Kantei
A standing assistant strikes with the sledgehammer while a man dressed in white, seated by the forge, holds the red-hot piece.

Swordsmith of Tokyo · Bizen-den · jūka-chōji

Ōno Yoshimitsu (大野義光)

A mukansa swordsmith of Tokyo, pupil of Yoshihara Yoshindo, known for his jūka-chōji and his copies of the Sanchōmō: his life, his work, his prizes and his sources

Ōno Yoshimitsu (大野義光, Ōno Yoshimitsu) was born in 1948 in Niigata, trained under Yoshihara Yoshindo (吉原義人, Yoshihara Yoshindo) and exhibits as a mukansa (無鑑査, exempt from judging) at the NBTHK. His hallmark is the 重花丁子 (jūka-chōji), the crowded chōji of the Kamakura Ichimonji, and his most cited work, the copy of the 山鳥毛 (Sanchōmō).

Photo: the smith himself

1948
Born in Niigata
1969
Becomes a pupil of Yoshihara Yoshindo
5
Takamatsu-no-miya prizes, according to him
2017–2026
Mukansa in the NBTHK catalogues
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Ōno Yoshimitsu HD
Kanji and reading
大野義光 (Ōno Yoshimitsu) HD
Birth
1948, in 黒埼町 (Kurosaki-machi), today the city of Niigata, in the old province of Echigo AT
Where he forges
Tokyo: Takasago, in Katsushika ward; earlier, in Niigata and in Okayama AT
Master
吉原義人 (Yoshihara Yoshindo), from 1969 to 1976 AT
School or tradition
Bizen-den: the jūka-chōji of the mid-Kamakura Ichimonji AT
Licence
1975, from the Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkachō) AT
Rank
Mukansa: exhibits without judging in the NBTHK catalogues of 2017 and of 2019 to 2026; the title, since 1987 or 1988 depending on the source HD

In short

What we know. The NBTHK catalogues and lists give him as mukansa, resident in Tokyo, in the editions of 2017 and of 2019 to 2026, and his 1991 tachi is in the catalogue of the 2019 exhibition 平成の名刀・名工展 (Heisei no Meitō Meikōten). The Japanese Wikipedia lists him among the pupils of Yoshihara Yoshindo and as an intangible cultural asset of Katsushika ward (Tokyo) since 2012.

How we know it. His life year by year and his prizes before 2017 are told by him, by Katsushika ward and by the trade press; the official lists of those years are not online.

What we do not know. The exact year of his mukansa (1987 or 1988), the dates of his work for the Ise shrine, which vary from source to source, and his Takamatsu-no-miya prizes, which could not be checked against the NBTHK lists.

Sections

  1. From Niigata to Tokyo Life and forging His training with Yoshihara Yoshindo, the licence, his forges in Niigata, Okayama and Tokyo, and what he has done outside the competition.
  2. Jūka-chōji · Sanchōmō · utsushi Work and style The “Ōno chōji”, his copies of famous swords and a gallery of works from 1986 to 2011.
  3. From the encouragement prize to mukansa Prizes His prizes at the NBTHK new-work exhibition, the mukansa and his appearances in the catalogues of 2017 and of 2019 to 2026.
  4. Works on display Videos Three videos by visitors: his 2025 exhibition, a 2021 tantō and a saka-chōji wakizashi.
  5. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their link where possible, and the credit for each image.