news

2025
January 30

Researching the steel construction of koto blade
I cut a tang of a sword. The blade looks koto, while it has no signature. Researching the cross section, it looks like a kind of sandwich style.

January 25

Another blade of project Gotoba polished out
Just after quenching

Polished out (sashikomi style)

January 11

Updated with some photos of polished out blade.
August 3, 2024 Project Gotoba => sisters in sandwich steel construction
Two of our sword club members tried the hardening work. Each of them did the clay designing, heating, and quenching.
#1
After quenching

#2
After quenching

2024
December 11

Project Gotoba
This time, it was a tanto blade of Yoroi-doshi style and with the steel construction Kobuse. The customer from the US made the clay designing, heating, and quenching. I said to him when he put clay on the blade "It looks like making a chocolate cake, but I have never seen such an ugly chocolate cake before".

What hamon will come up?
But, the sake from the customer.

November 29

Project Gotoba
She challenged with a blade made of meteorite.

Just after quenching

November 4

Nikko
I visited the shrine Nikko-Futarasan-Jinja-Chugushi to see the swords displayed there. There are many interesting swords and nice swords.

Some of the impressive swords (Pictures are from the catalogue)
No signature

No signature, nickname "Nukemaru"

"Tochika"

November 2

Project Gotoba
The challenger selected a ken style blade. It is a little difficult to heat the both side of the blade evenly to proper temperature, though. He tried clay designing, heating, and quenching.

Just after quenching

October 29

Mt. Haguro in Yamagata prefecture
I went to Mt. Haguro together with my customers and my family. There is a tempel at the top of the mountain, and an old Gassan tachi blade was displayed there. The members, except for me, climed up to the temple by foot. Of course, I drove my car and waited for them at the temple.
Unfortuneately, it is forbiddened to take picture of the blade.

I was inspired with the old Gassan blade. Then, I took water at the waterfall in the temple area of Mt. Haguro. I'm gonna make a Gassan style tachi blade with this water.

September

One of our customers from Australia sent me the video about the MND Gala dinner where a wakizashi was auctioned. He bought the wakizashi with rust from us. And then, he put new polishing and shirasaya on it to dedicate to the activity. We appreciate his efforts.
Glittering event raising $260k for MND Research - YouTube

August 24

Seikado-bunko Museum
I went to the Seikado-bunko Museum to see the exhibition. There were many masterpiece blades. It was really exiting.
And after that, I went to a restaurant to drink beer. It was hot and humid day.

August 22

Quenching long blades
Finally I made a quenching work with long blades tonight. It was my first time of long blade quenching after the heart surgery. I had a feeling during the work that I don't want any astonish hamon, but want just a hamon. In other words, hardened edge, that's enough. I have yet checked the result. But I'm happy and I feel I'm blessed. I think to myself I should remember this feeling.

August 20

I received a picture of Japanese swords in the Sydney Knife Show.

August 9

Chichibu-jinja shrine
I visited the shrine together with my customers from Italy.

Chichibu-jinja shrine is the temple where Ohkawara family dedicated the swords ordered from Osafune smith about 700 years ago. Those are the tachi made by Kagemitsu and Kagemasa, and the tanto made by Kagemitsu. Both of them have engraving of the name of Buddha "Chichibu-daibosatsu". The swords have left this temple for many years. But this is the temple of "Chichibu-daibosatsu".

July 31

Project Gotoba
I had a customer from Germany who experienced the hardening work on tanto blade. And some of our sword club members also came to study swords. We had a nice moment to talk about swords and watch the customer's challenge.
What blade will come up?

June 9

Visited the shrine "Mitake Jinja" in Ome, Tokyo
I went to the shrine to see their treasures. They were interesting. I went there by car, and used the cable car from the parking area. And then I walked to the shrine from the station. But the way was steep and hard. Of course, young guys walked to the shrine without using cable car.
The treasures are forbidden to be taken in photos. So these pictures of the treasures are from the catalogue.

May 25

Oshi castle in Gyoda, Saitama prefecture
I visited the Oshi castle to see a sword exhibition. Actually the castle is just a ruin, and there is a museum there. The swords in the exhibition are not all masterpieces, but they are handed down in samurai families in that clan. They suggest what the swords belong to ordinary samurai were. 春の収蔵品展「忍城ゆかりの武具」／行田市 (gyoda.lg.jp)

Some of the stone stupa in the museum were interesting to study the Sanskrit letters on them.

April 27

Project Gotoba
I had a challenger who was trying the Shintogo Kunimitsu style hamon. She is dreaming the famous masterpiece tanto nicknamed "Aizu Shintogo".
Just after the quenching

What hamon will come out of the steel?

April 16

Shodenzan temple => 妻沼聖天山 | 国宝、妻沼聖天山へようこそ (ksky.ne.jp)
I visited the temple "Shodenzan" in Kumagaya together with my friend from the UK. The temple is designated to a National Treasure. It was nice.
YouTube channel of the friend
Shandenzanden Temple, there is a memorial to a famous samurai, his story is worth an episode . - YouTube
Statue of Lord Sanemori - YouTube

April 5

Start working with a katana blade
After my surgery of the heart in May last year, I have only worked with tanto blades. But now, I started making a long blade, since the customer got angry with my delay. It is my first challenge of katana blade after the surgery. I got pain on many parts of my body, but it's OK. It's just a muscle pain. I will do my best. I understand the anger of the customer, because he also got a cancer. Our lives are always like that in this world.

March 31

The first challenge of a customer who tried to make shirasaya.

Congratulations!

(=> Remembrance from the news page)