He was inspired by a sword made by the legendary 13th century swordsmith Masamune. And after a 5 year apprenticeship and years of training he became one of the 180 sword smiths working across Japan.

In Yasuji Murata’s cutout animation The Monkey Masamune a humble messenger is rewarded with the gift of a Masamune sword when he saves the life of a monkey and her child.