This year marks the 48th anniversary of the founding of the All Japan Swordsmith Association. The purpose of the association is to preserve and pass on the art of Japanese sword making, to promote and educate the public about modern Japanese swords, to promote exchange among swordsmiths, and to preserve the status of these swordsmiths. Since its foundation, the organization has been promoting exhibitions and other activities under the auspices of a larger organization.

However, due to various circumstances, the association decided to leave the umbrella of this organization in 2006 and became independent. As a swordsmith, it was difficult to work and manage the organization at the same time, but it was significant that we found new ideas ウwith the philosophy of thinking for ourselves. This event coincided with the Japanese sword boom, and thus our projects in collaboration with animation and video game characters were a great success.

The "Omamori-gatana Exhibition," held annually for the 16th time this year, has become established as a unique exhibition limited to swords known as Omamori-gatana.

For Gallery Tozando, we have decided to form a business alliance with Tozando. The opening of this gallery in the ancient capital of Kyoto will not only be a great encouragement for our swordsmiths, but also a great opportunity for many people, including lovers of new Japanese swords, tourists, and especially foreign visitors, to experience new Japanese swords.

We believe that the most important factor in a smith’s improvement of their skills is above all the result of having our works seen by many people. In addition to the permanent exhibition, we are looking forward to a variety of attractive projects such as solo exhibitions, coterie exhibitions, group exhibitions, and collaborative exhibitions between swordsmiths and other industries.

We at the All Japan Swordsmith Association would like to express our respect for Tozando's passion for the development of new Japanese swords and promise to do our best together.

Chairman of the All Japan Swordsmith Association

Kei Miyairi