Kenzo Kotani
Encyclopedia
was the last Yasukuni Shrine
swordsmith.
, Hiroshima Prefecture
. In his adolescent years he was apprenticed
to his uncle Kajiyama Tokutaro (his mother's brother) who, along with his younger cousin Kajiyama Toshimichi, became sakite (sword assistants). In 1933 they were summoned to Tokyo to work at the Yasukuni Shrine.
The Army and Navy were concerned that the number of swords extant were too few to accommodate the needs of the growing officer corps. With backing from the Household Ministry, the Army Ministry, and the Ministry of Culture, a swordsmithy (the Nihonto Tanrenkai, "Japan sword and forging society") was established on 8 July 1933. Kajiyama Yasutoku and Miyaguchi Yasuhiro were appointed as swordsmiths by Army Minister General Sadao Araki
. The kanji
'Yasu' (靖) was taken from the shrine and affixed with a character from their personal names (nanori
) to form their sword names. Kotani Kenzo and his cousin Kajiyama Toshimichi were their uncle's assistants.
Yasunori used this name throughout his time at the shrine and worked not only the longest but was the most prolific, having produced over 1600 swords during his time there. In 1938, General Nara Taketsugu, aide-de-camp
to the Emperor, awarded the character Take (武) from his name to Yasunori, as he had earlier done for Yasunori's uncle, Yasutoku, on 13 September 1934. Their new names Taketoku (武徳) and Takenori (武憲) were to be signed on swords made outside the shrine.
style, as Yasutoku was a pupil of Yokoyama Sukeyoshi. Swords by this group were done in gunome choji style in nioi. Sometimes ara nie can be seen in their work, particularly in that done by Yasunori and his uncle. Yasutoshi (Yasunori's cousin) made his swords truer than both his father and cousin in that he made his hamon
out of pure nioi. Nagako
were finished in kurijimomo (Yasutoku) or kurijiri (Yasunori and Yasutoshi) and generally in a gunto sugata of 60–66 cm. However, he sometimes produced special orders with longer lengths like 69/70 cm.
When the war ended in September 1945, the making of gunto at the shrine ceased. Yasunori did not return to swordmaking until 1970 and stopped making swords entirely after approximately 1978.
Yasukuni Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of...
swordsmith.
Early history
Kotani Kenzo was born on 7 January 1909 as the eldest son of a toolmaker in KureKure, Hiroshima
is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
. In his adolescent years he was apprenticed
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
to his uncle Kajiyama Tokutaro (his mother's brother) who, along with his younger cousin Kajiyama Toshimichi, became sakite (sword assistants). In 1933 they were summoned to Tokyo to work at the Yasukuni Shrine.
The Army and Navy were concerned that the number of swords extant were too few to accommodate the needs of the growing officer corps. With backing from the Household Ministry, the Army Ministry, and the Ministry of Culture, a swordsmithy (the Nihonto Tanrenkai, "Japan sword and forging society") was established on 8 July 1933. Kajiyama Yasutoku and Miyaguchi Yasuhiro were appointed as swordsmiths by Army Minister General Sadao Araki
Sadao Araki
Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before World War II. A charismatic leader and one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the late Japanese Empire, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the politicized Japanese Army and served as...
. The kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
'Yasu' (靖) was taken from the shrine and affixed with a character from their personal names (nanori
Nanori
are kanji character readings found almost exclusively in Japanese names.In the Japanese language many names are constructed from common kanji characters with standard pronunciations. However, some characters occur only in names, and some standard characters have special pronunciations in names...
) to form their sword names. Kotani Kenzo and his cousin Kajiyama Toshimichi were their uncle's assistants.
Yasukuni Shrine 1933-1945
In 1933, Kotani was summoned, along with his uncle and cousin, to Tokyo from Hiroshima to work at the Yasukuni shrine. On 10 July 1935 Kotani, as the senior sword student (sakite), became the next official Yasukuni Shrine swordsmith and was given the name by the Minister of War, Lieutenant General Hayashi Senjuro. In the years 1935-38 he won more prizes at the shrine than his uncle and other senior swordmakers like Ikeda Yasumistu and Miyaguchi Yasuhiro. From 1935 to 1938 he won eight or nine prizes annually for high quality. He was selected to make swords for Field Marshal Count Terauchi, General Tojo and Prince 2nd Lieutenant Higashikuni.Yasunori used this name throughout his time at the shrine and worked not only the longest but was the most prolific, having produced over 1600 swords during his time there. In 1938, General Nara Taketsugu, aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Emperor, awarded the character Take (武) from his name to Yasunori, as he had earlier done for Yasunori's uncle, Yasutoku, on 13 September 1934. Their new names Taketoku (武徳) and Takenori (武憲) were to be signed on swords made outside the shrine.
Working style
Swords made by the Kajiyama group were Yokoyama BizenBizen Province
was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of Honshū, in what is today the southeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bitchu and Bingo Provinces. Bizen borders Mimasaka, Harima, and Bitchū Provinces....
style, as Yasutoku was a pupil of Yokoyama Sukeyoshi. Swords by this group were done in gunome choji style in nioi. Sometimes ara nie can be seen in their work, particularly in that done by Yasunori and his uncle. Yasutoshi (Yasunori's cousin) made his swords truer than both his father and cousin in that he made his hamon
Hamon (swordsmithing)
In swordsmithing, is a visual effect created on the blade by the hardening process. Blades made in this manner are known as differentially hardened, with a harder ha than mune as a result of clay applied on the blade during the cooling process...
out of pure nioi. Nagako
Nagako
Nagako is an uncommon Japanese given name for females. Although written romanized the same way, the kanji can be different., later Empress Kōjun of Japan *Nagako Konishi , a female composer...
were finished in kurijimomo (Yasutoku) or kurijiri (Yasunori and Yasutoshi) and generally in a gunto sugata of 60–66 cm. However, he sometimes produced special orders with longer lengths like 69/70 cm.
When the war ended in September 1945, the making of gunto at the shrine ceased. Yasunori did not return to swordmaking until 1970 and stopped making swords entirely after approximately 1978.
Sources
- Yasukuni Tosho Kishida Tom (2005 Third edition) The Last Yasukuni shrine swordsmith, Yahya Abdelsamad Token Bijutsu April 2006
- Fujishiro, Okisato Yasukuni-to, Token Bijutsu June 1981
- Han, Bing Siong, The Significance of the Yasukuni Shrine in Contemporary Sword History 1989