Kantei

Bibliography and credits

Sources

The sources consulted on 4 October 2026. What is marked as attribution is stated by a source, often the smith himself, and has not been checked separately; not every source is cited here. At the end, the credit of each image.

On this page
  1. Sources

Sources

NBTHK lists and catalogues

  1. NBTHK, results of the 2026 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten) and list of mukansa
  2. NBTHK, English catalogue of the 2026 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten)
  3. NBTHK, catalogue of the 2025 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten)
  4. NBTHK, catalogue of the 2024 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten) (he does not appear)
  5. NBTHK, results of the 2023 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten)
  6. NBTHK, catalogue of the 2022 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten)
  7. NBTHK, list of prize-winners for 2021
  8. NBTHK, catalogue of the 2021 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten)
  9. NBTHK, results for 2019
  10. NBTHK, catalogue of the 2018 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten) (no public address found)
  11. NBTHK, catalogue of the 新作名刀展 (Shinsaku Meitōten) of fiscal year 2017, exhibited in 2018
  12. NBTHK, catalogue of the 平成の名刀・名工展 (Heisei no Meitō Meikōten)
  13. NBTHK, prize-winners of the 令和の名刀・名工展 (Reiwa no Meitō Meikōten)

Other sources

  1. Zen Nihon Tōshōkai (全日本刀匠会): results of the 14th omamori-gatana exhibition, Japanese Sword Day in Kyūshū (2018) and the Sasebo talk (2024)
  2. The videos in this monograph, with the channel and date of each one, in “Videos”

Image credits

  1. Kokuten looks at a blade in his forge (kokuten-retrato-hoja.jpg)

    Photo: dealer in Japan.
  2. He heats the blade in the pine-charcoal hearth to harden it (2020) (m2photo-2020-fragua.jpg)

    Author: m2photoMovie, 宮田昌彦 (probable reading: Miyata Masahiko). Rights: © m2photoMovie, 宮田昌彦 (probable reading: Miyata Masahiko).
  3. The hearth lit for forging, in April 2026 (x-2026-04-28-kitae.jpg)

    Photo: the smith himself.
  4. The tsuchioki (土置き): the hardening clay, applied by hand (2020) (m2photo-2020-tsuchioki.jpg)

    Author: m2photoMovie, 宮田昌彦 (probable reading: Miyata Masahiko). Rights: © m2photoMovie, 宮田昌彦 (probable reading: Miyata Masahiko).
  5. The yaki-ire (焼き入れ), seen through the glass of the tank: the blade curves as it cools (2020) (m2photo-2020-temple.jpg)

    Author: m2photoMovie, 宮田昌彦 (probable reading: Miyata Masahiko). Rights: © m2photoMovie, 宮田昌彦 (probable reading: Miyata Masahiko).
  6. The tachi of the 2025 Kanzanshō (寒山賞), 72.4 cm, at the Japanese Sword Museum (kanzan-2025-tachi-entero.jpg)

    Author: 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo). Rights: © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo).
  7. The hamon of the 2025 tachi: chōji (丁子) with tall peaks (kanzan-2025-tachi-hamon.jpg)

    Author: 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo). Rights: © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo).
  8. The tachi of the 2023 Kunzanshō (薫山賞), 76.2 cm (kunzan-2023-tachi-entero.jpg)

    Author: 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo). Rights: © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo).
  9. The tachi of the 2026 Yūshūshō niseki (優秀賞二席), 77.3 cm (yushu-2026-tachi-entero.jpg)

    Author: NIHONTOU. Rights: © NIHONTOU.
  10. The 2026 tachi: chōji hamon, a groove and an engraving on the blade (yushu-2026-horimono.jpg)

    Author: NIHONTOU. Rights: © NIHONTOU.
  11. The tang of the 2026 tachi, with the signature (yushu-2026-nakago.jpg)

    Author: NIHONTOU. Rights: © NIHONTOU.
  12. The card of the 2025 tachi: his NBTHK record and his comment (kanzan-2025-historial.jpg)

    Author: 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo). Rights: © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo).
  13. The card of the 2023 tachi, signed 國天 (Kokuten) (kunzan-2023-ficha.jpg)

    Author: 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo). Rights: © 永野照男 (probable reading: Nagano Teruo).
  14. The card of the 2026 tachi: 三池住小宮國天作之 (Miike-jū Komiya Kokuten kore o tsukuru), 77.3 cm (yushu-2026-ficha.jpg)

    Author: NIHONTOU. Rights: © NIHONTOU.
  15. The NBTHK letter informing him of the 2026 Yūshūshō niseki (x-2026-04-16-carta-nbthk.jpg)

    Photo: the smith himself.