Newly Forged Japanese Katana by Teruhira (輝平) — Sōshū-den in the Spirit of Masamune

Commission a blade from the Okayama smith who has twice swept both top prizes at the All Japan Swordsmith Association exhibition

Teruhira is one of the most successful swordsmiths of his generation. Trained in the Miyairi forge in Nagano and working since 2016 at his own forge in Okayama Prefecture, he has won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize three times and the Minister of Education Prize repeatedly, taking both top awards together in 2022 and again in 2025. In 2025 he was named a Nihontō Meishō (Japanese Sword Master Craftsman). His inspiration is Masamune, the greatest name of Sōshū-den. 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 — Teruhira (輝平)

Teruhira was born Kamiyama Yōzō (上山陽三) in 1981 in Hokkaidō. In 2006, at the age of twenty-five, he entered the forge of Miyairi Kozaemon Yukihira (宮入小左衛門行平) in Sakaki, Nagano Prefecture, one of the leading Sōshū-den workshops in Japan. After five years of apprenticeship he received his swordsmith's license from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2011.

In 2016 he moved to Okayama Prefecture, the historical heartland of Bizen swordmaking, and established his own forge in Akaiwa City. His work has since been exhibited at the National Treasure Hall of Kasuga Taisha in Nara (2018) and at the Heisei no Meitō Meikō-ten (Heisei Masterpiece Swords and Swordsmiths Exhibition) at the Japanese Sword Museum (2019).

Awards and recognition

Teruhira first exhibited at the 7th Omamori-gatana (protective sword) Exhibition in 2012, receiving an Honorable Mention. In 2013 he won the Gold Prize, third place, and the Newcomer's Prize at the 4th Shinsaku Nihontō Tōshoku Gijutsu Tenrankai (Exhibition of Newly Made Japanese Swords and Craft Techniques) of the All Japan Swordsmith Association, followed by the Association Chairman's Prize in 2016.

In 2017 he reached the summit of both of the Association's exhibitions: the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize at the 8th Tōshoku Gijutsu Tenrankai, and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize at the 12th Omamori-gatana Exhibition. He won the Minister of Education Prize at the Omamori-gatana Exhibition again in 2021 and 2024. In 2022 and again in 2025 he received both the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize and the Minister of Education Prize together at the Tōshoku Gijutsu Tenrankai, a double honor that is rarely achieved. In 2025 he was recognized as a Nihontō Meishō (日本刀名匠, Japanese Sword Master Craftsman) for swordmaking.

Style — Sōshū-den after Masamune

Teruhira's work is consciously modeled on Masamune and the Sōshū-den (Sagami tradition) of the late Kamakura period. He studies the essential features of Masamune's swords, the notare (gently undulating) hamon and the streak-like nie activity, such as kinsuji (bright lines of crystals), that runs through the temper, but his aim is not to make copies. Rather, he seeks to create a sword that is unmistakably his own. In his words, a beautiful Japanese sword is one in which three things come together: a shape with nothing wasted, a well-forged and resilient jigane, and a hamon that shines brightly.

A commissioned katana by Teruhira is the work of one of the most decorated smiths of his generation, made in the Sōshū spirit for one owner. Please contact us to discuss specifications and lead time.

Smith profile

• Swordsmith name: Teruhira (輝平)
• Real name: Kamiyama Yōzō (上山陽三)
• Born: 1981, Hokkaidō
• Teacher: Miyairi Kozaemon Yukihira (宮入小左衛門行平), from 2006
• Swordsmith license: 2011 (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
• Forge established: 2016, Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture
• Major awards: Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize ×3 (2017, 2022, 2025); Minister of Education Prize (2017, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025)
• Other honors: Nihontō Meishō (Japanese Sword Master Craftsman), 2025
• Specialty: Sōshū-den, after Masamune
• Price: set by the All Japan Swordsmith Association (全日本刀匠会)