Establishment of the Nihonto Tanren Kai (NTK)

The Nihonto Tanren Kai (NTK) was a non-profit organization which functioned from Showa 8 (1933) to Showa 20 (1945). It was located on the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. About 30 people worked over during this period and produced about 8000 blades. At that time, there was very little tamahagane left as the last tatara had shut down in January of Taisho 14 (1925). Thus, the NTK constructed a tatara to produce tamahagane for their own swords.

During WWII, the smiths were required to produce good blades for high rank officers. Since Japan was in conflict with many Asian countries at that time, it was felt that a good sword expressing a pure Japanese spirit was essential, and that's why such efforts were made to produce traditional Japanese swords in the traditional manner.

The NTK had 3 important characteristics:
    - Production of own tamahagane
    - Grouping of famous swordsmiths came from many schools in Japan
    - Development of well-organized system

At the beginning, there were two swordsmiths, Miyaguchi Yasuhiro and Kajiyama Yasutoku (his name can be called 'Yasunori' but, to distinguish the same name of his student, 'Yasutoku' is used here). 6 months later, Ikeda Yasumitsu joined them by the introduction of Honma Junji. Yasuhiro was a student of Ikkansai Shigetoshi of Suruga, Yasutoku was a student of Yokoyama Sukeyoshi, and Yasumitsu was from the school of Ikeda Kazuhide. Later two additional smiths (Kotani Yasunori and Kajiyama Yasutoshi) were added from sakite. Many smiths entered and left from time to time for 12 years.

As the swordmaking was supposed to strictly follow a traditional manner, no machines were used except punching mekugi-ana by drill. Mainly they were asked to produce Kamakura style Bizento in suguha with ashi and yo. The smiths modelled were Mitsutada, Nagamitsu, Kagemitsu, Masatsune, and Kanemitsu. Of the blades produced by the NTK, one third were used for tameshigiri. In addition, twice a month, there was a contest or judging of the new blades which determined the ranking and price which the new swords would command. Ths judgement was very strict and this shinsa group belonged to the Chou Token Kai.
 

Characteristics of Yasukunito

The typical Yasukunito was modelled after the style of Kagemitsu and Nagamitsu in suguha. Usual length was 2 shaku 2 sun (66.7cm or 24.3") and the sori was 5 to 6 bun (1.5cm - 1.8cm or 0.6' - 0.7"). The kissaki was ko-kissaki and width was gracefully narrow. The overall impression was of small Sue-koto. In principle, the tachi-mei was used for katana and katana-mei was used for tanto with two kanji above the mekugi-ana and the date was always on the opposite side of the Nakago. However, there was an exception for this style when they made Onkashi-to (the sword presented by  the emperor) or Homei-to (rewarding sword).*

The yasurime of Yasukunito was kiri usually. Yasutoku and Yasuhiro used kuri-jiri for the nakago-jiri, while Yasumitsu used kengata nakago-jiri.

The boshi was mainly suguha but sometimes Yasumitsu made midare-komi. Mostly hamon was suguha but each smith made slight differences. Yasutoku and his students used gunome with ashi and nie. Yasumitsu's used suguha with ko-ashi but no nie. Yasuhiro made many hamon sytles with nie.

Nearly all blades were made in suguha because that's what Shinsa group wanted. In addition, suguha is faster to make and these smiths didn't have much time to produce other styles. Yasutoku made sanbonsuji hamon and Yasuoki made ichimonji-choji but only about 10 each of these non-standard styles were produced.

It should be noted that sometimes the sakite (hammer-man) or students made blades for their teachers. In the case of Yasumitsu, the students would sign the Yasumitsu name (dai-saku) on their blades. However, Yasuhiro and Yasutoku would sign their names to their students' blades. On the other hand, Yasunori smartly used different styles for dai-saku and jishin-saku. Note that Yasukuni tosho usually did not use their 'Yasu-' names as Yasukunito mei style after they left or outside of the Yasukuni Shirine. Unfortunately, gimei Yasukuni signatures are often encountered these days. Thus, careful examination of signature is highly requested.**

After the end of the war, swordmaking was forbidden and resulted in a very hard time for swordsmiths. Swordmaking revived legally again at the spring of Showa 28. After then, until recently, they produced Shinsakuto at their homes. They were Yakuwa Yasutake (died in 1984), Shimasaki Yasuoki (died in 1986), Masuda Yasuaki (died in 1995), and Ozaki Yasumune(died in 1997). Since the beginning of the Meiji period, the most respected blades made were those made at Yasukuni Shrine and the current postwar Shinsakuto. Yasukunito and Shinsakuto blades have similarities in that both started with the setting up of tatara smelter and had critical groups of Shinsa (Yasukuni) or collectors (Shinsakuto) with sharp eyes on Nihonto.

Another interesting comparison of Yasukunito and Shinsakuto is that Yasukunito were produced during the war while Shinsakuto are being produced in peaceful times. This situation is also similar to the comparison of Sue-Koto with Keich Shinto.
 

13 Yasukuni Tosho Profiles

Ranking and values of Yasukunito
 

Yasukuni Tosho	Toko Taikan  (1982)	Token Yoran  (2001)	Nihonto no   Kenkyu to Kansho  (1980)	Shinshinto  Taikan Ranking (1979)	Overall  Ranking*
Yasuhiro Yasutoku Yasumitsu Yasutake Yasuoki Yasunori Yasutoshi Yasushige Yasunobu Yasuyoshi Yasuaki Yasumune Yasukuni	\1,800,000  \1,500,000 \2,000,000 \2,000,000 \1,500,000 \1,000,000 \1,000,000 \1,000,000 \1,000,000 \1,000,000 \1,000,000 \1,000,000 N/L	\5,000,000  \4,000,000 \3,600,000 \5,000,000 \4,000,000 \4,000,000 N/L N/L N/L N/L N/L N/L N/L	N/L \1,000,000 \1,000,000 \2,000,000 \1,800,000 N/L N/L N/L N/L \2,000,000 \1,300,000 \1,000,000 N/L	11/20 10/20 19/20 N/L N/L N/L 7/20 N/L N/L N/L N/L N/L N/L	I I I I II II II III III III III IV IV

* N/L : Not Listed
* This overall ranking is from personal opinion and divided from the first to fourth group based on the data and their values in market. Token Yoran and Shinshinto Taikan are written by the same author, Iimura Yoshiaki, but their values and ranking does not coincide at all. Fujishiro Okisato, Living national treasure, chose the Yasumitsu for the best Yasukuni tosho. On the other hand, Tsuneishi Hideaki chose Yasutake and Yasuyoshi. He put high values on Shinsakuto(postwar) rather than blades made in WWII era. Note that Yasutake won a lot of prizes during his life after he left Yasukuni Shrine and Yasutoshi died young so his blades are rare. Mr. Han Bing Siong also chose the first group as Yasuhiro, Yasutoku, Yasumitsu, and Yasutake.
 

Reference

- Yasukunito, Tom Kishida, 1990
- Tosho Zenshu, Shimizu Osamu, 1988
- Shinshinto shu, Fujishiro Yoshio, 1941
- Toko Taikan, Tokuno Kazuo, 1982
- Shinshinto Taikan, Iimura Yoshiaki, 1979
- Nihon to Kenkyu to Kansho (Shinto Hen), Tsuneishi Hideaki, 1980
- Token Yoran, Iimura Yoshiaki, 2001
- The Significance of the Yasukuni Shrine for the Contemporary Sword History, Han Bing Siong,
    Programme of the Token Society of Great Britain No.140-145
- The Nihonto Tanren Kai, Fujishiro Okisato, Token Bijutsu No.288-289