Just Wondering - Post Haitōrei Blades

[Bruce Pennington]

We've all read how the order outlawing the wearing of swords, and the following efforts to Westernize Japan's military, decimated the sword making industry.  Working from memory, so forgive me if I'm off, but do I recall there were only 7 sword smiths operating when Japan decided to go back to samurai styled blades?

 

My point being, since collectors often increase the value of items that are rare, wouldn't blades made by those smiths, before the big push to train new smiths to increase production, be worth a pretty penny and highly collectable?

 

Just wondering.

[oli]

Hi,

 

don't think that all smiths of this time are highly collectable, Gassan school for sure. Kanenori isn't so pricy.  But i think there was more than 7 active smiths.

 

Oli

[John C]

2 hours ago, Bruce Pennington said:

there were only 7 sword smiths operating when Japan decided to go back to samurai styled blades?

Along the same lines, I'm curious how many were working in the shadows. We know that smiths went into variousl other forms of metal work (kanagu, yatate, netsuke, etc.) and far more probably continued to make things like tools (kanna blades specifically), kitchen knives, scissors, work knives, eating utensils, which had always been their bread-and-butter for income. Maybe there were plenty of smiths ready to transition back into sword making when called upon.

 

John C. 

[Jim Manley]

i have been attracted to blades made during this period, My thinking being that with such limited demand each blade would have to be the absolute best the smith was capable of making. i have works by Nobuhide, Taneyoshi, Kanenori, Kajihei, Saburo Akihide and Gassan from this time period. Shigetsugu too was reportedly actively making blades but my tanto is from Showa 12. I would suppose there were more than 7 smiths but who knows. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

There were more than seven smiths, I suspect the seven usually cited in reference books are the smiths producing superior works and continuing forging traditions proper.