa) 肥後國赤松太郎兼光作 (Higo no Kuni Akamatsu Tarō Kanemitsu saku) / 令和三年初春 (Reiwa sannen shoshun) | — | In the sale listing of an iaidō shop | HD |
What these works tell us II
- In the NBTHK competitions he presents tachi of 78.6 to 80.3 cm, longer than usual.
- Since 2022 he has not stopped winning prizes in both sections, and each year he presents a tachi or a katana and a tantō, almost always “in the manner of” a famous sword: Osafune Kanemitsu, the Atsu Tōshirō, the Gokotai, the Suijingiri Kanemitsu.
- The blades of the 2019 Sanchōmō show that he is at ease with wide, thick blades (see “His Sanchōmō”).
- In 2022 he says he has been seeking the utsuri for years and that he controls it with the hardening clay: a feature of old Bizen.
The katana of the Takamatsu-no-miya Kinenshō (2025)
The 2025 katana with its card (photo by Nakamura Keisuke). 中村圭佑 (probable reading: Nakamura Keisuke), 刀箱師 (katana-bakoshi, sword-box maker), on note · © Nakamura Keisuke 
The official card of the 2025 katana: 69.8 cm, prize record and comment. 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · source 
The jigane of the 2025 katana, up close (photo by Nakamura Keisuke). 中村圭佑 (probable reading: Nakamura Keisuke), 刀箱師 (katana-bakoshi, sword-box maker), on note · © Nakamura Keisuke 
The jigane of the 2025 katana: very marked mokume and chikei. 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · source 
The 2025 katana: habaki and sankozuka-ken engraving over the bōhi. 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · source 
The tang of the 2025 katana: 肥後國兼光 (Higo no Kuni Kanemitsu). 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · source 
The tip of the 2025 katana. 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · source
The katana of the Kunzanshō (2022) and the chokutō
The katana of the 2022 Kunzanshō, 74.9 cm. 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · © 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · source 
The card of the 2022 katana: the comment on the utsuri and the 新人賞 (Shinjinshō) of 2004. 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · © 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · source 
The hamon of the 2022 katana, with utsuri. 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · © 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · source 
The chokutō with the Big Dipper in gold (2021), 68.2 cm. 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · © 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · source
Tantō
The tantō of the 2023 Kanzanshō, in the manner of the Atsu Tōshirō. 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo) · source 
The 2024 tantō, in the manner of the Gokotai. 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · © 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · source 
The tantō of the 2025 Kunzanshō, 24.9 cm. 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · © 迫田貫路 (probable reading: Sakoda Kanji) · source 
His omamori-gatana tantō, in Sasebo (2020). りん (Rin) channel · © りん (Rin) channel · source
The 2026 tachi
Works in shop listings
Oshigata of the 2011 katana, in its sale listing. Photo: dealer in Japan 
Registration of the 2016 katana, in its sale listing. Photo: dealer in Japan 
Utsushi of Muramasa from 2021, in its sale listing. Photo: dealer in Japan
His works, in his own photos (2017–2018)
The habaki of a tachi, just arrived from the metalworker in Okayama (7 December 2017). Photo: the smith himself 
Another tachi in progress, with its gold-plated habaki just arrived (16 December 2017). Photo: the smith himself 
The shirasaya for a competition, in wood with tiger-striped grain, 虎杢 (toramoku) (6 January 2018). Photo: the smith himself 
A freshly hardened tantō, with a hamon of 逆丁子 (saka-chōji) (9 February 2018). Photo: the smith himself 
The tang of an exhibited tachi: 肥後國八代住兼光作 (Higo no Kuni Yatsushiro-jū Kanemitsu saku) (17 February 2018). Photo: the smith himself 
His tantō from the 12th お守り刀展覧会 (Omamori-gatana Tenrankai), 五席 (goseki) and 熊本放送賞 (Kumamoto Hōsō-shō), in the catalogue: 逆丁子 (saka-chōji) on steel from his own iron (25 April 2018). Photo: the smith himself 
In the same catalogue, a tantō in suguha and its mounting, an aikuchi-koshirae with a hare before the moon in maki-e made by other craftsmen (25 April 2018). Photo: the smith himself
