Sugita Yoshiaki

[Toryu2020]

Saw an exceptional blade by this smith the other day - anybody have more info?

 

杉田明二　Sugita Shoji or Akikazu or Akiji of Yamaguchi-ken

Signatures include;

善昭作

Yoshiaki saku

長州長府住川上家伝来昭和六〇年八月日　善昭作

Choshu Chofu ju Kawakami ke denrai Showa 60 nen 8 gatsu hi Yoshiaki saku

 

3 Time Nyusen winner

Member of the All Japan Swordmakers Society

lives in Hofu, Yamaguchi

防府市真尾掘溝 511

 

-t

[DRDave]

Found this   Edit:  and this

[drjoe]

hi tom -- sugita yoshiaki used to have his own website with blades listed, but that went inactive following his untimely death. 

he seemed to favor hadaki-yaki (quenching without clay) and was able to create dynamic, turbulent hamon in the style of bizen den midare choji.

this seems to be an old archive of posts about/by him:

https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/sugitatoushonokai/folder/

here is a video of him doing yaki ire:

in addition to the blade from mike yamasaki's page, check out these:

http://www.meikoukai.com/contents/town/06/6_36/index.html
http://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords3/TT327577.htm

http://kyoto-katana.com/archives/4632/

https://www.seiyudo.com/ta-030612.htm

http://www.tousyoukai.jp/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/5_toushin_9.jpg

 

and here's an old post started by me when i first learned about his work and didn't know anything about hadakayaki:

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/9387-sugita-yoshiaki-juka-choji/

you can find more if you search his name in Japanese: 杉田善昭

[drjoe]

i seem to remember a version with english subtitles, but can't find it.

here's all 4 parts of the Japanese version:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBD4B2D64D2264DF5

[drjoe]

and some glamor shots of a blade:

 

[SAS]

Was he making his own steel as well....looked that way, unless i misinterpreted what i saw in the vid.

[drjoe]

Yes, i believe so.  Many smiths seem to do this.  In The Art of the Japanese Sword video (different than the one above), Manabe Sumihira suggests that he cannot reproduce bizen ichimonji with NBTHK tamahagane.  I suspect Sugita san felt similarly.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Joe -

I didnt expect there to be so much online, given that the books dont give him much mention.

-t

[drjoe]

i knew there was an english language film out there that featured him -- found it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6SMRaKMtFY

[Kanenaga]

The most notable aspect of Yoshiaki's work that I've seen has been the utsuri.  Smiths have been trying to recreate utsuri for centuries, and a few have had some modest success, notably Naotane and Sokan, but Yoshiaki was able to make dramatic utsuri which rivals the natural utsuri of early Bizen and Bitchu blades. Another swordsmithing secret lost.

[drjoe]

yes, it's often said that modern smiths are trying to recreate koto blades including bizen ichimonji and Sugita-san's utsuri seems to be another check-mark in that direction.

but he's hardly the only modern smith able to recreate utsuri and even non-Japanese smiths like Pavel Bolf are making important contributions to revealing the secrets of utsuri and other "koto mysteries."