Newly Forged Japanese Katana by Hirotsugu (弘次) — Bizen Smith of Osafune

Commission a blade from a smith working in Osafune, the historic heart of Bizen swordmaking

Manzoku Hirotsugu works in Osafune, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture, the town that produced more swords than any other in Japanese history and remains the symbolic home of the Bizen tradition. A pupil of the Bizen smith Aoki Moriie (青木盛家), he has won prizes at the Shinsaku Meitō-ten (New Sword Exhibition), the Omamori-gatana (protective sword) Exhibition and the Small Works Exhibition (小品展), and is known for a tachi forged with steel salvaged from the battleship Mutsu. 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 — Hirotsugu (弘次)

Hirotsugu was born Manzoku Hirotsugu (満足浩次) in 1969. In 1998 he began his apprenticeship under Aoki Moriie, a smith of Osafune, and trained with him until 2004. His smith name is written 弘次, with the same reading as his given name but different characters.

He received his swordsmith's license from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2003. He lives and works in Osafune, and signs his blades Bizen no Kuni Osafune-jū Hirotsugu saku (備前國長舩住弘次作, "made by Hirotsugu, resident of Osafune in Bizen Province"), placing his work directly in the lineage of the great Osafune smiths.

Awards and recognition

Hirotsugu's early prizes came at the Small Works Exhibition, where he won the Effort Prize in 2004, the Chairman's Prize in 2005 and the Excellence Prize in 2006. At the Shinsaku Meitō-ten he received the Effort Prize and the Newcomer Prize in 2014 and the Excellence Prize in 2018. At the Omamori-gatana Exhibition he placed in the mountings division in 2009 and the blade division in 2015, and in 2019 he took third place in the blade division with a special prize, the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education Superintendent's Prize. He has also been recognized at the New Sword Polishing and Mountings Technique Exhibition, with an Honorable Mention in 2011 and the Bronze Prize, first place, in 2016.

Notable commissions — the tachi Seikaiha

Hirotsugu's best-known work is the tachi Seikaiha (青海波, "blue sea waves"), forged at a collector's request from iron recovered from the wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Mutsu, blended with tamahagane (traditional Japanese steel). The two steels did not combine easily, and after repeated trials he settled on a ratio of roughly one part Mutsu iron to nine parts tamahagane. The name refers to the classic auspicious wave pattern and carries a wish for lasting peace.

Style — Bizen-den in Osafune

As a smith of Osafune trained in the local tradition, Hirotsugu works in 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 tachi follow the classical Bizen form, with a deep, graceful curve. A commissioned katana can be discussed with him in terms of shape, hamon and the Bizen model the owner has in mind.

A commissioned katana by Hirotsugu is a blade made in Osafune itself, by a smith whose prizes span blades, mountings and small works. 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: Hirotsugu (弘次)
• Real name: Manzoku Hirotsugu (満足浩次)
• Born: 1969
• Teacher: Aoki Moriie (青木盛家), 1998–2004
• Swordsmith license: 2003 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
• Forge: Osafune, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture
• Major awards: Shinsaku Meitō-ten Excellence Prize (2018), Effort and Newcomer Prizes (2014); Omamori-gatana Exhibition, Okayama Prefectural Board of Education Superintendent's Prize (2019); Polishing and Mountings Technique Exhibition Bronze Prize, first place (2016); Small Works Exhibition Chairman's Prize (2005)
• Notable work: Tachi Seikaiha, forged with steel from the battleship Mutsu
• Specialty: Bizen-den
• Price: set by the All Japan Swordsmith Association (全日本刀匠会)