1573-1603Transition Period to Shinto (Momoyama Culture)
天正・桃山の刀剣文化
Tenshō–Momoyama Sword Culture
The Tenshō and Momoyama periods, when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi dominated the realm, marked a revolutionary era for Japanese sword culture. The formation of evaluations of meibutsu (famous swords), the flourishing of ornate tsuba and sword-mounting decoration, and the political upheaval of national unification fundamentally transformed how swords were produced, distributed, and appreciated. During this transition from koto to shinto, Japanese swords established their value as works of art.
Notable Swordsmiths:Horikawa Kunihiro (1531–1614) — Born in Hyūga Province (Miyazaki), later moved to Horikawa in Kyoto. A retainer of the Itō family, after that family's decline he wandered the provinces and became a swordsmith. In the late Tenshō period he went up to Kyoto and, from around Keichō 4 (1599), settled in Horikawa, becoming a pioneer of shintō (new swords). His style respected the forms of kotō (old swords) while adopting new styles, and he trained a superb group of disciples known as “Horikawa Ikka.”Echizen Yasutsugu (1554–1621) — Born in Ōmi Province, he moved to Echizen and served Yūki Hideyasu. He later also made swords in Edo, working in alternate years. Appointed as a goyō kaji (official smith) to Tokugawa Ieyasu, he was permitted to use the aoi crest. He is a representative smith of the Keichō shintō. Trusted by Ieyasu, he is an important smith who marks the boundary between kotō (old swords) and shintō (new swords) in sword history.Iga no Kami Kanemichi (?–1630) — Born in Mino Province, he moved with his father, Kanemichi, to Nishinotōin in Kyoto. Together with his younger brothers Yoshimichi, Masatoshi and others, he belonged to the Mishina school and contributed to the development of shintō in Kyoto. He was active during the turbulent Tenshō period and the transition to peace.