* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Yamada Asaemon
山田浅右衛門
Hereditary Name of the Yamada Family, Sword-Testers to the Edo Shogunate and Compilers of the Appraisal Text Kaihō Kenjaku
Description
Hereditary Otameshi Goyō
Yamada Asaemon was the name borne by successive heads of the Yamada family, who served the Edo shogunate as sword testers in the office known as otameshi goyō. Under the reign of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, the office passed from the first Yamada, Sadatake, to the second, Yoshitoki, and from then on the Yamada family effectively handed the office down by succession.
Forms of Succession
Although the office was said to be hereditary, a head passed it to his own biological son on only two occasions. In most cases, the most skilled disciple under him was adopted and chosen as heir.
The Aspect of 'Kubikiri Asaemon'
Because the Yamada family, in addition to sword test-cutting, also carried out the beheading of condemned criminals, they were known by the nicknames 'Kubikiri Asaemon' and 'Hitokiri Asaemon'.
Compilation of the Kaihō Kenjaku
In 1797, the fifth-generation Yamada Asaemon, with the cooperation of Sudō Gotayū, a cutter for suemono-giri (cutting of fixed targets), wrote the appraisal text Kaihō Kenjaku, which graded swords by cutting performance based on actual test-cutting. The wazamono rating presented in it was backed by actual test-cutting on the bodies of condemned criminals.
The Wazamono Ranking
The ratings in the Kaihō Kenjaku divided blades by cutting performance, from the highest to the lowest, into saijō ō-wazamono, ō-wazamono, ryō-wazamono, and wazamono. This classification reflected the Yamada family's own practical experience of test-cutting on the bodies of condemned criminals.
Influence on Sword Appraisal
The Yamada family's ratings, based on their unique perspective of real cutting performance, were frequently referenced in later sword appraisal and valuation, and are still cited today as one of the standards for judging the practical cutting ability of Japanese swords.
Later Evaluation
The name Yamada Asaemon left an important mark on the history of the Japanese sword, not only as executioners but also as a lineage of appraisers who judged the value of blades from the unique viewpoint of actual cutting performance.