 |
| Kajiyama Yasutoku and his son Yasutoshi 1939 |
 |
| Yasutoku, Showa Ju-Ichi Nen Go Gatsu, Kichi Jitsu (May 1936) |
 |
| Torokusho of the Yasutoku |
Kajiyama Tokutaro was born on 16th February 1881 in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, the son of Kajiyama Tomohira (Ujimasa) who worked in the Bizen tradition. Tokutaro later trained under Yokoyama Sukeyoshi one of the last Osafune Yokoyama smiths of Bizen province. In July 1933, he was appointed to become one of the three smiths of the newly opened Nihonto Tanrenkai established within the precincts of the Yasukuni Shrine by the War Ministry. He was given the tosho name of Yasutoku by General Araki Sadao and worked steadily at the shrine until 1941 when he retired and returned to Hiroshima Prefecture. After leaving the shrine, he returned to signing his pre-war name of Ujimasa and on some choice pieces, Daito-a Masamune. He never returned to sword making after the war and died on 8th January 1957 at age 76. He was given the tosho name of Taketoku by the ADC to the Showa Emperor, Lieutenant General Nara Taketsugu who used a character of his name [Take] which he used when working outside the shrine but not after he left in 1941. His third son Kajiyama Toshimichi (later Yasutoshi) and his nephew, Kotani Kenzo (later Yasunori) worked as his sakite or assistants until they became independent in respectively 1935 and 1939.
Workmanship
The founders of the Tanrenkai who mostly members of the influential Chuo Token Kai (the then modern day version of the Nippon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai, had decided that the swords produced were to be modeled after the works of Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu and Kagemitsu according to Fujishiro Okisato (Token Bijutsu January and February 1981; see his pg 27 Part 1). Yasutoku indeed as exemplified in this work produced a work very reminiscent of Nagamitsu. The work of this tachi is a very tight itame hada with no patches of o-itame present done with a choji midare with deep ashi in a nie deki hamon which is rather contrary to the works of Nagamitsu. However, what is more, is that Yasutoku produced work which showed a strong characteristic which would be a good kantei if one was to identify his work as mumei. There was almost always a strong line of nie in the middle of his blades which produced a long chikei effect. This example, indeed has this feature. (Okisato op cit, see oshigata and photo pg 28) The works of the Bizen tradition, particulary of the Nagamitsu/Kagemitsu group did not produce nie in their swords but nioi so Yasutoku's swords are not exactly faithful copies of the latter. However, there have been a few swords with utsuri present (Okisato Part 1,pg 28; and see Yasukuni-to Kishida, pg 80-81) which is a feature of Bizen swords. So, we can say that Yasutoku worked within the tradition (notwithstanding his tutelage from Bizen Yokoyama Sukeyoshi) but added a personal touch to his work.
The nakago finish of his swords are rather an untidy kiri yasurime finish ending in a kurijiri ending. However, its not to be considered a bad thing as this pattern of yasurime finish was a standard feature of the Tanrenkai. Interestingly, Fujishiro Okisato mentions that from July in Showa 10 (1935) Kotani Kenzo who became the first of second generation smith to become independant, was granted the tosho name of Yasunori, there was a concern that because Yasutoku (which could be also be pronounced Yasunori) would cause confusion, changed the shape of his nakago to a kijimomo style which would alleviate the confusion of which smith was which. This example's nakago is in kijimomo (but not quite as long as the others).
Yasutoku, whose tosho name was chosen by General Araki Sadao took a character from Tokutaro's name and thus named him Yasutoku. By taking the nanori of his first character, which was pronounced Toku and not Nori, Yasutoku would be the proper sound of his tosho name, not Yasunori as Chris Bowen insists (see Han Bing Siong's 'The Significance of the Yasukuni Shrine for the contemporary sword history'; pg 12 part 1 and my interview with Kotani Yasunori, Kure in 2001)
Yasutoku retired from the Yasukuni shrine in 1941. He produced a total of 1250 swords
Here is a second I bought recently (26/4/2018) which is an early one made in August 1934, one year after the start of production in 1933.
Yet here is another one I was able to acquire on the heels of the 1934 one which shows an extraordinary intense jigane quite worthy I must say of a Osafune Nagamitsu/Kagemitsu sword. This is not to say that the jigane of this Yasutoku could be mistaken for the latter if a kantei was performed,but rather that the quality of Yasutoku, whose skill has been reported on highly by my great sword friend, the late Han Bing Siong, shows that the skill of Yasutoku has progressed to such a level where it could be mistaken for the soft silky jigane of a koto sword.
In 1934, the Type 94 mount was introduced. Indeed when Yasutoku was commissioned to forge the Showa Emperor's Shin-gunto, it was mounted in the mount as we could see from this period photo Showan Tenno's mount.
The Former Osaka Torokusho of the Yasutoku 2016
 |
| Token Bijitsu April 2006 issue on my meeting with Yasunori in 2002 |
 |
| Kajiyama Yasutoku, 2nd from the left, front row and Kotani Yasunori 1st from the right, front row. In front of the forges 1940 |