Shinshintō

Beginnings of Reform

In the late Edo period, Edo swordsmith Suishinshi Masahide published works such as Tōken Jitsuyō-ron and argued that the technical stagnation of Japanese swordmaking could be overcome by researching and reproducing the forging methods of the kotō that had been lost in the Shintō period. Masahide pointed out that the steel of Shintō swords was inferior to that of the kotō, and he set as his goal the reproduction of the nioi-deki hamon and the beautiful utsuri found in the Bizen tradition of the kotō. This ideology of kotō fukko ("revival of ancient swords") had a great impact on the sword world, drew many supporters and disciples, and marked the dawn of the Shinshintō era.

A Return to Kotō

Masahide's own works feature hamon ranging from suguha to gunome-midare, based on nioi-deki in the Bizen tradition, and he pursued the reproduction of a deep kitae-hada reminiscent of the jigane of the kotō. In addition to researching forging methods, Masahide focused on iron refining and repeated experiments to obtain steel close in quality to that of the kotō period. His scholarly attitude was closer to that of a researcher than a swordsmith, and it has had a great influence on later sword studies.

New Techniques

Among Masahide's senior disciples, the one who displayed the most diverse talent was Taikei Naotane. Naotane mastered everything from tōran-midare, which he learned by following his master, to the Bizen tradition and further to the Sōshū (Sagami) tradition. He showed a wide range of styles, from the chōji-midare of the Bizen tradition to the nie-deki of the Sōshū tradition. Together with his master Suishinshi Masahide and Minamoto Kiyomaro, he is counted among the "Three Masters of Edo" (Edo Sansaku).

Notable Swordsmiths

The smith who holds an unshakable reputation as the pinnacle of the Shinshintō period is Minamoto Kiyomaro. Kiyomaro was born into the Yamaura family in Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture), and together with his elder brother Yamaura Masao, he entered the path of the swordsmith. Going to Edo and setting up a forge in Yotsuya, Kiyomaro thoroughly studied famous works of the Sōshū tradition, including those of Masamune, and magnificently revived the nie-deki hamon. His swords displayed a quality approaching that of the kotō Masamune and Sadamune, from the forging of the jigane to the brilliance of the hamon, and he was given the nickname "Yotsuya Masamune."

Creation of Style

The distinctive features of Kiyomaro's work lie in a powerful jigane of itame mixed with mokume and a dynamic hamon in which deep nie-deki, gunome-midare, yubashiri, kinsuji, and sunagashi intertwine in complex ways. In particular, the size and brightness of the nie grains recall the characteristics of Masamune, and the scenery within the blade changes senpen-banka depending on the angle of viewing. Kiyomaro's swords are a miraculous body of work that is Shinshintō yet possesses the dignity of the kotō, and all surviving works are highly regarded. However, Kiyomaro took his own life on 2 January 1855 (the 14th day of the 11th month of Kaei 7), at the age of forty-two. He is said to have been a considerable lover of sake, and it is also said that he despaired because sake poisoning had made him unable to forge swords, but his premature end is still lamented today.

Influence and Development

Koyama Munetsugu is a renowned smith who reproduced the Bizen-tradition chōji-ba with extreme precision. Munetsugu's chōji-midare has uniform grains and a neat hamon with a tight nioiguchi, and it has a dignity in keeping with the work of the kotō smiths Osafune Nagamitsu and Kagemitsu. Munetsugu also studied under Chōunsai Tsunatoshi, aimed for sharp and beautiful blades, and is said to have had dealings with the sword tester Yamada Asaemon and others.

Nankai Tarō Chōson was a native of Tosa (Kōchi Prefecture) who was active mainly in Kyoto. He was a swordsmith who, in agreement with Masahide's theory of reviving ancient swords, trained many disciples, and he is known for the fact that Takechi Hanpeita owned one of his swords. Chōunsai Tsunatoshi received high regard for his finely executed Bizen-tradition hamon. Gassan Sadayoshi came from the Dewa Gassan smiths, and in the late Bakumatsu period he moved to Osaka, where he preserved a distinctive forged surface called ayasugi-hada, which resembles the grain of cedar. As the founder of the Osaka Gassan school, he passed the technique on to later generations. Sa Yukihide was from Chikuzen, became a domain smith of Tosa, and was a capable smith who forged long and imposing blades. Yamauchi Yōdō described him as "Imayō Masamune," and he holds the nickname "Tosa Masamune."

The Shinshintō period saw the various schools compete under the ideal of kotō fukko, and it enjoyed the last golden age of Japanese sword forging. The Haitōrei (Sword Abolishment Edict) of 1876 (Meiji 9) banned the wearing of swords and brought this brilliant era to a close. However, the spirit of "a return to antiquity" and "new creation" pursued by the Shinshintō smiths continues to be handed down to modern swordsmiths. Compared with the kotō, the Shinshintō have more surviving examples, and many of them are in good condition. For collectors, this makes them an attractive field: they are relatively easy to acquire while still offering a taste of the kotō aesthetic.