Human Resource Crisis in the Japanese Sword Industry: Structural Challenges and Solutions for Craftsmen, Dealers, and Researchers

The Complete Picture of the Human Resources Crisis Facing the Japanese Sword Industry

The world of Japanese swords is both a crystallization of spiritual culture boasting centuries of tradition and a microcosm of serious industrial challenges facing modern Japan. Sword smiths, polishers, scabbard craftsmen, metal workers, sword merchants, and researchers—the entire ecosystem woven together by these diverse specialists is now facing a serious shortage of skilled personnel.

According to statistics from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the number of active sword smiths holding sword-making qualifications throughout the country remains at approximately 300, with most being in their sixties or older. Those maintaining actual sword-making activities are even fewer, and it is said that nationally there are only about 100 highly skilled technicians dedicated to cultural property restoration among polishers. These figures reveal not merely a shortage of craftsmen, but a crisis of discontinuity in technical knowledge that has accumulated over generations.

This thinning pipeline of skilled personnel is not someone else's concern for those enthusiasts and collectors who require the buying, selling, and authentication of Japanese swords. As the number of specialists who handle the series of processes—sword making, polishing, and authentication—decreases, even finding experts to distinguish genuine from false swords and locating restoration services becomes increasingly difficult, and consequently the foundation for passing down Japanese swords as cultural assets to the next generation grows weaker. Certificates of authentication issued by organizations such as the NBTHK continue to serve as an important reference point for confirming provenance and authenticity amid the depletion of such specialized knowledge.

Sword Smiths, Polishers, and Scabbard Craftsmen: Structural Problems in the World of Craftsmen

The decline in sword smiths stems from the unique nature of the apprenticeship system. Obtaining a swordsmith license requires a minimum of five years as an apprentice to a master, and even after becoming independent, it takes several more years to achieve stable income. Creating a single sword can take anywhere from one to three months, and mastering the techniques requires more than ten years. By law, a single sword smith can produce no more than 24 swords per year, which structurally limits the ceiling on income.

The decline in young people seeking apprenticeships is rooted in economic instability. Income during the apprenticeship period is extremely limited, and the reality of having to continue training while supplementing living expenses through parental support or side work keeps potential applicants away. Conversely, the sword smiths who would accept apprentices face the contradictory situation of lacking the financial means to support trainees.

The world of polishers is even more challenging. Understanding the properties of natural whetstones quarried from various locations nationwide and the ability to select the appropriate stone based on the condition of the blade can only be acquired through more than ten years of practical experience. Moreover, the output of high-quality natural whetstones is declining year by year, and the depletion of whetstones casts a shadow over the transmission of techniques.

Peripheral craftsmen such as scabbard makers and grip winders, who handle polishing and the creation of sheaths and hilts, also face a shortage of successors just like sword smiths and polishers. Since a single Japanese sword cannot be completed and preserved as an artwork until multiple specialized processes—including polishing, the making of shirasaya, and the creation of fittings—work in coordination, if the craftsmen handling even one of these processes disappear, the effects ripple across all the other processes. In recent years, there has been a trend of lengthening timeframes from commission to completion, and owners seeking expedited restoration or delivery are finding their options increasingly limited.

The Succession Problem in Sword Commerce and Distribution

The world of sword merchants faces a similar crisis. While many established sword shops have been operated by the founders' children or grandchildren, this pattern of hereditary succession is beginning to break down. Increasing numbers of successors are choosing different industries, and closures of long-established shops continue unabated.

The knowledge required of sword merchants is vast. Period attribution (authentication), how to read signature references, distinguishing genuine from false, market awareness, legal knowledge (Sword and Firearm Control Law, Cultural Properties Protection Law), judging the necessity of restoration, and building long-term relationships of trust with customers—training specialists to handle all of these requires extensive time and practical experience. No universities or specialized schools offer curricula to train sword merchants, and on-the-job training remains the sole means of developing such professionals.

