212 Nagamitsu


Nagamitsu 1886-1960 Ichihara Nagamitsu born 1886 and died in 1960 was the Warden of Yokoyama Prison in Bizen province. He instructed prisoners in the art of making and polishing swords. These swords were donated to the military during Japan's attempt to expand its empire from 1930 to 1945. Many swords were made by the Warden himself, which are signed in various ways. All are in the Bizen tradition. Mostly, itame, ko-itame or muji grain with ji-nie attached. The Hamon is gunome/midare. Most are traditional military length. Those signed by the Warden, such as this one, are in demand by military collector's and have been growing steadily in value in recent times. They have become a "must have" for the military collector. After the war, this smith was awarded many honors from the NBTHK in Japan for the quality of his work.