was a Japanese swordsmith. Sumitani's family ran a soy-sauce manufacturing business, but rather than entering the family trade, Masamine opted to study at Ritsumeikan University, with a view to becoming a swordsmith, graduating in 1941 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After his graduation, Sumitani remained at Kyoto, studying (alongside

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) under Sakurai Masayuki. When the University's sword studio was destroyed in a fire in 1942, Sumitani moved to

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to continue his education at the Foundation of National Japanese Sword Studies and the Kokoku Japanese Sword Temper Workshop there. Sumitani settled in Mattō, Ishikawa. He worked in the Bizen tradition, and was noted for his ''choji midare'' or "clove patterns" along the '' hamon'' of his blades. As well as swords, Sumitani also specialised in the forging of ''tosu'' knives and was a practitioner of ''

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''. In 1975 he co-founded the ''Zen Nihon Toshokai'' ("Japanese Swordsmith's Association"), and served as the group's Vice-Secretary.

Awards and recognitions

Sumitani won numerous prizes in national competitions, including the 1972 Kunzan Award and the Masamune Prize (the highest award) at the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai contest in 1966, 1965 and 1974. He was given the status of ''mukansa'', meaning that his work was no longer subject to judgement in competition. In 1979, he was recognised as a Living National Treasure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumitani, Masamine Japanese swordsmiths Living National Treasures of Japan 1921 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Japanese people