Suishinshi Masatsugu

水心子正次

Period

late Edo period

School

Suishinshi school

Active Years

first half of the 19th century (during the period of the 2nd-generation Masahide)

Tradition

Suishinshi school; shinshintō (new-new swords)

Description

Lineage

Suishinshi Masatsugu was a swordsmith of the Suishinshi lineage, which traces back to the first-generation Suishinshi Masahide, renowned as one of the founders of the shinshintō (new-new swords) movement. He was the adopted son of the second-generation Suishinshi Masahide, and his real name was Kawabe Hokushi.

Career

Masatsugu became the adopted son of the second-generation Masahide, but according to records he did not actually succeed to the headship of the Suishinshi house. A succession history has been handed down in which the later fourth-generation head effectively corresponded to the third generation. A known example of his work is a tantō inscribed "Suishinshi Masatsugu," and he made swords in the style inherited from the Suishinshi lineage.

Reputation

The Suishinshi lineage was a prominent family, established by the first-generation Masahide through his research into Bizen-den and Sōshū-den techniques, which led to the flourishing of shinshintō. Masatsugu is positioned as one of the swordsmiths who continued making swords within that lineage.