Master Swordsmiths

Ko-Bizen Nobufu​sa was a swordsmith who worked in Bizen Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture) during the Late Heian Period and is known as one of the master craftsmen who supported the Ko-Bizen sc

## One of the Awataguchi Six Brothers—Awataguchi Hissakuni Awataguchi Hissakuni was a swordsmith of the Awataguchi school who worked in Awataguchi, Yamashiro Province, during the Early Kamakura perio

Muramasa refers both to a school of swordsmiths active from the late Muromachi through the early Edo period, based in Kuwana in Ise Province (present-day Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture), and to their swo

Noriifusa was a swordsmith active primarily in Fukuoka, Bizen Province (present-day Setouchi, Okayama Prefecture) during the mid-Kamakura period. He was one of the master smiths representing the Fukuo

## Historical Context of Ōei Bizen and the Position of Osafune Shigemistu The Ōei era (1394–1427) of the early Muromachi period marked a turning point in the sword-making of the Bizen Osafune school.

Rai Kunihisa is a swordsmith of the renowned Rai school of Yamashiro Province (Kyoto), active during the Nanbokucho period (1336–1392). The Rai school, which produced such luminaries as Rai Kuniyuki,

## Suō Niō School and Niō Kiyotsuna Niō Kiyotsuna was a swordsmith of the Niō school, which was based in Suō Province (present-day eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture, near Iwakuni City). The Niō school eme

Sukesada (祐定) was a swordsmith from Osafune in Bizen Province (present-day Osafune-chō, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture) and represents a characteristic signature of the so-called Late Bizen of the

## Historical Background of the Namiheira School and Characteristics of Satsuma Blades The Namiheira School is one of the longest-established traditions in Japanese sword history, with an active peri

## A Master of the Rai School—Ryokai Ryokai (了戒) was a swordsmith active from the mid- to late Kamakura period in Yamashiro Province (modern-day Kyoto Prefecture) and belonged to the Rai school (Rai-

## Perfector of the Rai School: The Pinnacle of Refinement Rai Kunitoshi was a swordsmith active in Kyoto from the mid to late Kamakura period, and the greatest master of the Rai school in Yamashiro

## The Golden Age of Bizen Blades and the Rise of the Hatakeda School The mid-Kamakura period (mid-13th century) was an era of unprecedented prosperity for sword-making in Bizen Province (present-day