The Imperial Artisan (Teishitsu Gigei-in) System and the Appointment of Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori — State Protection of Japanese Sword Craft after the Sword-Abolition Edict

The Teishitsu Gigei-in (Imperial Household Artist system) was established by the Imperial Household Ministry in Meiji 23 (1890) to officially protect and encourage Japan's traditional arts and crafts. In the world of Japanese sword-making, which suffered devastating blows after the Sword Abolition Edict of Meiji 9 (1876), the appointment of Gassan Sadakazu (first generation) and Miyamoto Kanenori as swordsmiths in Meiji 39 (1906) was an event of symbolic and practical significance for the survival of traditional Japanese sword-making techniques.

Background to the Establishment of the Teishitsu Gigei-in System

After the Meiji Restoration, the government's rapid policy of Westernization led to a tendency to neglect Japan's traditional arts and crafts. Meanwhile, in the Meiji 10s (around 1877–1886), the American researcher of Oriental art Ernest Fenollosa and Okakura Tenshin began to reappraise the value of traditional Japanese arts, and in Meiji 20 (1887) the Tokyo School of Fine Arts was founded. The traditionalist ‘old school’ figures of the Ryūchikai lineage (the Japan Art Association) felt a sense of crisis over these ‘new school’ (shinpa) movements and sought the protection of the Imperial Household Ministry. This led the Ministry to recognize the need for a system to protect and encourage Japan's outstanding artists and craftsmen under imperial patronage.

In February of Meiji 23 (1890), Kuki Ryūichi, Director-General of the Imperial Museum, was appointed chairman of the selection committee, and Sano Tsunetami and six others were selected as committee members. This formally launched the Teishitsu Gigei-in system. In October of the same year, the first ten Teishitsu Gigei-in were appointed. Appointments were for life. The initial quota was 20 (later 25 from Meiji 39 (1906) onward). Each member received an annual pension of 100 yen, and separate production costs were paid for works commissioned by the Imperial Household Ministry.

The Sword Abolition Edict and the Collapse of the Japanese Sword Industry——Background to the System's Establishment

To understand the establishment of the Teishitsu Gigei-in system, the shock of the Sword Abolition Edict of Meiji 9 (1876) cannot be avoided. The edict prohibited all citizens except military personnel and police officers from wearing swords. Together with the disappearance of the samurai class, the main purchasers of Japanese swords, linked to the abolition of samurai stipends (chitsuroku shobun), it reduced demand for Japanese swords to a devastating degree. Many of the swordsmiths, said to number in the thousands nationwide, were forced to close their businesses and switched to manufacturing iron products such as farm tools, kitchen knives and tools.

Gassan Sadakazu (first generation) was born in Ōmi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture) in Tenpō 7 (1836). At the age of seven he was adopted by Gassan Sadayoshi of Osaka and learned the forging method under his adoptive father. He was already a skilled swordsmith at 40 when the Sword Abolition Edict was enforced, but he suffered greatly from the sharp drop in demand.

Miyamoto Kanenori was born in Ōgaki in Hōki Province (present-day Misasa Town, Tōhaku District, Tottori Prefecture) in Bunsei 13 (1830). In Kaei 4 (1851), at the age of 22, he became a disciple of Yokoyama Sukekane, a swordsmith of Osafune in Bizen, and studied the Bizen tradition (Bizen-den). After the Sword Abolition Edict he returned to his home region and experienced hardship as he struggled to make a living forging farm tools, kitchen knives and similar items. In Meiji 19 (1886), however, the Office for Shrine Construction ordered him to forge sacred treasures in preparation for the periodic shrine rebuilding (Shikinen Sengū) of Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Jingū). He forged 66 tachi and other works, which restored his reputation as a swordsmith. His record of forging swords for Emperor Kōmei and Emperor Meiji was also highly regarded.

4 April 1906 (Meiji 39) — Appointment of Two Swordsmiths as Teishitsu Gigei-in

Sixteen years after the system's establishment, on 4 April 1906 (Meiji 39), Gassan Sadakazu (first generation) and Miyamoto Kanenori were appointed as swordsmiths under the Teishitsu Gigei-in system. The reason swordsmiths had not been appointed until this point is thought to be that after the Sword Abolition Edict the social demand for Japanese swords had plummeted, and for a long time they were hard to appraise as a craft field.

The appointment of the two men signified that Japanese swords had been officially recognized as ‘artistic craft objects’ that went beyond mere weapons. Even within the Westernization policy promoted by the Meiji government, it was formally acknowledged that Japanese sword forging, as the pinnacle of Japan's unique traditional craft, was a cultural heritage that should be protected by the nation.

Gassan Sadakazu's swords are distinguished by a unique forging texture called ‘ayasugi-hada’. This is a wood-grain-like texture with large, wave-like patterns, produced by the distinctive forging method passed down in the Gassan school. He was also skilled at blade carving and personally carved dragons, Fudō Myōō and other figures. After his appointment as a Teishitsu Gigei-in, he became a court swordsmith of the Imperial Household Ministry. He produced many swords, including military swords for Emperor Meiji and swords for members of the imperial family and prominent figures. He died in Taishō 7 (1918).

Miyamoto Kanenori's swords are known for a dignified style based on the Bizen tradition, and his skill was highly praised through the production of swords offered to the imperial family. He continued his sword-making activities until his death in Taishō 15 (1926). His skill and reputation greatly contributed to the modern continuation of Japanese sword forging.

Historical Significance of the Teishitsu Gigei-in System——The Beginning of Official Protection of the Japanese Sword Tradition

The appointment of Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori under the Teishitsu Gigei-in system is positioned as the starting point of Japan's sword-protection policy since the Meiji period. The system continued until its abolition in Shōwa 22 (1947), and its philosophy was passed on to the Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) system, which began in Shōwa 30 (1955).

In the period after the Sword Abolition Edict, the most difficult era for the Japanese sword tradition, two master swordsmiths continued their activities under imperial patronage. This played an indispensable role in maintaining the continuity of the Japanese sword-forging tradition up to the present day. The lineage of swordsmiths recognized as current Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (Living National Treasures) condenses the accumulated history of modern swordsmiths that continues from Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori.