Swordsmith Schools of the Mid-to-Late Edo Period

Historical Position of Swords in the Mid-to-Late Edo Period

The middle and late Edo period was a time of maturity for shintō ("new swords", made after the Keichō era) and also a transitional age that prepared the shift to shinshintō ("new-new swords"). After the peaceful era from Genroku (1688–1704) through Hōreki (1751–1764), sword-making culture developed in its own way during the Tenmei, Kansei, Bunka and Bunsei periods.

Two currents are crucial for understanding sword history in this era: the "rise of provincial sword smiths" and the "emergence of the old-sword revival movement." Alongside the refined new swords produced by official daimyo smiths in the central cities (Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto), provincial smiths retained by each domain developed a rich diversity of "provincial swords" by combining region-specific styles, materials, and techniques.

The Refined Beauty and Evolution of Osaka Shintō

Osaka was celebrated from the early Edo period as a production center of "Osaka Shintō." The smiths active in the latter half of the 17th century through the first half of the 18th century represent its golden age.

Inoue Shinkai (1630–1682) stood at the summit of Ōsaka shintō. Together with his father, Izumi-no-kami Kunisada, he reflected the aesthetic sense of Ōsaka townspeople's culture in his swords. Shinkai's blades are known for their straight hamon (jikiba) with deep nioi and for their beautiful jigane, one of the finest in Ōsaka shintō, and he was also called "Osaka Masamune".

Tsuda Echizen-no-kami Sukehiro (1637–1682) is celebrated as the smith who perfected the "tōran-midare"—a dramatically wave-like irregular hamon. This tōran-midare became synonymous with Sukehiro and exerted profound influence on later smiths from Osaka to Edo.

Settsu-no-kami Tadayuki and Tatara Nagayuki are also known as smiths of Ōsaka shintō. However, from Genroku onward, in the peaceful age, there was no longer new demand for swords, and almost no one made them.

Sword Smiths and Samurai Culture of Late-Edo Edo

In the late Edo period (first half of the 19th century), smiths in the lineage of the shogunate's official sword makers were active in Edo. Pioneers of the shinshintō movement appeared, represented by Suishinshi Masahide (1750–1825).

Suishinshi Masahide wrote works such as Tōken Jitsuyō-ron and Kenkō Hiden-shi and advocated a return to the old (fukko-ron), arguing that smiths should learn from the techniques of kotō (Kamakura and Nanbokuchō swords) rather than from the style of Edo shintō. This revivalist argument was inherited by Minamoto no Kiyomaro (Yamaura Kiyomaro, real name Yamaura Tamaki), and it gave direction to the "shinshintō" movement of the bakumatsu period.

Diverse Development of Provincial Smiths

After Genroku, demand for swords fell and the number of smiths decreased, but the lineages of smiths employed by the domains continued. From the Anei era onward, in the shinshintō period, smiths increased again in various regions.

Satsuma (Kagoshima): In the Satsuma domain (Shimazu family), smiths such as Mondo-no-shō Masakiyo and Ippei Yasuyo were active. Satsuma swords are known for their imposing forms and tough jigane, and they reflect the martial temperament of the Satsuma samurai.

Kaga (Kanazawa): The Kaga domain (Maeda family) cultivated a sword culture known as "Kashū," with smiths such as Kiyomitsu and Kanewaka active throughout the period. Kashū blades are known for their refined forms and fine-grained hada, reflecting the distinguished character of Kaga culture, intertwined with tea ceremony, Noh drama, and other cultural refinements.

Sendai (Miyagi): The Kunikane lineage, smiths employed by the Date family, continued down to the 13th generation in the Meiji period and carried the sword-making culture of the Sendai domain. It developed a distinctive style known by the name "Sendai Kunikane".

Hizen (Saga): The Nabeshima domain of Saga was renowned as a center of "Hizen blade" production. The lineages of Hizen smiths—Tadayoshi, Masahiro, Yukihiro, and others—continued throughout the period. Hizen blades are known for the refined beauty of their hamon and jihada and were highly valued by daimyo and samurai.

Old-Sword Revival and the Eve of Shinshintō

Suishinshi Masahide's revivalist argument appeared as a critique of the emphasis on hamon in Edo shintō and of its formalization. Masahide held that the technical and aesthetic standards that had been lost should be recovered by learning from the kotō of the Kamakura to Nanbokuchō periods, and many smiths shared this view.

The experimental sword-forging promoted by this revival theory became the direct precursor to the "shinshintō" movement that came to fruition during the Tenpō–Kaei years (1830s–1850s). Smiths such as Taikei Naotane and Hosokawa Masayoshi put the revival theory into practice and created works fusing the character of old swords with the technical achievements of the new-sword tradition.