Kantei
A man with short hair and a goatee, in a white kimono and with his arms crossed, in front of a wall with painted Japanese characters.

Swordsmith of Hashima (Gifu) · pupil of the twenty-fifth Fujiwara Kanefusa

Fusatarō (房太郎)

A swordsmith from Hashima, in Gifu, trained under the twenty-fifth Fujiwara Kanefusa, who takes Japanese forging to Europe and North America: his life, his work and what is recorded of his prizes

Fusatarō (房太郎, Fusatarō) was born in 1976 in Gifu prefecture, trained for six years under the twenty-fifth Fujiwara Kanefusa (藤原兼房, Fujiwara Kanefusa) and forges in Hashima (羽島, Hashima). Since 2012 he has given forging demonstrations and workshops in Europe and North America. This short monograph tells what is known about him, with the level of evidence of each fact.

Photo: the smith himself

1976
Born in Gifu prefecture
1997
Joins the twenty-fifth Fujiwara Kanefusa (藤原兼房, Fujiwara Kanefusa)
2005
Forging seminar in Canada, already signing as Fusatarō
2006
His own forge in Hashima (羽島, Hashima)
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short
  3. Discrepancias

Quick profile

Swordsmith’s name
Fusatarō AT
Kanji and reading
房太郎 (Fusatarō) AT
Birth
1976, Gifu prefecture AT
Where he forges
Hashima (Gifu), since 2006; before that, in Seki (関, Seki), from 2004 AT
Master
The twenty-fifth Fujiwara Kanefusa (藤原兼房, Fujiwara Kanefusa), from 1997 and for six years AT
School or tradition
Mino: signature 濃州住房太郎作 (Nōshū jū Fusatarō saku), “made by Fusatarō, resident of Mino”; see the Kanefusa of Seki AT
Swordsmith’s licence
Not recorded in the sources consulted PC
Rank
No NBTHK prizes and no mukansa title in the catalogues and results consulted (2017 and 2021–2026) HD

In short

What we know. Almost everything known about his life is told by him, and a 2020 interview and a feature in the magazine Discover Japan from the same year agree on his birth in 1976, his apprenticeship under the twenty-fifth Fujiwara Kanefusa (藤原兼房, Fujiwara Kanefusa) from 1997 and his own forge, in Seki from 2004 and in Hashima from 2006. An article in the Iaido Journal of May 2005 already documents him signing as Fusatarō, in Seki, during a forging seminar in Canada, and the Metal Museum in Memphis documents a workshop of his in 2020.

What we do not know. His smith’s licence and his record in sword competitions: he does not appear in the NBTHK catalogues or results we have been able to read, and his only known prize, from 2012, is from a crafts competition. Nor do we have publishable photos of his blades.

Sections

  1. From Seki to Hashima, and abroad Life and forging His apprenticeship, his own forge in Seki and in Hashima, and his demonstrations in Europe and North America.
  2. Replicas of Rai Kunitoshi and of Fukuoka Ichimonji Work and style What he is after, how he forged in 2005, two of his blades and his signature.
  3. What is on record and what is not Prizes No NBTHK prize in the catalogues consulted, and a crafts Grand Prix that only he reports.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted and the credit for each photo.