Minamoto Kiyomaro

Yamaura Tamaki (gō Kiyomaro, 1813–1855) was the greatest genius swordsmith of the Shinshintō period, born in Chiisagata District, Shinano Province (now Tōmi City, Nagano Prefecture). He is counted among the greatest figures in the history of Japanese swords, known as "the greatest swordsmith of the Bakumatsu." Widely known by his gō, Kiyomaro, his work had an enormous influence on the sword world from the late Edo period onward. Together with his elder brother Yamaura Saneo, he studied under Kawamura Toshitaka, a swordsmith of the Ueda domain. He then went to Edo, where he received the patronage of Kubota Sugane, a hatamoto and military scholar. Later he made swords under the signature Kiyomaro.

The greatest feature of Kiyomaro's swords is that they elevate the intense beauty of the Sōshū tradition with the precision of the Shinshintō. The jigane shows tight ko-itame, with abundant ji-nie adhering throughout, giving a surface that shines and seems to boil. The hamon boldly combines gunome, chōji, and notare. Within the violently surging nie there is a strange balance, and in the hardened edge, sunagashi, kinsuji, ashi, and yō work vigorously, forming a blade full of luminous vitality. This expression of ara-nie is unmatched by others, and it is highly valued as the pinnacle of the Sōshū tradition lineage.

Kiyomaro died at the age of 42. Because his life was short, the number of surviving works is limited, and signed Kiyomaro blades have very high value. After his death, a Kiyomaro myth took shape, and from the Meiji period onward he established an unshakable reputation among sword researchers and enthusiasts as "the greatest modern swordsmith." His blades are known by signatures such as "Minamoto Kiyomaro," "Yamaura Tamaki Minamoto Kiyomaro," and his early signature "Masayuki." Four swords designated Important Art Objects (Jūyō Bijutsuhin) survive.