Kantei
A person crouching in front of a lit hearth, with a red cloth on the head.

Photo: the smith himself

From the Kawachi school to Tomioka

Life and forging

The apprenticeship with Kawachi Kunihira, the Tomioka forge and the great projects of his school, from the Mikazuki Munechika to Umetada’s spear.

On this page
  1. Year by year
  2. Every New Year, at Yasukuni
  3. The forge and the gallery

Year by year

The sword

History

  1. The sword

    Born in Tomioka AT

    Born in 1977 in Tomioka, in Gunma prefecture.

  2. The sword

    Apprentice of Kawachi Kunihira AT

    He becomes an apprentice of Kawachi Kunihira (河内國平, Kawachi Kunihira), holder of an intangible cultural property of Nara prefecture.

  3. The sword

    Swordsmith’s licence AT

    The Agency for Cultural Affairs grants him the permit to make art swords (美術刀剣類製作承認, bijutsu tōkenrui seisaku shōnin).

  4. The sword

    His own forge in Tomioka AT

    He opens his forge, 國壽鍛刀場 (Kunihisa tantōjō), in Tomioka.

  5. The sword

    Demonstration in Lithuania AT

    He forges with Kawachi Kunihira in Alytus (Lithuania), at a festival of Japanese art. That year, in 2009 and in 2012 he exhibits in “日本刀の匠たち” (Nihontō no takumi-tachi, “the masters of the Japanese sword”), at the Sano Art Museum (佐野美術館, Sano Bijutsukan).

  6. The sword

    At Bizen Osafune AT

    He exhibits at the Bizen Osafune Japanese Sword Museum in “Evangelion and the Japanese sword” (2012) and in “Two-dimensional vs Katana” (2013).

  7. The sword

    Votive sword at Atsuta AT

    He forges a votive sword within the grounds of the Atsuta shrine (熱田神宮, Atsuta Jingū).

  8. The sword

    Mikazuki Munechika AT

    With the Kawachi school, in the project to reproduce the Mikazuki Munechika (三日月宗近, Mikazuki Munechika) in its original state: he finishes the kage-uchi (影打, kage-uchi) in 2017 and the shin-uchi (真打, shin-uchi) in 2018.

  9. The sword

    Heisei no Meitō Meikōten HD

    The NBTHK exhibits his 2018 tantō and chooses him among the smiths of the show (名工選, meikōsen).

  10. The sword

    Umetada’s spear AT

    From 2020 to 2021 he works on the repair of the spear 城州埋忠作 (Jōshū Umetada saku) 文禄二年十二月日 (Bunroku ni-nen jūni-gatsu hi), an Important Cultural Property of the Uesugi shrine (上杉神社, Uesugi Jinja), which is shown in the Keishōden (稽照殿, Keishōden) in November 2022.

  11. The sword

    Reiwa no Meitō Meikōten HD

    Selected (入選, nyūsen) in the forging section of the 令和の名刀・名工展 (Reiwa no Meitō Meikōten).

  12. The sword

    A gallery next to the forge AT

    Next to the forge he opens 壽工舎 (probable reading: Kotohogi kōsha), a room for viewing swords and small works.

  13. The sword

    Imanotsurugi at Miraikan AT

    A sword of his from the “Imanotsurugi” project is shown at Miraikan, in Tokyo, from 10 July to 14 October 2024.

Every New Year, at Yasukuni

Every New Year he exhibits at the exhibition of dedicated swords at the Yūshūkan (遊就館, Yūshūkan), at the Yasukuni shrine, and gives signature demonstrations (銘切り, mei-kiri) there. He also takes part in the promotional association 鉄芸 (probable reading: Tetsugei).