This piece is largely inspired by the tanto of Kagemitsu, the legendary swordsmith of Bizen Osafune, who was Yoshihiro's lifelong goal. The hada of the sword is beautifully packed, and the kataochi-gunome hamon, which was Kagemitsu's signature, is boldly reproduced. Above all, it is a gem of the century that also reproduces Kagemitsu's most distinctive feature, "Kagemitsu no Utsuri". The Kagemitsu no Utsuri is what makes the hamon have a shadow, something that has long been said to be impossible to reproduce. The koshirae on this masterpiece is in the typical Edo period style called denchuzashi. This tanto comes with an official certificate from the All Japan Swordsmith Association.

Kubo Yoshihiro's Profile

Kubo Yoshihiro's motivation for becoming a swordsmith is quite unique. While he was a graduate student at Chiba University, he watched a TV program about Japanese swords. He was strongly attracted to a statement in that program that even a living national treasure swordsmith could not make a sword that could surpass the masterpieces of the Kamakura period in his lifetime, and he chose to become a swordsmith and apprenticed himself to Yoshiwara Yoshindo. Today, he continues to create masterpieces in Hiroshima, making swords that surpass the work of Nagamitsu, the legendary Bizen Osafune swordsmith of the Kamakura period (1185-1333). He has repeatedly won top prizes at various exhibitions in Japan, including the highest award at the 2025 Meito Exhibition. In 2016, he was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Property of Hiroshima Prefecture, and in 2017 he was awarded the title of Mukansa by the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords.

• Blade length: 24.8 cm
• Curvature: 0.3 cm
• Number of Mekugi hole: 1
• Signature: Bingo no Kuni Yoshihiro Saku
• Fitting: Aikuchi Koshirae
• Original Registration No.: Hiroshima 62420