Kobayashi Yasuhiro

小林康宏

Period

Taishō–Shōwa (1914–1985)

School

Independent (no formal school lineage recorded)

Active Years

昭和45年(1970)刀匠認可〜昭和60年(1985)

Tradition

Kotō (old-sword) revival; independent forging methods

Rank

Description

Career

Kobayashi Yasuhiro (1914–1985) was born in Toyotomi Village, Higashiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi Prefecture. After graduating from a commercial school in Kōfu, he ran a record store in Tokyo, but was drafted into the Imperial Army, where he is said to have engaged in propaganda work for a special operations unit during the war. He was demobilized in 1946 and founded a refrigeration equipment company serving U.S. military bases in Japan.

Turn to Swordsmithing

Around 1960, an encounter with swordsmith Akimoto Shōyū sparked his interest in researching sword materials. Around 1968 he dissolved his company and set up a forge in Takanawa, Tokyo, receiving official authorization as a swordsmith on January 20, 1970. In 1977 he returned to his native Yamanashi Prefecture.

Style and Reputation

Researching the revival of kotō (old-sword) techniques, he produced exceptionally strong Japanese swords through his own forging method, fusing an appropriate amount of carbon into Swedish steel worked from low temperatures. In martial-arts circles he became known as the maker of "zantetsu-ken" (iron-cutting swords), and trained a number of disciples.