* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kanbayashi Tsunehira
上林恒平
Description
Career
Kanbayashi Tsunehira was born in 1949 in Fujishima, Higashitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture (now Tsuruoka). His given name is Yūji. After graduating from Yamagata Prefectural Tsuruoka Technical High School in 1967, he trained under Miyairi Yukihira (Miyairi Shōhei), a Living National Treasure swordsmith. He received forging certification from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 1973.
Awards and Mukansa Status
Beginning with an Effort Prize at the 1973 New Sword Masterpiece Exhibition held by the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, he went on to take seven top prizes, including the Takamatsu-no-miya Prize twice, and was certified mukansa. Mukansa status is conferred on smiths who take multiple top prizes at the Society's competition and represents the highest rank a swordsmith can attain.
Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property
In 2008 he was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Yamagata Prefecture.
Blade Carving
Alongside forging, he studied metal chasing and blade carving (horimono) under Yanagimura Senju. The ability to execute carving on one's own blades is a skill held by relatively few contemporary smiths.
Activity
He maintains a forge in Yamagata City, where he continues to make swords and devotes considerable effort to training successors. As a smith associated with Yamagata, his work has been featured in exhibitions such as the Japanese famous sword series at the Chido Museum.