Hōshō
保昌派 (Hōshō-ha)
The only Yamato school with a full masame: a straight, orderly grain from end to end, with a nie suguha.
Style and characteristics
Regular masame across the whole jigane, from edge to back, with a nie suguha mixed with nijū-ba and kuichigai-ba and a yakitsume bōshi. Small openings along the grain are accepted as part of the style. The tang usually ends straight (kiri-jiri).
History
It worked in Takaichi from the mid-Kamakura to the Muromachi period, with Sadayoshi, Sadamune, Sadakiyo and Kunimitsu among its names; the character «Sada» recurs. A tantō by Sadayoshi is designated a National Treasure. The Muromachi work is called Sue-Hōshō, and in the Edo period the Kunikane house in Sendai revived its masame.
Smiths of the school
- Hōshō Sadamune 保昌貞宗