刀匠大師

Yamato Shizu refers to a group of Nanbokuchō-period smiths working in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture) in the lineage of Shizu Kaneuji, whose Mino-based techniques blended with Yamato inf

Shimada Yoshisuke (島田義助) was a swordsmith active in Suruga Province (present-day Shizuoka Prefecture) from the late Muromachi through the Sengoku period, and stands as one of the master craftsmen repr

Seki Zenjō was a swordsmith who flourished in Seki, Mino Province (present-day Seki City, Gifu Prefecture) from the late Muromachi period through the Sengoku period, and is known as one of the leading

## Amakuni—The Founder of Japanese Swords, a Legendary Bladesmith Amakuni is a legendary sword-maker said to have flourished in the Wadō era (circa 708–715) of the early Nara period, and his name sur

## The Golden Age of Late Kamakura Bizen and the Birth of Sanetsune The late Kamakura period (late 13th to early 14th century) was an unprecedented golden age for the Bizen Osafune school. Nagamitsu,

Tegai Kanenaga was the founder and representative smith of the Tegai school, one of the Five Yamato Schools that flourished in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture). His common name is transmi

Tosa Yukimitsu was a swordsmith active in Tosa Province (present-day Kochi Prefecture) during the mid to late Muromachi period, regarded as one of the finest representatives of Tosa swordsmithing. Whi

Awataguchi Ryosei was a swordsmith active in Awataguchi, Yamashiro Province (present-day Higashiyama, Kyoto) during the mid-Kamakura period, belonging to the celebrated Awataguchi school, regarded as

Satō Yoshihiro (郷義弘, also called Kō Yoshihiro [江義弘]) was a swordsmith of Etchū said to have been active from the late Kamakura through the early Nanboku-chō period. He resided in Matsukaura, Shinkawag

Bizen Kanehira was a swordsmith active in Bizen Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture) during the late Heian through early Kamakura period, regarded as the supreme master of the Ko-Bizen (Ancient B

Nagamitsu was a swordsmith of the Osafune school, which flourished in the late Kamakura period in Bizen Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture), and is transmitted to have been the son of Mitsutada,

Awataaguchi Yoshimitsu was a swordsmith who flourished in Awataaguchi, Kyoto in Yamashiro Province during the mid-Kamakura period, and was commonly known as Tōjirō. He belonged to the Awataaguchi scho