It cannot be overlooked that when shops close, the relationships with customers that shop owners have built over many years and their accumulated experience in distinguishing genuine from false are simply lost. There are also cases where swords held in inventory and reference materials are scattered, and records of provenance are broken off.

For those considering a purchase, these changes in distribution structure are not irrelevant. When distinguishing between trustworthy sword merchants and authentication agencies, the following points are worth checking:

• Whether the issuer of the certificate of authentication and its contents (period, country, craftsman's signature, etc.) are clearly stated
• Whether there is an explanation, to the extent known, of previous owners and the item's provenance
• Whether you can receive an explanation of the condition of accompanying items such as polishing and fittings, and any restoration history
• Whether you can receive advice on consultation and storage methods after purchase

By making these confirmations, building a long-term relationship with a trustworthy sword merchant ultimately helps sustain the transmission of connoisseurship knowledge throughout the industry as a whole.

The Problem of Training Researchers and Curators

The human resources crisis is also serious in the world of Japanese sword research. The number of university departments in Japan that specialize in research and education on Japanese swords is extremely limited, and positions for sword specialists are rare. Nationwide, there are only dozens of positions for curators dedicated to Japanese swords in museums and art museums, and the situation remains inadequate as a destination for new graduate researchers.

Academic research on swords requires knowledge spanning multiple fields including metallurgy, history, art history, archaeology, and folklore, and cultivating personnel with such interdisciplinary expertise is not easy. The venues for returning research findings to society—academic journals, exhibitions, and educational programs—are also limited, and the unclear career path for researchers has led to fewer applications.

To some extent, meticulous documentation and research activities by private researchers, collectors, and enthusiast groups not affiliated with universities or museums play a certain role in accumulating knowledge. However, these activities are largely supported by individual enthusiasm and do not function as a systematic mechanism for cultivating successors. How to cultivate personnel who can bridge academic knowledge and field experience remains an ongoing challenge.

Industry-Wide Initiatives and Future Outlook

In response to this crisis, the industry and various government and private sector parties are exploring countermeasures. Under the Law for the Promotion of Traditional Crafts Industries, the Agency for Cultural Affairs has established a subsidy system for cultivating successors and is implementing support for sword smiths. The Japan Art Sword Preservation Society (NBTHK), a public interest incorporated foundation, handles technical certification and public awareness, and is developing new fan bases through sword exhibitions and authentication sessions held throughout the country.

In recent years, the expansion of experiential events has been attracting attention. Sword forging observation tours, polishing experience workshops, and sword appreciation seminars are now being held in various locations, providing increased opportunities for younger generations to engage with Japanese sword culture. Young adults in their 20s and 30s who have become interested in Japanese swords through games and manga are being noted as potential new practitioners, and people from this demographic who aspire to become sword smiths or polishers are already beginning to emerge.

The application of digital technology also expands possibilities. Precise recording of sword blades using 3D scanning technology, digitization of signature references and authentication materials, and the establishment of online knowledge-sharing platforms are contributing to the visualization of tacit knowledge.

The increasing interest from overseas sword enthusiasts is another recent development. While increased opportunities for domestic and international sword enthusiasts to purchase and collect Japanese swords create new demand for sword smiths and merchants, concerns have also been raised about valuable cultural properties flowing out of the country. How to balance demand with the preservation of cultural properties will remain an ongoing challenge for the industry in the future.

For individual readers, there are ways to support the industry, such as purchasing from trustworthy sword merchants after understanding the contents of certificates of authentication, or attending sword exhibitions and authentication sessions. These individual actions, accumulated over time, become the foundation for craftsmen, merchants, and researchers to pass their techniques and knowledge to the next generation. The human resources problem in the Japanese sword industry is a cultural crisis that transcends a mere industrial challenge. To prevent the light of this precious culture from going out, coordinated efforts by the industry, government, and society are now more than ever called for.