Early Shōwa Sword Renaissance

The Dawn of the Shōwa Era and the Stirring of Sword Revival

The new era that began in the first year of Shōwa (1926) became a time of dramatic change for the Japanese sword. The political changes of the end of Taishō Democracy and the growing influence of the military pushed, in one respect, toward heightened national interest in swords. Amid the militaristic atmosphere of the early Shōwa period, the Japanese sword was nationally redefined and re-valued as a 'symbol of the Japanese spirit' and an 'embodiment of bushidō.' Paradoxically, this became a policy motive for supporting the revival of traditional sword-making techniques.

The most important institutional turning point in the early Shōwa sword revival was the establishment in Shōwa 8 (1933) of the Nihontō Tanrenkai and, alongside it, Kurihara Hikosaburō's Nihontō Tanren Denshūjo. In the Nihontō Tanrenkai, an incorporated foundation set up on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine, selected smiths forged swords by traditional methods, while the Nihontō Tanren Denshūjo trained swordsmiths. Under this system, many smiths competed with one another as they honed their skills, and the overall standard of early Shōwa modern swordsmiths rose substantially.

Gassan Sadakatsu and the Revival of Ayasugi-hada

The representative figure of the Gassan school in the early Shōwa period was Gassan Sadakatsu (son of the first Sadakazu). The Gassan school is an old family of smiths said to have originated at Mount Gassan in Dewa Province. It is characterized by a distinctive forged surface called ayasugi-hada, a pattern resembling the grain of sugi (Japanese cedar). This technique requires advanced forging skill that other smiths could not easily imitate, and it was guarded through generations as the most important cultural asset of the Gassan school.

Sadakatsu carried on the skills of the Gassan group despite the blow of the sword-abolition edict in the Meiji period, and he was highly regarded as a leading smith of the early Shōwa era. Swords made with ayasugi-hada jigane, including tachi, katana and tantō, were prized by collectors at home and abroad as the most distinctive and easily identified style among modern swords. Sadakatsu also forged a protective blade (mamori-gatana) for Prince Akihito (now Emperor Emeritus).

Miyairi Akihira and the Restoration of Ancient Swords

Miyairi Akihira of Nagano Prefecture entered Kurihara Hikosaburō's Nihontō Tanren Denshūjo in Shōwa 12 (1937), and he made it his lifelong goal to bring the techniques of ancient swords, in particular the Sōshū tradition, back to life in the present day. Miyairi insisted on carrying out every stage of production by classical methods, from research on the raw material tamahagane to the clay coating used for hardening. By teaching the results of his research to his disciples, he raised the technical standard of modern swordsmiths.

The period of Miyairi's training and early production in the early Shōwa era forms the long prelude to his later designation as a Living National Treasure in Shōwa 38 (1963). The techniques and teaching principles he established in this period laid the foundation for placing Miyairi among the most important figures in the history of modern Japanese swordsmiths.

Sumitani Masamine and the Revival of the Bizen Tradition

Sumitani Masamine of Ishikawa Prefecture entered training under the swordsmith Sakurai Masayuki in Shōwa 16 (1941) and pursued the Bizen tradition of the Kamakura period as his goal. Sumitani devoted himself to this research throughout the Shōwa period and completed the splendid chōji hamon known as 'Sumitani chōji.' In Shōwa 56 (1981) he was certified as a Living National Treasure.

The Yasukuni Smiths and the Involvement of the Army

In the early Shōwa period (especially 1933–1941), a complex relationship took shape between the army's military-sword policy and traditional sword-making. At the Nihontō Tanrenkai, the incorporated foundation on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine, selected smiths forged military swords by traditional methods. This was fundamentally different from gunto (Shōwa-tō, military swords) whose blades were manufactured by machine in factories. It was a full-fledged sword production using traditional forging. Some of the smiths who worked as Yasukuni smiths later formed the basis of master-disciple relationships among the leading smiths of the late Shōwa and Heisei eras. The activity of the Yasukuni smiths in the early Shōwa period forms an important page in the history of modern swordsmiths.

The Role of Private Collectors

In the revival of swords in the early Shōwa period, the role of private collectors and enthusiasts cannot be overlooked. Amid the militaristic atmosphere of the time, interest in swords was easily justified as 'patriotic cultivation,' and businessmen, politicians and military officers took part in collecting and studying famous swords. Publication of sword magazines and research books became active, and sword exhibitions and appraisal sessions were held across the country. This private enthusiasm, combined with state policy support, formed an important cultural foundation for the revival of swords in the early Shōwa period.

The revival of swords in the early Shōwa period (1926–1941) was absorbed into another context with the start of the Pacific War (1941), namely the mass production of military swords. However, the technical foundation, human networks and institutional framework established in the early Shōwa period became the direct groundwork for the postwar revival of modern swordsmiths, and that legacy lives on today.