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Pierre Nadeau
Swordsmithing apprentice
under  Kiyota Jirokunietsu

Originally from Montréal, Canada, Pierre headed for the first time to Japan in August 2002. Six years and a few memories... Between his teenage and this decisive departure were many years of quest and attempts of all sorts that made him "grow and shrink". These were motivated only by the hope of finding a daily occupation that would bring all-in-one professional and financial satisfaction, and the childish wonder that he says he can never quench the thirst for. Those years were thus spent on studies in the field of professional photography, followed by various related and non-related jobs, and then by studies in the business world by completing a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Management. — : — It was actually during his studies at the Montréal business school that, in 2002, several unrelated events made him decide to buy an airplane ticket for Kansai, Japan. In place of preparation, 1000$ and a friend's familly who would host him for a month. "Before I left, so as to have a taste of what was to come, I had read the famous Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi which I had come across by chance in my university book store." "During a trip with friends, as we were passing through an area called Osafune, in Okayama prefecture - formerly called Bizen - I saw a sign on which was written the famous Bizen name. I had then suddenly remembered an excerpt in Eiji Yoshikawa's book, where Musashi visits a sword polisher, and the polisher tells him that he owns a «very fine Bizen sword»." Right away, he had asked a friend to search the area for a traditional swordsmith, without actually believing that there were still any alive. In fact, not only did they find one, but the craftsman invited them to visit him the next day. "That day was Christmas 2002, the best gift I ever had up to now, and it was free on top of that - just like any best gift!" They had stayed a few hours observing the smith at work, Mr.Kawashima. He was working slowly, in silence, we could hear only the fire's breath. They could witness the miracle of red-hot heated steel, thus made maleable. "I had been completely dazzled by his total devotion to his work, by the strenght of his focus, and his apparent inner peace." "The very idea of working alone, at peace, retired in a workshop easily set in the countryside, near the fire, with steel only for raw material, doing a work that never ceases to bring renewal and wonder, this delighted me very much. Unlike previous exciting and insightful experiences that I had had, this was rather calming and reassuring: a work far from the frontline, but no less inspiring." "After a few hours of observation punctuated by many questions, some left unanswered, Mr.Kawashima went to get a tachi that he had just completed. When he showed us his sword, with its flamboyant hamon, its perfect lines and the Nature-like balance in its design, I knew that so much beauty would never leave me unmoved." Yet, a stranger in Japan and standing in the doorway of an even tightier inner world, Pierre didn't consider the possibility of himself becoming a heir of this tradition at once. "Until that very moment, I didn't even believe that japanese swordsmiths still existed!" — : — The following spring, he had an opportunity to attend a public swordsmithing demonstration, held by Mr.Kawachi Kunihira and his apprentices. "This is where I met Kiyota-san, apprentice of Kawachi-sensei." Pierre visited him several times, by curiosity for the craft, but also to learn more about the daily reality of present-day swordsmiths in the 21st Century. In August 2003, he returned to Canada after a one-year stay well filled with adventures of all sorts, of which the average was rather positive. He continued his studies at the HEC business school while the idea of becoming apprentice was growing within. He finally decided that this is what he wanted to do. Many foreigners have tried their luck in Japan, but, to this day, all quit at some point. Only one non-Japanese, the Californian Keith Austin, who unfortunately passed away in 1997, had succeeded in obtaining the certification that would make him a swordsmith in the eyes of the japanese tradition. This, he had done in the 1960's, "and at that time, the structures were much more flexible, or more strict, depending how one looks at it! Licences were delivered arbitrarily depending on authorities, wether the apprentice was considered to have assimilitated the techniques and the spirit of the craft. In fact, it has not changed so much, only it has become a little more formalized." There is indeed the legend of a Westerner who would have settled in Japan in the Meiji period (end of the 19th century) to make Japanese swords in the traditional way. Contact Soulsmithing if you have any information! Then came the second stay, officially as a tourist that time, during the 2004 summer. He had come to meet with several smiths, simply asking for a talk. "One does not knock on a stranger's door and ask to be accepted as an apprentice! It'd be like proposing to marry the first stranger met on the street. The master-apprentice relationship never ends, and the master is responsible towards those to who he passes down the tradition." He meets with Yoshihara Yoshindo in Tokyo, Kojima Hiroshi in Saitama, Gassan Sadatoshi in Nara, then a second time with Kawachi Kunihira at the time of an exhibition, and then again Kiyota-san several times. — : — "Even though, as the saying goes: «We set out to do things; We do things; But we never do what we set out to», coincidences, fortuitous encounters multiplied at a quasi-psychedelical level. I understood that life is not a strip of chaotic event that «happen», but rather the result of our own creation." It is finally to Kiyota Jirokunietsu that he suggests the idea of becoming his apprentice, in spite of the smith's young age. "At the time of my meeting with Kojima-san, I had mentionned Kiyota-san's age. He had then asked me if Kiyota-san was a «good person». I had replied straight away that he was an especially good person. Without hesitating, he had simply replied: «Then, he will make good swords.» I had found that this summed up the entire spirit of the japanese craftman. «Anyone can master a technique if he makes the necessary efforts during the required time, but only a master can make a masterpiece.» had told me Yoshihara. Creation is only the reflection of the creator. Art lovers only buy images of creators." Pierre then returned to Canada to graduate from university. He then came back to Japan in December 2005 in order to start his apprenticeship under Mr.Kiyota. Pierre's apprenticeship, now in the third year, is going at a slow, steady pace. "I'm at this point where I have touched everything, tried every technique but haven't mastered anything! It's very challenging and stimulating at the same time." Feel free to contact Pierre through the contact page.

Pierre Nadeau, preparing the blank for a tosu, a stylish pocket-knife from the 6th century
Autumn 2007