Kantei
An unmounted tantō on a black background, with a straight, wide blade and the pale tang on the left.

Swordsmith of Tokyo · Meiji and Taishō · Western steel

Hayama Enshin (羽山円真)

One of the last swordsmiths of the Kiyomaro school, in the Tokyo of Meiji and Taishō, famous for his blades of Western steel: his life, his work and his sources

Hayama Enshin (羽山円真, Hayama Enshin), who also signed 浄雲斎 (Jōunsai), forged in Tokyo from the Meiji era to the Taishō era. His master was a pupil of 源清麿 (Minamoto Kiyomaro). He is remembered for his blades of Western steel, for his copies of old swords and for the katana that was given to Admiral Tōgō.

Photo: dealer in Japan

1845
Born in Toyohashi
Kiyomaro school
Pupil of Suzuki Masao
1914
Tōgō’s katana
1920
Dies at the age of 75
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Hayama Enshin; workshop name 浄雲斎 (Jōunsai); first signature 正寛 (Masahiro) AT
Kanji and reading
羽山円真 (Hayama Enshin), also written 羽山圓眞 (Hayama Enshin) AT
Birth
1845, son of a samurai of the Toyohashi (Yoshida) domain, today in Aichi Prefecture AT
Death
14 February 1920, at the age of 75 AT
Where he forged
Yanaka-Shimizu-chō, in 下谷 (Shitaya), Tokyo AT
Master
鈴木正雄 (Suzuki Masao), one of the best pupils of 源清麿 (Minamoto Kiyomaro) AT
School or tradition
The Kiyomaro school, in its last generation AT
Rank
None: the NBTHK competition and its ranks came after his death II

In short

What we know. Signed and dated blades of his: a tantō of 1897, a katana of 1905 commissioned by 倉田七郎 (Kurata Shichirō), one of 1909 and another of 1913, with the signature 浄雲斎羽山圓眞造之 (Jōunsai Hayama Enshin kore o tsukuru).

How we know it. His life is told by a study of the Tōgō Hagane steel, which draws on the history of the Kawai house, and by several other sources that agree on the essentials but cannot be cited. Some pieces of news come from only one of them.

What we do not know. No portrait of him is known, nor any work in the databases of the national museums or in that of cultural heritage, nor another generation bearing his name.

Sections

  1. Toyohashi · Suzuki Masao · Yanaka Life and forging From samurai of Toyohashi to swordsmith in Tokyo, with the commissions that made him known and the katana given to Admiral Tōgō.
  2. Western steel · nashiji-hada · copies Work and style His blades of Western steel, his pheasant-thigh tang and three dated blades in photos.
  3. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their link where possible, and the credit for each image.