Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1954. Swordsmith.
A holder of Nagano Prefecture's Intangible Cultural Property. He initially trained under Masamine Sumitani, a Living National Treasure, studying the Bizen-den style before expanding his expertise to include the Sōshū-den, Yamashiro-den, Mino-den, and Yamato-den, mastering the Gokaden (Five style).
In 1993, at the historically young age of 39, he was certified as a Mukansa Swordsmith.
In 2010, he received the prestigious Masamune Prize, becoming only the sixth recipient since 1996.