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Swordsmith of Tokyo · NBTHK mukansa

Yoshihara Yoshindo (吉原義人)

A Tokyo swordsmith, first winner of the Takamatsu-no-miya-shō and mukansa since 1982: his life, his work, his prizes and his videos

Yoshihara Yoshindo (吉原義人), who signs 小鍛冶義人 (Kokaji Yoshindo), was born in 1943 into a Tokyo family of swordsmiths. In 1973 he was the first to win the Takamatsu-no-miya-shō (高松宮賞) of the NBTHK competition, he has been mukansa since 1982 and, past eighty, he still exhibits at the Japanese Sword Museum. This short monograph tells what can be checked about him, with the level of evidence of each fact.

Still from the video, © Al Jazeera English

1943
Born in Setagaya (Tokyo)
1965
Swordsmith’s licence
1973
The first Takamatsu-no-miya-shō (高松宮賞) ever
1982
NBTHK mukansa
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Yoshihara Yoshindo HD
Kanji and reading
吉原義人 (Yoshihara Yoshindo); signs 小鍛冶義人 (Kokaji Yoshindo) HD
Birth
21 February 1943, in Setagaya (Tokyo) AT
Where he forges
Takasago, in Katsushika (Tokyo) AT
Masters
His grandfather, the first Yoshihara Kuniie, and his father, the second AT
School or tradition
That of the Yoshihara family; Sōshū-den until 1970 and Bizen-den from the seventies AT
Licence
1965, at the same time as his brother AT
Rank
NBTHK mukansa since 1982; exhibits as mukansa at the 現代刀職展 (Gendai Tōshokuten) of 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2026 HD

In short

What we know. Grandson and son of swordsmiths, he was licensed in 1965, won the special prize of the NBTHK new-work competition in 1972 and the following year was the first to receive the Takamatsu-no-miya-shō, which according to the English Wikipedia he won three times. In 1982 the NBTHK named him mukansa, together with his brother. His works of 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2026 appear in the NBTHK catalogues among those of the mukansa, signed 小鍛冶義人 (Kokaji Yoshindo).

Why it matters. He is regarded as one of those who made the Bizen-den fashionable among today’s swordsmiths, with a broad chōji known as the “Yoshihara chōji”, and as one of those who made the Japanese sword known outside Japan, with books in English and demonstration forges in the United States. Among his pupils is Kubo Yoshihiro, today also mukansa.

What we do not know. The years of his other two Takamatsu-no-miya-shō, the full list of his prizes and the year in which Tokyo recognised him as holder of an intangible cultural property.

Sections

  1. Three generations of swordsmiths Life and forging From the family forge in Setagaya to his own in Katsushika, his time in the United States, the Ise shrine and his pupils.
  2. Bizen-den · chōji Work and style From the Sōshū-den to the Bizen-den, the “Yoshihara chōji”, his carvings and the works the NBTHK has exhibited.
  3. From the Takamatsu-no-miya to mukansa Prizes The prizes of the NBTHK competition, the rank of mukansa and what remains to be dated.
  4. Reports and documentaries Videos Five press videos and documentaries that show him at the forge.
  5. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted and the credits for every image.