The Samurai Company of Japan

Samurai Sword Museum main entrance

Heating process..

Ritsuo Yanagita Swordsmith The making of Japanese sword is an important cultural treasure of Japan, a gift descended from the ancestor. In the words of Yanagita sensei “When I see a Japanese sword, the history and spirit of the samurai well up inside of me and I realize that the sword is sacred”. According to makimono (ancient scrolls) there is a more than one thousand year old legacy of Japanese swordmaking. At its height there were some 20,000 - 30,000 swordmakers concentrated in these following five schools : • Yamashiro school • Yamato school • Soushuu school • Bizen school • Mino school Every sword produced during that time period belonged to one of these traditions. Yanagita sensei began studying sword burnishing in his freshman year of junior high school (7th grade) . In September, 1972, he received his menkyo kaiden (a certificate of full proficiency in an art) for sword making from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. When he opened the museum, it was like his dream had come true. Yanagita sensei is sure that if people who like swords come to his museum, they will be moved by his collection. e-mail: meitou@d2.dion.ne.jp Samurai Japanese Swords Museum Hours: 9 AM ~ 5 PM closed Mondays (except national holidays) * Entrance fee: 1,000 yen Address: 20-9 Ooneda Ninomiya-machi Haga-gun Tochigi Japan 321-4506 Phone: 0285-74-2846 Fax: 0285-74-0597 * Elementary and Junior High students, visitors 65 years and older, handicapped and Samurai Sword members free of charge