Nagasa: 28.31” (71.9cm) (2 shaku, 3 sun, 7 bu)

Sori: 0.91” (2.3cm)

Motohaba: 1.38” (3.5cm)

Sakihaba: 0.984” (2.5cm)

Mei: Oite Echigo no Kuni Ono Yoshimitsu Saku Kore

Date: Hesei Ni Ju Hachi Nen Haru. Made spring of 2016

“I have spent my life trying to recreate Ichimonji tachi of the mid-Kamakura period: a wide mihaba with a splendid shape, a flamboyant nioi based juka-chôji midare with utsuri. With many different features to look at, many people are fascinated by these kinds of works. I have to ask myself, where do I begin to approach making such works? The challenge of approaching such a task is endless.” -Ono Yoshimitsu

Yoshimitsu was born in 1948 and his civilian name is Yoshikawa Mitsuo. He took his training under the well-known Mukansa smith Yoshindo Yoshihara starting in 1969 and from whom he takes the first character of his name. He maintains a humble approach to his sword making, admitting failure to match the koto masters whom he aims to replicate though his works are so clearly great masterpieces on their own. His standards for quality for his own blades are such that if the blade after yakiire does not meet them, it is destroyed, and he begins again. In one case he remade a sword seven times to meet his standards for a commissioned work.

It was at the 18^th Shinsakuto sword making competition that Yoshimitsu presented a Tachi which instantly cast him into the spotlight. The tachi was reminiscent of the National Treasure Yamdogire or Sanchomo by a Ichimonji smith.

Soon after in 1987 Ono Yoshimitsu was elevated to Mukansa, which means he has submitted works to the NBTHK competition and won so many prizes that he is now considered too good to compete. There are usually somewhere between 10 and 20 swordsmiths ranked Mukansa at any one time in Japan. He won the Prince Takamatsu award a total of five times, this is the top prize in the competition… the last four of these were consecutive years where he dominated the competition and culminated in his elevation to Mukansa.

Yoshimitsu has aimed and worked very hard to make swords in Fukuoka Ichimonji style, which is his most typical form of work. He has worked in other Bizen styles, but these are the most archetypal of his artworks.

His style of choji hamon had never been seen in Gendaito times. This brought about the new concept and terminology of “Hitatsura Choji”.  His works are commonly known as Ono-Choji.

If interested in owning this magnificent sword by the Mukansa level smith , Ono Yoshimitsu, contact me directly at:  Yakiba.com@gmail.com