NihontoWatchThe swordsmith Fujiyasu Masahira was born in Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture in Showa 21. In Showa 41, he became a disciple of the late Living National Treasure, the swordsmith Miyairi Yukihira of Sakaki-machi, Nagano Prefecture. In Showa 50, he opened a forge in Tatsukoyama, Fukushima Prefecture and became independent. Since then, he has continued his research and training in sword making, receiving the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai Excellence Award 3 times, the Encouragement Award 6 times, and the Effort Award 7 times. In Heisei 2, he received the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai Chairman's Award. In Heisei 14, he received the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai Kanzan Award. He has performed dedication forging at many shrines such as Owari Atsuta Jingu and Nara Gokoku Jinja, and in Heisei 20, he performed a Japanese sword dedication forging at Hitachi Kashima Jingu for the first time in approximately 1,300 years since the sword making of Sabi no Omaro in 704. In the autumn of Showa 59, he also undertook the great task of serving in the respectful production of the Goshinpo Tachi for the 61st Shikinen Sengu of Ise Jingu, and he has also put great effort into supporting the reconstruction of Mikoto Jinja in Minamisoma, Fukushima, which suffered great damage in the recent earthquake, serving in the respectful production of a chokuto to become a Goshinpo; most recently, with the reconstruction forging of the large chokuto excavated from the Miyajidake Kofun in Fukuoka, he possesses sword making techniques that are among the best of contemporary Japanese swordsmiths. Holding a strong desire for the reproduction of koto from the Heian and Kamakura periods, he has engaged in research and training for many years, and possesses abundant knowledge and insight into Kokuho, Juyo Bunkazai, and similar swords, as well as iron sand and iron culture from across the country; whether he handles a tachi, katana, tanto, wakizashi, naginata, or ancient chokuto, he creates an accurate and beautiful sugata. The skill of his jigane and yakiba is also vivid, boasting a wide range of production abilities, and his nakago-shitate such as the nakago-yasuri and meibun are the best among contemporary swordsmiths; the fact that after the death of his master Yukihira, he took charge of the master's biological son, Miyairi Kozaemon Yukihira (Miyairi Megumi), and had him undergo sword forging training as a disciple, speaks to the deep trust his master had in him and the high level of his skill. In recent years, he has also worked on the research of Nara period swords such as the chokuto and teboko housed in the Nara Shosoin, and the reproduction production of the Meibutsu Tsurumaru Kuninaga and Yagen Toshiro; it is no exaggeration to say that the yakiba of the aforementioned chokuto dedicated to Mikoto Jinja has entered the realm of the divine. As a leading figure in koto reproduction, and a master craftsman whose name is also high for forging sharp swords that even cut through iron, Fujiyasu Masahira. Teaming up with the proprietor of this shop, Machii Isao, he is still diligently working today to create masterpieces of true utility and beauty. This tachi is an Ichimonji-utsushi work by Masahira, with an impressive and elegant koshi-sori tachi sugata. The sugata, which has funbari but feels wide at the saki, possesses a power that truly brings to mind the worn swords of Kamakura bushi. The jigane is a mixture of ko-itame and moku, well-kneaded and tight, with a slight hadadachi-gokoro. The hamon is gunome mixed with choji that gives a sense of softness with a fluffy nioiguchi; it differs in atmosphere from the contemporary swords forged as Ichimonji-utsushi today, lacking ostentation, and the scenery woven by the natural yakiba that is just like a koto makes one feel the eternal history despite being a recent work; ashi and yo enter the ha, and the boshi is in sugu style with a maru return at the saki. Our shop has performed all the work: superior polishing by a top prize winner of polishing competitions, superior habaki, and superior shirasaya. Please fully enjoy the clarity of the sharpened ji-ha. *Because swordsmith Masahira forges with the aim of koto reproduction, he uses forging methods different from other contemporary swordsmiths. For that reason, there are kitae-kizu that are just like koto, but it can be said that these are precisely the character of this tachi.
Offered by Toushin
25 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Fukushima · Showa-Reiwa
25 pieces on the market now
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
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¥3,520,000