Modern Japanese Katana, Signed "Miyata Masatoshi saku" (宮田正寿作) — A Freshly Forged Work by a Triple Award-Winning Rising Star of the Contemporary Sword World

A vivid, dynamic midare hamon and refined jigane from Miyata Masatoshi (real name: Miyata Tsuyoshi), the only smith to have won the newcomer's award at all three of Japan's major sword competitions

We are pleased to present a katana by Miyata Masatoshi (real name: Miyata Tsuyoshi), a rising young swordsmith who has captured widespread attention as a leading figure among Japan's new generation of smiths, having won the newcomer's award at all three of the sword world's major competitions. This work is the fruit of a childhood dream and tireless dedication, in which Masatoshi's passion for the beauty of old-sword aesthetics and his confident technical skill are masterfully sublimated. The carefully forged jigane carries a deep, dignified elegance, and the midare hamon tempered into the blade catches the light with brilliant clarity, drawing out a powerful visual landscape. A masterwork befitting a lifetime treasure, by a talent poised to carry the future of the swordsmithing world.

On the smith — Miyata Masatoshi (宮田正寿)

Miyata Masatoshi, real name Miyata Tsuyoshi, is a rising contemporary swordsmith based in Gifu Prefecture. Captivated by the Japanese sword since childhood, he resolved during his junior high school years to forge a Japanese sword with his own hands. After graduating high school, he studied fundamentals under a martial arts instructor before refining the secret techniques of swordmaking. He completed the Agency for Cultural Affairs' training program for the preservation of art-sword forging techniques, and obtained his forging license in October 2023.

Devoting himself to the study of jigane and hamon in pursuit of the koto (old sword) aesthetics of the Kamakura period, he has displayed remarkable versatility, undertaking blade carving (horimono) himself in addition to forging. He has won the newcomer's award at all three of the Japanese sword world's major competitions — hosted by the Gendai Tōshoku-ten (Contemporary Sword Craft Exhibition), the Nihontō Bunka Shinkō Kyōkai (NBSK), and the Zen Nihon Tōshō Kai (All Japan Swordsmith Association) — and continues his remarkable rise as one of the most promising young masters in the contemporary sword world.

Selected career highlights:

• 2025: "15th Polishing and Mounting Craft Technique Exhibition," hosted by the Nihontō Bunka Shinkō Kyōkai — Silver Award (3rd place) and Newcomer's Award
• 2026: "19th Omamori-gatana Exhibition," hosted by the Zen Nihon Tōshō Kai — Newcomer's Award
• 2026: "Gendai Tōshoku-ten," forging category — Effort Award (2nd place) and Newcomer's Award (double award)

Workmanship and condition

The jigane is a refined itame (wood-grain pattern), its steel texture densely packed through careful forging. Fine ji-nie (steel martensite particles) spread thickly and evenly across the entire surface, combining a deep, inky darkness with a lustrous transparency. Within this clear texture, consciously evoking the flavor of old swords (koto), there lies a quiet depth — a finish that reveals both the soundness and the high technical skill distinctive of a contemporary blade. The hamon is a lively, dynamic midare (irregular pattern), in which ko-gunome (small irregular clove shapes) mix with chōji (clove motifs) and togari-ba (pointed temper shapes), drawing a wave-like line of pronounced highs and lows. The nioiguchi (temper-line boundary) is bright and clear, and within the hamon, fine ashi and yō (leg- and leaf-shaped activity) appear abundantly, intertwined with sunagashi (sand-streak lines) and kinsuji (gold-thread lines), creating a spectacular, three-dimensional landscape. The bōshi (tip temper) rolls into a midare-komi and returns with a slightly pointed tip, tightening the dignified tension of the blade as a whole.

The mounting (koshirae)

This koshirae, in which a sacred brilliance glows amid a jet-black silence, unites a black-lacquered ishime-ji (stone-textured) saya — finished to resist fingerprints and small scuffs while retaining a calm, composed texture — with a black kumihimo sageo (braided cord). The tsuka (hilt) is wrapped in white same (ray skin) with black silk cord, tied with rigorous precision, and set with an iron tsuba of tasteful, aged character evoking old iron. The fuchi-kashira (hilt collar and pommel) further bears the golden Sanskrit siddham character "Vaṃ," symbolizing Dainichi Nyorai (Mahāvairocana), while the menuki bears the character "Kāṃ," symbolizing Fudō Myōō (Acala) — together lending the mounting a dignified presence in which the protective power of esoteric Buddhism and a rugged sense of depth are held in harmony, elevating the blade's own purity of spirit to its fullest expression in this supreme koshirae.

A freshly forged masterwork by one of the most closely watched young smiths in the contemporary sword world — its clear, dignified jigane and dynamic, spectacular hamon a testament to Miyata Masatoshi's rare talent, set off by a koshirae of true esoteric-Buddhist refinement. In pristine, as-forged condition, this is a piece well suited to becoming a lifelong treasure.

Specifications

• Type: Katana (刀), shinogi-zukuri; ubu, zaimei (signed); Reiwa era (shinsakutō, 2025)
• Smith: Miyata Masatoshi (宮田正寿), real name Miyata Tsuyoshi (宮田剛志); Gifu Prefecture
• Signature (mei): Front: "Miyata Masatoshi saku" (宮田正寿作); Back: "Reiwa shichinen fuyu" (令和七年冬 / Winter, Reiwa 7 / 2025)
• Jigane: Refined itame, densely packed, thick and even ji-nie
• Hamon: Dynamic midare with ko-gunome, chōji, and togari-ba; bright nioiguchi with ashi, yō, sunagashi, and kinsuji
• Length of edge (nagasa): 74.3 cm (approx. 29.25 in / approx. 2 shaku 4 sun 5 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 1.5 cm (approx. 0.59 in)
• Width at base (motohaba): 32.2 mm (approx. 1.27 in)
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 7 mm (approx. 0.28 in)
• Width at tip (sakihaba): 23 mm (approx. 0.91 in)
• Thickness at tip (sakikasane): 6.2 mm (approx. 0.24 in)
• Peg holes (mekugi-ana): 1
• Weight (blade only): 830 g
• Weight (blade in mounting, without scabbard): 1,150 g
• Condition: Brand-new, as-forged; no flaws or rust
• Accessories: Koshirae (full mounting) — black ishime-ji lacquer saya, white same tsuka with black silk wrap, iron tsuba, gold Sanskrit siddham fuchi-kashira and menuki
• Registration No.: Gifu No. 088362 (岐阜 第088362号)