Newly Forged Japanese Katana by Yokoi Akimitsu (横井彰光) — Bizen Smith of Okayama

Commission a blade from the Okayama smith entrusted with reviving a lost shrine treasure sword

Yokoi Akimitsu is a second-generation swordsmith of Okayama City, in the old province of Bizen, the region that has produced more great swords than any other in Japan. Trained by his father, he has led his own forge since 2001 and serves as head of the Chūgoku-Shikoku branch of the All Japan Swordsmith Association. He is currently forging a new sacred sword for Katsuragi Mitoshi Shrine in Nara, made from tamahagane (traditional Japanese steel) smelted on the shrine's own grounds. 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 — Yokoi Akimitsu (横井彰光)

Akimitsu was born in 1964 in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, where he still lives and works. His real name is 横井彰二. He learned swordmaking from his father, the swordsmith Yokoi Takamitsu (横井崇光), and the character 光 (mitsu) in his smith name follows his father's. He became an independent smith in 2001.

Beyond his own forge, Akimitsu plays an active role in the sword world. He is branch chief of the Chūgoku-Shikoku branch of the All Japan Swordsmith Association, a researcher at the Tōken Bunka Kenkyūjo (Japanese Sword Culture Research Institute), and a secretary of the Atsuta Jingū Tōken Hōnō Hōsankai, the association that supports sword dedications at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, home of the sacred sword Kusanagi.

Notable commissions — the sacred sword Takaterumaru

Katsuragi Mitoshi Shrine (葛木御歳神社) in Nara Prefecture once held a treasure sword named Takaterumaru (高照丸), which disappeared in the Taishō era. Akimitsu was chosen as the smith for the shrine's project to forge a new Takaterumaru. Iron sand was gathered from the sacred grounds of the shrine in 2024 and combined with natural iron sand from Okayama, and in November 2024 the steel was smelted in a tatara (traditional clay furnace) built on the shrine grounds. Akimitsu then forged the blade from that steel at his Okayama forge, using traditional methods. The blade has completed its foundation polish and is now with the mounting craftsmen, with dedication to the shrine planned for 2027.

Style — the Bizen tradition

Working in Okayama, Akimitsu stands in the Bizen tradition (Bizen-den), the school known for clove-shaped chōji hamon (a temper line with clove-bud shapes) and for utsuri, the misty reflection in the steel that marks authentic Bizen work. His involvement in smelting steel in a tatara for the Takaterumaru project reflects a commitment to making swords from the steel up, as the old smiths did. A commissioned katana can be discussed with him in terms of shape, hamon and the classical model the owner has in mind.

A commissioned katana by Yokoi Akimitsu is the work of a Bizen smith trusted by shrines and by his fellow swordsmiths alike. It is a blade made for one owner, to be handed down as a family treasure. Please contact us to discuss specifications and lead time.

Smith profile

• Swordsmith name: Yokoi Akimitsu (横井彰光)
• Real name: 横井彰二
• Born: 1964, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture
• Teacher: His father, Yokoi Takamitsu (横井崇光)
• Independent: 2001, Okayama City
• Positions: Branch chief, Chūgoku-Shikoku branch, All Japan Swordsmith Association; secretary, Atsuta Jingū Tōken Hōnō Hōsankai; researcher, Tōken Bunka Kenkyūjo
• Notable commission: New sacred sword Takaterumaru for Katsuragi Mitoshi Shrine, Nara (in progress, dedication planned 2027)
• Specialty: Bizen-den
• Price: set by the All Japan Swordsmith Association (全日本刀匠会)