Naohiro 4Th (Hiroshi Kojima) "experimental" Massive Tanto

[Alex A]

Just finished watching those vids on the website. The second vid about the history of the swordsmith school, at the end, it kind of hits home about the need to carry on a swordsmith lineage.

 

Hence, now a bit more understanding why the likes of Hiroshi Kojima may have to look outside of Japan for apprentices.

 

Cheers for that, fascinating, probably makes some of us here wished we would have had the chance to visit Japan when young.

[Lewis B]

54 minutes ago, Alex A said:

Just finished watching those vids on the website. The second vid about the history of the swordsmith school, at the end, it kind of hits home about the need to carry on a swordsmith lineage.

 

 

I hadn't seen that interview before. Very enlightening. And the sense of relief that he could pass on the tradition to someone worthy was palpable. Thats a huge responsibility when one understands the significance of ancestor reverence in Japanese culture.

[Hector]

In a similar vein, I watched this 3 part documentary on YouTube and I must admit to having very mixed feelings about it.

The incredible skills of the individuals interviewed is beyond any doubt ...... but would I buy anything from them which is described as being  'Japanese'?

No.

 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=963e3aGz4Gg&pp=QACIAgE%3D&rco=1&ra=m

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XnuoQoChS2g&ra=m

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CfVn8wOBQrg&ra=m

[Tetsu]

On 8/21/2026 at 2:33 AM, Hector said:

In a similar vein, I watched this 3 part documentary on YouTube and I must admit to having very mixed feelings about it.

The incredible skills of the individuals interviewed is beyond any doubt ...... but would I buy anything from them which is described as being  'Japanese'?

No.

 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=963e3aGz4Gg&pp=QACIAgE%3D&rco=1&ra=m

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XnuoQoChS2g&ra=m

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CfVn8wOBQrg&ra=m

I'm completely fine when westerners go out with their own styles, inspired by Japanese swords.  The skill and dedication of the western swordsmiths in the Tigerchop videos are very admirable, but replicating Nihonto exactly just feels a bit off to me.  If I were to commission a Nihonto, I'd seek out an actual modern Japanese smith, even if the end result was the same as the Oregon swordsmiths in the Tigerchop videos.