Suishinshi Masahide's Sword Revival Doctrine — The Rise of the Shinshintō Movement and Renaissance of Edo Sword Culture

Kawabe Gihachirō (later Suishinshi Masahide, 1750–1825), born in Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture), forged swords in Edo as a craftsman employed by the Akimoto family, lords of Yamagata domain. The fukkotō-ron movement that Masahide pursued over nearly half a century is highly regarded by later sword historians as a decisive turning point in the history of Japanese swords, from the shintō period to the shinshintō period.

Suishinshi Masahide's Training

Kawabe Gihachirō was born in Dewa Province in Kan'en 3 (1750). In Meiwa 8 (1771), at the age of 21, he entered the workshop of the smith Yoshihide of the Shitahara school in Hachiōji in Musashi Province and learned the basics of sword forging. In An'ei 3 (1774), he was taken into service by Akimoto Nagatomo, lord of Yamagata Castle, and forged swords in the smithy of the Akimoto family residence in Hamachō in Edo. He changed his signature to Kawabe Gihachirō Masahide and later took the name Suishinshi.

Continuing to forge swords in Edo, Masahide later pursued the study of kotō in earnest. At the time, the shintō style, made after the Keichō era, was mainstream in the Edo sword world, and many decorative blades with shallow curvature, slender forms and showy hamon were being produced. Masahide criticized this trend as the pursuit of formal beauty that had forgotten the practical use of swords for warriors.

The Theoretical Content of Fukkotō-ron

In short, Masahide's fukkotō-ron held that current swords do not match kotō, and that manufacturing methods should return to those of the kotō period. Specifically, the following points were emphasized.

First, 'restoration of form': he argued for a return to the imposing forms of kotō made before Keichō, especially those of the Kamakura to Nanboku-chō periods—deep curvature, broad blades and sturdy construction. He criticized the change of Edo-period swords into slender shapes suited to appreciation and ceremony rather than practical martial use.

Second, 'restoration of forging (jigane)': he called for relearning the forging techniques transmitted in the gokaden (five traditions) of the kotō period—the Yamato, Yamashiro, Bizen, Sōshū and Mino traditions—and for restoring ancient techniques that modern smiths were losing. In particular, he addressed the methods of forging jigane and the selection and refining of tamahagane.

Third, 'restoration of the spirit of practical use': he appealed for a revival of the bushidō spirit, which holds that a sword is a practical tool on which a warrior stakes his life, and that strength to withstand actual combat and reliable sharpness should take priority over showy decoration.

Masahide set out these claims systematically in his writings. His principal works include Kenkō Hidenshi, Tōken Jitsuyōron, Tōken Buyōron and Tōken Bengi. These are systematic works discussing the appraisal, manufacturing methods and spiritual significance of swords, and they also functioned as textbooks for the education of disciples.

Concentration of Disciples from Across the Country and Educational Activity in the Workshop

Masahide's theories evoked strong sympathy among fellow smiths. More than 100 disciples gathered at his Edo workshop from across the country, and many are said to have brought swords they had made to seek Masahide's critique. As a master, he guided the sword-making of each disciple individually and also actively engaged in education through his theoretical writings.

The most outstanding talent among Masahide's disciples was Taikei Naotane (1779–1857). Naotane, a native of Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture), deepened his teacher's theories of restoration in practice and left many works that reproduced the techniques of kotō. He is esteemed as a leading master of the shinshintō period, particularly for reviving the Bizen and Sōshū traditions.

Formation of the 'Edo Sansaku' (Three Masters of Edo): Suishinshi Masahide, Taikei Naotane and Minamoto Kiyomaro

The 'Edo Sansaku' (Three Masters of Edo) is a designation for the highest peak of the shinshintō period, which developed under the influence of Masahide's fukkotō-ron. The Edo Sansaku refers to the three smiths Suishinshi Masahide, Taikei Naotane and Minamoto Kiyomaro (1813–1855).

Minamoto Kiyomaro (birth name: Yamaura Tamaki) was a native of Shinano Province (present-day Nagano Prefecture). Together with his elder brother Saneo, he studied under Kawamura Toshitaka, a smith of the Ueda domain, and worked in Edo. He left works that restored the majestic forms of kotō in the present day, centered on the Sōshū tradition, and he was highly valued especially by the patriotic activists (shishi) and warriors of the bakumatsu period.

That these three smiths are named together as the Edo Sansaku shows that the sword revival movement initiated by Suishinshi Masahide formed a historical current that went beyond the individual achievements of any single smith.

Shinshintō Movement and Sword Demand in the Bakumatsu Period

From the Bunka–Bunsei period (1804–1830) onward, the production of shinshintō spread throughout the country as smiths who sympathized with Masahide's theory of restoration took it up. Shinshintō refers to the period from the An'ei era (around 1772) onward, but with Masahide's emergence the shinshintō movement gained considerably more momentum.

From the Tenpō period (1830–1844) onward, as domestic and foreign political crises intensified—the Tenpō famine, the arrival of foreign ships, and the rising sonnō jōi movement—demand for swords rose sharply. The renewed awareness among warriors of the need to actually take up swords, and the growing call for swords in the old kotō style that could withstand practical use, show that Masahide's theory of restoration resonated remarkably well with social reality.

With the arrival of Commodore Perry in Kaei 6 (1853), during the bakumatsu period when the sonnō jōi movement intensified, patriots and domain retainers competed to seek famous swords, and demand for shinshintō reached its peak. The final years of Minamoto Kiyomaro and Taikei Naotane coincided with this era, and the historical outcome was that the restoration theory Masahide had once advocated shone most brightly amid the realities of the bakumatsu period.

Masahide's fukkotō-ron began in the late 18th century, when Japanese sword culture faced a crisis of decline. It is the starting point of the historical movement that maintained and developed the artistic and technical standards of Japanese swords for about 100 years, until the Haitōrei (Sword Abolishment Edict) of Meiji 9 (1876), and it defines the shinshintō period as a whole.