Newly Forged Japanese Katana by Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu (赤松太郎兼嗣) — Head of the Higo Akamatsu Tarō School

Commission a bold, Kiyomaro-style blade forged from self-smelted steel by the senior master of a Kumamoto sword family

Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu is the senior smith of the Akamatsu Tarō school of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, a family whose ancestors served as official swordsmiths to the Sagara clan, lords of the Hitoyoshi domain. For half a century he has forged blades in the bold manner of the late-Edo master Minamoto Kiyomaro, using steel that the family smelts itself from iron sand. Thirteen selections at the national new-sword exhibitions and the training of the next generation, including his son Akamatsu Tarō Kanemitsu, make him a pillar of swordmaking in Kyushu. A katana commissioned through Tozando is forged to order by the smith himself and priced as set by the All Japan Swordsmith Association (全日本刀匠会).

On the smith — Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu (赤松太郎兼嗣)

Kanetsugu was born Kimura Kanesada (木村兼定) in 1951 in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, the eldest son of the swordsmith Kaneshige (兼重), founder of the Akamatsu Tarō line. He began training under his father in 1971 and received his swordsmith's license from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 1976. He is the eldest of three swordsmith brothers. Every smith of the school includes the name "Akamatsu Tarō" (赤松太郎) in his signature.

His forge stands in Futami, Yatsushiro, in a region where the Enju (延寿) and Dōtanuki (同田貫) schools once flourished. There he works with his son and pupil Kanemitsu (兼光), and the two have made collaborative blades signed jointly and inscribed as forged from their own smelted steel (以自家製鉄鍛之). He continues to teach and train apprentices.

Awards and recognition

Kanetsugu has been selected for the national new-sword exhibition thirteen times and has received an Excellence Prize among other honors. He is listed among Kumamoto Prefecture's traditional craftspeople in the field of swords.

Style — the Akamatsu Tarō manner

The Akamatsu Tarō school takes as its model Minamoto Kiyomaro (源清麿), the late-Edo smith celebrated for powerful, wide blades and an energetic hamon. Kanetsugu's work follows this ideal: a broad, robust sugata (overall shape) and a strong, lively temper. The family's own smelted steel, rather than the standard tamahagane supplied to licensed smiths, gives the jigane (steel surface) a character particular to the Akamatsu Tarō forge. The school's sturdy blades are also well regarded by practitioners of iaidō and tameshigiri (test cutting).

A commissioned katana by Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu is a blade from the head of a living family tradition of Higo swordmaking, forged from the smith's own steel and made for one owner. Please contact us to discuss specifications and lead time.

Smith profile

• Swordsmith name: Akamatsu Tarō Kanetsugu (赤松太郎兼嗣)
• Real name: Kimura Kanesada (木村兼定)
• Born: 1951, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture
• Teacher: his father, Kaneshige (兼重), from 1971
• Swordsmith license: 1976 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
• Forge: Kimura family forge, Futami, Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture
• Major awards: selected 13 times for the national new-sword exhibition; Excellence Prize
• Specialty: Kiyomaro-style bold blades; self-smelted steel
• Price: set by the All Japan Swordsmith Association (全日本刀匠会)