Newly Forged Japanese Katana by Kazuyoshi (和吉) — The Swordsmith of Miyako, Rikuchū

Commission a long, imposing blade from the Iwate smith whose swords are trusted by test-cutting practitioners

Kazuyoshi is one of the best-known working smiths of northern Japan. From his forge in Miyako, on the Pacific coast of Iwate Prefecture, he has built a reputation for long, broad and powerfully built katana and tachi, blades that are widely used by practitioners of tameshigiri (test cutting) and battōdō (the art of drawing and cutting). Trained in a lineage that reaches back to the Sōshū (Sagami) tradition, he has in recent years turned to the chōji (clove-shaped) hamon of the Bizen tradition. 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 — Kazuyoshi (和吉)

Kazuyoshi was born Tsuji Kazuhiro (辻和宏) on February 6, 1954. He trained under Yasumoto Yoshimitsu (安本吉光), a respected Iwate smith who had himself studied under the first-generation Yoshihara Kuniie (吉原國家) and later under Miyairi Shōhei (宮入昭平), the Sōshū-tradition master designated a Living National Treasure in 1963. As is customary, Kazuyoshi's smith name shares a character, 吉 (yoshi), with his teacher's.

He works in Takahama, Miyako City, and signs his blades Rikuchū no Kuni Miyako jū Kazuyoshi saku kore (陸中国宮古住和吉作之, "made by Kazuyoshi, resident of Miyako in Rikuchū Province"), using the old provincial name for the region. He is a member of the All Japan Swordsmith Association, and he also shares his craft with visitors through forging demonstrations and hands-on experiences in Miyako, a city with a long history of iron production.

Awards and recognition

Kazuyoshi has exhibited at the national new-sword exhibitions and has been selected and awarded many times. He is regarded in his region as one of its leading contemporary swordsmiths, and he took part in the 2023 exhibition of contemporary swords by the smiths of Hokkaidō and Tōhoku held in Miyako, opening his forge to visitors.

Style — from Sōshū to Bizen chōji

Kazuyoshi's early work was largely in the Sōshū-den, the tradition he inherited through his teacher's lineage. In later years he has concentrated on the Bizen-den, producing bright, clearly defined chōji hamon, and he has also made utsushi (faithful interpretations) of classical models such as Kamakura-period Fukuoka Ichimonji and Bitchū Aoe blades. His signature is the sugata: long, wide, and imposing, often finished with bo-hi (grooves) or bonji (Sanskrit characters). The same robust construction has made his swords a favorite of those who cut with them.

A commissioned katana by Kazuyoshi is a substantial, honestly made blade from a veteran smith of the northern provinces, equally suited to the collector and the practitioner. Please contact us to discuss specifications and lead time.

Smith profile

• Swordsmith name: Kazuyoshi (和吉)
• Real name: Tsuji Kazuhiro (辻和宏)
• Born: February 6, 1954
• Teacher: Yasumoto Yoshimitsu (安本吉光), Iwate Prefecture
• Forge: Takahama, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture
• Membership: All Japan Swordsmith Association
• Specialty: Long, wide, imposing katana and tachi; Bizen-den chōji; blades suited to tameshigiri and battōdō
• Price: set by the All Japan Swordsmith Association (全日本刀匠会)