Kantei
A short, straight blade with its gilt habaki, on a white cloth, against a dark blue background.

Sagami (Kamakura) · Sōshū · late Kamakura

Yukimitsu (行光)

A Kamakura swordsmith of the late 13th and early 14th centuries who, according to the genealogies, was a pupil of Shintōgo Kunimitsu and, according to tradition, the father of Masamune: his period, his work, his famous works, two videos and his sources

Yukimitsu (行光, Yukimitsu), called Tōsaburō, worked in Kamakura, in Sagami Province, between the late 13th and the early 14th century. According to the oldest genealogies he was a pupil of Shintōgo Kunimitsu, and tradition makes him the father of Masamune. Only two signed blades of his are known; one, a tantō of the Maeda house, is a National Treasure. He is not the Fujishima Yukimitsu of the wazamono list, who is a different swordsmith.

Kakidai, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2
Known signed blades
1931
His tantō, designated under the old law
1954
His tantō, National Treasure
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Yukimitsu, known as Tōsaburō; also Sōshū Yukimitsu, after his province AT
Kanji and reading
行光 (Yukimitsu), a two-character signature; 藤三郎 (Tōsaburō); 相州行光 (Sōshū Yukimitsu) HD
Period
Late Kamakura; none of his blades is dated, and his period is inferred from that of Shintōgo Kunimitsu, his master according to the genealogies, with works dated from 1293 to 1322 according to the NBTHK, or to 1324 according to the Japanese Wikipedia AT
Province
Sagami, in present-day Kanagawa: Kamakura HD
School
Sōshū (相州, Sōshū), the school of Shintōgo Kunimitsu AT
Master and lineage
Pupil, or son, of Shintōgo Kunimitsu; father, or adoptive father, of Masamune, according to tradition AT
Documented fact and tradition
Documented: two signed blades and the Maeda tantō, a National Treasure. Tradition: his kinship with Kunimitsu and with Masamune, and his dates. AT

In short

What we know. That he signed 行光 (Yukimitsu) a suguha tantō rich in nie that is a National Treasure, and that the oldest treatises place him among Kunimitsu’s pupils.

How we know it. From the record of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and that of the Tokyo National Museum, and from the NBTHK.

What we do not know. When he was born and died, and whether he really was Masamune’s father.

Sections

  1. Tōsaburō · Kunimitsu · Masamune Life and times What the oldest treatises and the genealogies of Masamune say about him.
  2. Nie suguha · chikei · kinsuji Work and style Sugata, jihada, hamon, bōshi, nakago and signature: the kantei keys, with the record of the Maeda tantō.
  3. National Treasure · Imperial Household · Fudō Yukimitsu Famous works The Maeda tantō, the one of the Imperial Household, the Fudō Yukimitsu and the blades attributed to him.
  4. The Maeda tantō Videos Two videos: an explanation of the Maeda tantō and a display case filmed by an enthusiast.
  5. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their links, and the credit for each image.