Kenzō Kotani

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On 1 March 2003 Kenzō Kotani (小谷 憲三 Kotani Kenzō?) (better known as Yasunori) died at the age of 94. His death resonated throughout the swordworld as Kotani Kenzo was the last Yasukuni Shrine smith left. His passing marked an era that saw the one of the last sword schools operating way in the traditional way.

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[edit] Early History

Kotani Kenzo was born on 7 January 1909 as the eldest son of a toolmaker in Kure, 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 very few to accommodate the needs of the growing officer corps and with both official and unofficial backing from The Household Ministry, The Army Ministry and the Ministry of Culture a swordsmithy was established called the Nihonto Tanrenkai (Japan sword and forging society) with due ceremony on 8 July 1933 and the swordsmiths appointed by the Army Minister General Araki were Kajiyama Yasutoku and Miyaguchi Yasuhiro. 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. In December 1933 a further swordsmith named Ikeda Kazumitsu came with his two sakite and was awarded the name Yasumitsu. His lineage was the Shonai Ikeda Kazuhide group which was descended from Suishinshi Masahide (c.1770)

[edit] Yasukuni Shrine 1933-1945

In 1933, along with his uncle and cousin,they were summoned to Tokyo from Hiroshima to work at the Yasukuni shrine. On 10 July 1935 Kotani Kenzo as the senior sword student (hereafter sakite) became the next officially Yasukuni Shrine smith and was given the name Yasunori (靖憲?) by the Minister of War Lieutenant General Hayashi Senjuro. Yasunori was recognised from an early time as a swordsmith of promise. For example 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. For instance from 1935-38 he won eight to nine prizes annually awarded for high quality. Perhaps it was this reason why he was selected to make swords for Field Marshal Count Terauchi, General Tojo and Prince 2nd Lieutenant Higashikuni. His uncle Yasutoku (靖徳), along with Yasuhiro made a gunto each for the Showa Emperor.

Yasunori used this name throughout his time in the shrine and worked the not only the longest but was the most prolific in being able to produce 1600 swords towards his time at the shrine. 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.

[edit] Working style

Swords made by the Kajiyama group were Yokoyama Bizen style as Yasutoku was a pupil of Yokoyama Sukeyoshi. Swords by this group were done in gunome choji style in nioi. Sometimes one sees ara nie in their works particularly by Yasunori and his uncle. Yasutoshi (Yasunori's cousin) managed to make 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 as noted above, special orders demanded longer lengths like 69/70cm.

Until 1976, the NBTHK (Nippon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai) did not issue certificates for swords made at the Yasukuni, as there was widespread disagreement as to whether these swords were true nihonto or made in the Western style of swordsmelting. Hozon Kanteisho from the NBTHK and kanteisho from the NTHK (Nippon Token Hozon Kai) are currently issued to this maker.[not in citation given] The higher grade Tokubetsu Hozon has yet to be granted to this maker.[citation needed]

When the war ended in September 1945, the making of gunto at the shrine ceased. Yasunori did not return back to swordmaking until 1970 (which was very late indeed) and stopped making swords entirely after 1978 or thereabouts.

[edit] 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