The
Japanese Sword—The Yoshihara Tradition of Swordmaking
Pacific
Asian Museum, Pasadena March 19, 2005-June 19, 2005
The Pacific Asia Museum is proud to present Tosho--The Yoshihara tradition of swordmaking. The exhibition, the first of its kind in Los Angeles for over 30 years, features the work of twelve award winning swordsmiths, four of whom have been awarded the rank of mukansa by the Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan. The exhibition highlights the idea that Japanese swords are not merely weapons, but also spiritual objects of great artistic value. The swords will be exhibited in same manner that they are displayed in Japanese museums and shrines, far removed from their practical use, illustrating the different styles of workmanship and expression of the individual artist. The swords will be borrowed from collections on the West coast of the United States, from collectors in Japan and from many of the swordsmiths themselves.
The Japanese sword is the most efficient, intrinsically beautiful, meticulously handcrafted blade in the world. They are produced by methods of manufacture that have remained relatively unchanged for a thousand years. Once forged, they undergo a rigorous polishing procedure that involves as many as 20 different grades of stones and copious amounts of water. This polishing process enhances the wood grain like quality of the steel and the hamon: a complex crystalline structure, created by the quenching process, that traverses the blade’s edge. The hamon provides the blade with a tough resilient edge that remains sharp even with heavy use.
The sword has always been highly revered within Japanese society. It is one of the three objects of the Japanese imperial regalia, along with the mirror and the jewel. According to Japanese mythology, a sacred sword found in the tail of a dragon was brought down from heaven with the ancient gods to begin the imperial line of Japan. Swords are often dedicated to shrines and temples as gifts for the residing kami (gods) or as vessels for them to reside in. The changes in shape and manufacture of Japanese blades reflect the periods in which they were produced, and in many cases, it was the sword that wrote Japanese history. Later, during the peaceful Edo period (1603-1868), the sword was viewed as an instrument of direction for the warrior seeking enlightenment, guiding the samurai on ethics of conduct and self-improvement.
With the restoration of power from the Shogun (military commander) to the Emperor Meiji in the latter part of the 19th century, the samurai became a relic of Japan’s ancient past. The Japanese people craved modernisation and industrialisation equal to that of the western powers. This caused a decline in the call for swords and the art of swordmaking was almost lost. In 1933, Kurihara Hikosaburo, a keen sword enthusiast and a member of the National diet, in an effort to save the craft, began a project to recruit and train swordsmiths from all over Japan. The first member to sign up for this project was Yoshihara Katsukichi, a toolmaker. Katsukichi would later to use the art name Yoshihara Kuniie and become one of the most famous swordsmiths of the Showa period (1926-1989). Swordmaking was once again threatened by the allied occupation of Japan following WWII. All swordmaking and related activities were banned during this time.
Kurihara again spearheaded a revival of the craft, but this time many of the smiths did not to return to swordmaking, including Kuniie’s brother and son. Kuniie however, became one of the pioneers of the post-war rebirth of Japanese swordmaking, leaving us several prominent smiths as his legacy.
Kuniie’s descendants continue to this day to produce Japanese swords in the traditional manner. The exhibition displays examples of several generations of his family and their former apprentices. The current head of the Yoshihara school Kuniie’s grandson Yoshihara Yoshindo, (recently appointed an Intangible Cultural Property of Tokyo) will be coming from Japan to open the exhibition and give a talk on the opening day. Yoshindo’s younger brother Shoji (Kuniie III), is the current deputy chairman of The All Japan Swordsmiths Association and in 2004 had a cameo role in the Warner Brothers movie The Last Samurai. Yoshihara Yoshikazu is Yoshindo’s son and the fourth generation of Yoshihara smiths. In 2003 he became the youngest smith ever to be elevated to the rank of mukansa (above competition level).
The guest curator for the exhibition is Paul Martin, a former member of the Japanese department of the British Museum in London - where he studied and cared for the arms and armour collections. The former All England Karate Champion currently lives in Japan where practices kendo and is furthering his study of Japanese swords at national museums, shrines and at the workshops of many of Japan’s top swordsmiths and sword polishers.