His works, in his own photos (2022–2023)
The chokutō, with a fine, tight jigane (17 April 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
A polished tantō; in his view, the jigane shows his style (17 April 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
The shirasaya of an ōdachi and of a tantō (15 May 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
The shirasaya of his utsushi of the Sanchōmō, conceived as the mounting of the original (22 July 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
A gilt tachi habaki with a pattern of 亀甲 (kikkō, tortoise shell) (6 August 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
His utsushi of the Sanchōmō, half made (11 August 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
The tang of his work in the manner of the 蛍丸 (Hotarumaru): the name 来国俊 (Rai Kunitoshi), the prayer 蛍丸本歌発見祈願 (Hotarumaru honka hakken kigan, “that the original Hotarumaru may appear”) and his own signature, 肥後國兼光 (Higo no Kuni Kanemitsu) (17 August 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
The signature of an ōdachi of 3 shaku 4 sun (about 103 cm), just engraved (14 September 2022). Photo: the smith himself 
The 寸延び短刀 (sunobi tantō), with 差し込み (sashikomi) polish: 逆丁子 (saka-chōji) with midare-utsuri (3 July 2023). Photo: the smith himself 
A gold-plated copper tachi habaki, with a pattern of rhombuses (13 October 2023). Photo: the smith himself
His works, in his own photos (2024)
A new sword, just polished, as a preview (22 March 2024). Photo: the smith himself 
A 共柄小刀 (tomogara kogatana, a knife and handle in one piece), with ginkgo leaves inlaid by the 肥後象嵌 (Higo zōgan) craftsman 稲田憲太郎 (probable reading: Inada Kentarō) (23 March 2024). Photo: the smith himself 
A two-piece habaki, the work of a good craftsman (27 August 2024). Photo: the smith himself 
A 肥後鎺 (Higo habaki) in two pieces, of gold-plated copper, for a hira-zukuri blade (6 October 2024). Photo: the smith himself 
The tantō on its return from the engraver: 素剣 (suken) and the bonji of 降三世明王 (Gōzanze Myōō) (7 October 2024). Photo: the smith himself 
A tantō with a 振袖 (furisode) tang, with its habaki just arrived (2 November 2024). Photo: the smith himself 
The shirasaya of a tachi and of a tantō, with the strip of smoked bamboo, 煤竹 (susudake), beside the mekugi (7 December 2024). Photo: the smith himself
His works, in his own photos (2025–2026)
A two-piece copper habaki, with a sober finish (25 April 2025). Photo: the smith himself 
A new tachi of 2 shaku 7 sun (about 82 cm), just polished: suguha with small irregularities and midare-utsuri (15 June 2025). Photo: the smith himself 
The oshigata of his katana of the Takamatsu-no-miya Kinenshō, an utsushi of the Suijingiri Kanemitsu, in 『刀剣美術』 (Tōken Bijutsu) (16 June 2025). Photo: the smith himself 
A new tantō, just polished (9 October 2025). Photo: the smith himself 
A habaki of solid gilt silver, with a rock relief (10 January 2026). Photo: the smith himself 
A two-piece habaki: the inner piece, 下貝 (shitagai), of 赤銅 (shakudō), and the outer one, 上貝 (uwagai), of solid silver (17 January 2026). Photo: the smith himself 
The signature of the tachi, engraved before its registration (18 January 2026). Photo: the smith himself 
One of his works from the 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten) of 2026, an utsushi of the Sanchōmō and another of Aoe (20 April 2026). Photo: the smith himself 
Another detail of his works from the 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten) of 2026: the hamon beside the habaki (20 April 2026). Photo: the smith himself 
A signed tang, with its habaki; “if there are no obstacles, see you at some competition next year”, he writes (6 October 2026). Photo: the smith himself
The Suijingiri Kanemitsu (水神切兼光)
The katana of the 2025 Takamatsu-no-miya Kinenshō follows the 水神切兼光 (Suijingiri Kanemitsu), a sword by Osafune Kanemitsu of the Nanbokuchō period, a 重要美術品 (jūyō bijutsuhin, Important Art Object), linked to the Uesugi. Legend has it that Naoe Kanetsugu (直江兼続) “cut the water god” with it to hold back a flood.
It is another link with the Uesugi, like the Sanchōmō, and a graceful thread: from Osafune Kanemitsu to Kanemitsu of Yatsushiro. Uesugi tradition also attributed the Sanchōmō to Osafune Kanemitsu.