Yasukuni Jinja Smith

[seattle1]

Hello:

I nice looking sword by Masuda Yasuaki popped up on Tsuruta san's Aoi site thismorning on a buy it now basis. It is tachi mei, quite long and with what seems to be a sayagaki, but I can't tell by whom. #14877. It is post war manufacture and without a paper. Worth looking at I think.

Arnold F.

[Stephen]

Was that the last Yasukuni smith?

[seattle1]

Hello:

No, I believe the last Yasukuni smith was Kotani Yasunori who died is Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, March 1, 2003.

Arnold F.

[rkg]

Arnold,

 

I owned a tanto by this guy for a while - he did nice work.  He was a Yasukuni smith, but he only worked there briefly - he was sent off to run another facility or some such thing in short order.\

 

rkg

(Richard George)

[seattle1]

Hello:

Richard, I mentioned the man only because he worked at the Jinja, came there rather late and was not identified as a Yasukuni smith on the Aoi site. He is mentioned in Tom Kishida's book on the Junja, b. 1915, d. 1995. His total production is given as "Approx. 20." I have no interest in post-war swords. The blade looks very nice, 450,000 JPY if I recall correctly. I think it would be impossible to find a war-time Yasukuni blade that is comparable for that kind of money, but of course this one is post-war.

Arnold F.