* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tanigawa Moriyoshi
谷川盛吉
Description
Tanigawa Moriyoshi's Training
Tanigawa Moriyoshi was a modern swordsmith born in Taishō 9 (1920) in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, whose real name was Matsukichi. At the age of 13, Moriyoshi became a disciple of the swordsmith Kongō Hyōe Moritaka Yasuhiro and began his training in sword-making.
Master of Swords and Yari
Moriyoshi also studied under Enju Nobushige. The Enju lineage was a line of swordsmiths who flourished in Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture), and Nobushige excelled at making yari (spear). Having learned from Nobushige, Moriyoshi displayed superb skill not only in the forging of Japanese swords but also in the forging of yari (spear), and became known as a master of both swords and spears.
Mukansa Certification and Succession
Moriyoshi was recognized for his skill by the Japan Art Sword Preservation Society (NBTHK), which granted him Mukansa status. Mukansa is the highest rank, second only to Living National Treasure, and is attained only by swordsmiths who have repeatedly won special prizes at the Shinsaku Meitō exhibition. Moriyoshi died at the age of 70 in Heisei 2 (1990), but his lineage passed on to his children: his eldest son, Tanigawa Hiromitsu, became a swordsmith under the name Enju Nobutsugu, and his second son pursued a career as a sword polisher. He is remembered as a swordsmith who carried the tradition of Higo's swords and yari forging into the modern era.