Kantei
Both sides of a complete katana, vertical on a black background, with the wavy temper along the edge, a carving on one side and the tang at the bottom.

Echizen · shintō · early Edo

Yamato Daijō Masanori (大和大掾正則)

A swordsmith of Echizen of the early Edo period, who came from Kyoto according to tradition: his dated blades, his temper and his rank in the Yamada cutting list

Masanori (正則) worked in Fukui, in Echizen province, at the beginning of the Edo period, and signed with the title Yamato Daijō (大和大掾). According to the tradition recorded by the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, he was of a Kyoto lineage and came to Fukui with the swordsmiths who settled beside the new castle. The Yamada cutting list counts him among the yoki-wazamono.

Tokyo Fuji Art Museum

Yamato Daijō, c. 1608
Title
1608–1651
Dated blades
Yoki-wazamono
Cutting rank
Echizen
Province
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Masanori; signature 大和大掾藤原正則 (Yamato Daijō Fujiwara Masanori) HD
Kanji and reading
正則 (Masanori) HD
Period
Shintō, early Edo period (17th century) HD
Province
Echizen (越前, Echizen), in Fukui; according to tradition, he came from Kyoto and from Miyazu, in Tango AT
School
The Echizen swordsmiths who settled in Fukui with the castle of the Matsudaira HD
Master
Not recorded in the sources consulted; tradition makes him a descendant of 三条吉則 (Sanjō Yoshinori), of Yamashiro PC
Title
大和大掾 (Yamato Daijō), received around 1608 (Keichō 13) HD
Generations
The cutting list records him as the first generation (初代, shodai); of a second there are no data in the sources consulted AT
Cutting rank
良業物 (yoki-wazamono), the third of four grades, in the 懐宝剣尺 (Kaihō Kenjaku) of 1797 AT
Documented fact and tradition
His title, his dated blades and his style are given by the record of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. His Kyoto lineage and his time in Tango are tradition, and the museum gives them as such. AT

In short

What we know. That he signed 大和大掾藤原正則 (Yamato Daijō Fujiwara Masanori), that he received the title around 1608 and that there are blades of his dated 1608, 1616, 1624 and 1651, according to the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. And that the Yamada cutting list places him among the yoki-wazamono.

How we know it. From the record of his katana in the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum and from the list of cultural properties of Akita prefecture, which protects another katana of his. The cutting rank is given by Japanese Wikipedia.

What we do not know. Who his master was, when he was born and died, and who the second generation was. No blade of his with a national designation has been found.

Sections

  1. From Kyoto to Fukui Life and times The swordsmiths who came to Fukui with the castle of the Matsudaira, the title of Yamato Daijō and the dates of his blades.
  2. Itame · gunome-midare with points Work and style The shape, the steel, the temper and the signature of his katana in the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.
  3. Yoki-wazamono · two known katana Famous works His rank in the cutting list, the museum’s katana and the one that is a cultural property of Akita prefecture.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their link where possible, and the credit for each image.