Edo shintō
江戸新刀 (Edo shintō)
The swords of the shogun’s capital: the practical, keen shintō of Kotetsu, Yasusada and the Edo schools.
Style and characteristics
The shape of the Kanbun era: blades of shallow sori, a mihaba that narrows towards the point and a short kissaki, made for the swordsmanship of the day. A strong jigane and a nie hamon of grouped gunome or notare, more restrained than that of Ōsaka. Their fame was their cutting.
History
In the seventeenth century Edo drew smiths from all over the country: Yasutsugu, Hōjōji, the Ishidō. Nagasone Okisato, better known as Kotetsu, came from Echizen in later life, an armourer by origin, and became the most sought-after smith in the city; Yamato no Kami Yasusada and Kazusa no Suke Kaneshige worked in the same circle. Many of their blades carry cutting-test inscriptions on the tang.
Smiths of the school
- Hōjōji Kunimasa 法城寺但馬守橘国正
- Hōjōji Masahiro 法城寺正弘
- Hōjōji Masateru 法城寺越前守橘正照
- Hōjōji Masatsugu 法城寺正次
- Nagasone Okisato 長曽祢興里
- Yamato no Kami Yasusada 大和守安定