* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Azuchi-Momoyama Period — Japanese Swords, 1568–1600
安土桃山時代の刀剣
The Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1600) was some thirty years in which sword culture underwent dramatic change amid the unification campaigns of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The spread of firearms altered the battlefield role of swords, but the political and diplomatic value of distinguished blades actually increased, leading to Nobunaga and Hideyoshi's sword hunts and control of famous swords. The uchigatana became established as the primary carried sword in place of the tachi, and blade form shifted to bold, wide-bodied pieces with shallow curvature. The Horikawa school, founded by Horikawa Kunihiro in Kyoto, emerged as the forerunner of the Shintō era.
Description
Nobunaga's Hegemony and Sword Policy
In the course of advancing from Owari Province toward national domination, Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) employed swords not merely as weapons but as political tools. The diplomacy of presenting distinguished blades was indispensable to the ritual of alliances and submission with regional lords, and Nobunaga referred to famous swords as "tools" (dogu) and valued them accordingly. Many of these celebrated swords were lost in the Honnō-ji Incident of 1582, but those that survived were inherited by the Toyotomi as Nobunaga's legacy.
The innovation of firearms tactics — exemplified by the Battle of Nagashino (1575) that Nobunaga pioneered — greatly changed the battlefield function of swords. Combat by large groups wielding firearms and spears became mainstream, and swords came to be positioned as the final weapon of close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat. In response, smiths reconsidered blade design with emphasis on improved thrusting capability and durability.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Sword Hunt and Famous Blade Policy
In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) issued the "Sword Hunt Order" (katanagari-rei), confiscating weapons from farmers and institutionally separating warriors from the peasantry. This positioned swords as the exclusive property of the warrior class, further strengthening their function as proof of samurai status.
Hideyoshi was also enthusiastic about collecting distinguished blades and controlled and managed historical swords called "meibut su." Many of the famous swords later recorded in the Kyōhō Meibutsu-chō were preserved under Toyotomi administration after passing through Hideyoshi's collection and control. This is why many Tenkafuken and National Treasure swords survive transmitted as "Hideyoshi御物" (former Hideyoshi collection pieces).
The Establishment of the Uchigatana and Changes in Blade Form
The Azuchi-Momoyama period was the era when the predominant carried sword fully transitioned from the tachi to the uchigatana. The tachi was a longer blade worn suspended from the hip edge-downward, having developed as a weapon for mounted warriors. By contrast, the uchigatana was a shorter blade thrust through the belt edge-upward, suited to close-quarter infantry combat.
Momoyama-period uchigatana are characterized by a wide, bold blade form with wide width at the tip. Curvature is relatively shallow, and the kissaki is large, giving a powerful impression. This form, called "Momoyama style," was inspired by the bold tachi of the Nanbokuchō period and was carried over into the subsequent Keichō Shintō.
The Birth of the Horikawa School
In the late Azuchi-Momoyama period (1590s), a group of smiths led by Horikawa Kunihiro, who established a workshop in Horikawa, Kyoto, rose to prominence. Kunihiro was a smith from Hyūga Province who worked as a retained smith for the Itō clan — retainers of Toyotomi Hideyoshi — before relocating to Horikawa in Kyoto in 1599 and cultivating many disciples.
From the Horikawa school emerged prominent smiths including Dewa Daijō Kuniteru (Kunimichi), Kuniyasu, another Kunihiro, and Kunisada, who formed the mainstream of Shintō (Keichō Shintō) in the early Edo period. The Horikawa school disciples in particular excelled at horimono (blade engraving) technique, and refined decorative carvings on the blade became a hallmark of the school. Kunihiro himself received high evaluation for both his own masterworks and his disciples' output, establishing the foundations of the Shintō period.
Characteristics of This Era
- The Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1600) saw the battlefield role of swords change with the spread of firearms; positioned as the final weapon of close-quarter combat, the 'Momoyama style' — wide bodies, shallow curvature, large kissaki emphasizing thrusting capability and durability — became established
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 1588 Sword Hunt institutionally confirmed swords as the exclusive property of the warrior class, forming the direct foundation for the Edo-period sword culture in which swords functioned as status proof and evidence of lord-retainer bonds
- The political use of distinguished blades by Nobunaga and Hideyoshi (gift diplomacy, control of famous swords) dramatically raised the economic and cultural value of swords and established the uniquely Japanese meibuts u culture in which rulers monopolized and managed celebrated blades
- The completion of the transition in carrying style from tachi to uchigatana — with the uchigatana thrust edge-upward through the belt becoming the standard warrior's carried sword — restructured the entirety of Japanese sword culture from blade form and manufacturing technique to modes of appreciation
- The establishment in Kyoto of the Horikawa school centered on Horikawa Kunihiro (1599) embodied the bridge from late Sengoku classical swords to Keichō Shintō and formed the technical starting point for the mainstream of Shintō in the early Edo period
- The advancement of horimono (blade engraving) technique driven by the Horikawa school meant that refined decorative carvings on blades are evaluated as reflecting the spectacular and gorgeous cultural spirit of the Azuchi-Momoyama period in sword production