MIKAMI SADANAO

Swordsmith Sadanao Mikami is a leading force in the sword world. In 1974, he became an apprentice to Living National Treasure swordsmith, Gassan Sadaichi. He became an independent swordsmith in 1980. Then in 2013, he became the 7th president of the All Japan Swordsmiths Association.

In 2012, Mikami and Hashimoto Shoichi recreated the Spear of Longinus from the animated film Neon Genesis Evangelion, which became a hot topic. This double-spear, which is over 3 meters long, was completed by rebuilding Mikami’s workshop itself. Mikami has also completed a facsimile of Itsukushima Shrine’s treasure sword with a Nishiki (brocade) and rattan-wrapped set of mountings (koshirae), which was dedicated to the shrine in 2022.

The, Kitsune-gasaki Tametsugu, is a long sword made by Tametsugu, a swordsmith of the Ko-Aoe school who was active in the early Kamakura period (1185-1336). This sword, considered to be a masterpiece, has been handed down as a family heirloom of Motoharu Kikkawa for over 800 years, and was designated as a National Treasure in 1951. Motoharu Yoshikawa was the second son of Motonari Mori, an influential military commander in the Chugoku region, and was known as a genius in warfare. Swordsmith Mikami Sadanao was asked to make a facsimile of Tametsugu’s Kitsune-gasaki sword. He discovered techniques that had only been passed down to a limited number of people, and recreated the sword using unique techniques of the period. The completed sword is housed at the Kikkawa Historical Museum in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.