Katana by Hosokawa Masayoshi

Hosokawa Masayoshi was a swordsmith of the shinshintō era of the Edo period who served the Tsuyama domain in Sakushū (Mimasaka, present-day northern Okayama Prefecture). As a disciple of Suishinshi Masahide, he studied the style of fukkotō. (The surname “Hosokawa” has no connection with the Hosokawa daimyō family of Higo.) He is known for refined jigane based on the study of kosaku (old works) and for vigorous hamon. In Masayoshi's swords, the jigane is mainly ko-itame-hada, mixed in places with flowing mokume, and the ji-nie is fine and evenly distributed. The hamon is mainly gunome and ko-midare, and it shows vigorous nie applied thickly. His style combined practicality and dignity at a high level, and it was valued by warrior families. Today he is still regarded as one of the representative swordsmiths of the shinshintō period.