Who Is the Most Famous Samurai Swordsmith?

No one can doubt the courage, bravery, loyalty and sense of duty of the samurai. Their mastery of the samurai sword is unmatched. However, training, swordsmanship and commitment mean nothing without an equally dependable blade.

A poorly made samurai sword lets its owner down. A samurai was therefore only as good as his katana, which placed on the samurai swordsmith the responsibility of making reliable blades. But who in the world is considered the most famous samurai swordsmith? Read on to find out.

Goro Nyudo Masamune

Masamune, Japan's most famous samurai swordsmith. Photo by USADojo.

Among the many famous katana smiths of Japan, one name echoes through the centuries. Regarded as Japan's greatest and most famous samurai swordsmith, Goro Nyudo Masamune devoted his life to perfecting the making of samurai swords.

Unsurprisingly, the Japanese sword-making competition awards the Masamune Prize to any modern swordsmith whose work is outstanding, proof of Masamune's standing in the field.

Born in 1264, Masamune created some of Japan's most legendary samurai swords between 1288 and 1328, learning from other great swordsmiths of the time, notably Shintogo Kunimitsu, Awataguchi Kunitsuna and Saburo Kunimune.

Masamune specialised in tachi swords and tanto daggers. Many regard the tachi as the direct predecessor of the katana. It was longer, heavier and more sharply curved than the katana. It was the ideal sword for mounted samurai, but it proved unwieldy at close quarters.

This is why many of Masamune's later works were katana, made by cutting down the nakago (tang) of the tachi.

Contributions to the development of the katana

A Masamune sword. Photo by AllThatsInteresting.

Samurai swords made before Masamune were often forged from "impure" steel, which harmed the quality and appearance of the blade. Masamune recognised the value of using the purest, finest-quality iron sand (satetsu) to forge samurai swords of unequalled quality and beauty. He brought the following features, which advanced the katana and made it a refined sword and a lasting work of art.

Notare hamon

Although the first swords forged by Masamune had a straight temper line (suguha), this legendary Japanese swordsmith developed the notare hamon.

It may not be the most beautiful temper line, but it was at the time. The cutting edge of the nagasa (blade) shows a hamon that undulates slowly, marking the hardened zone produced during the meticulous forging of the blade.

Nie

The secrets of tamahagane steel reveal a charcoal-coloured blade, bordered by a lighter band next to the ha (the cutting edge) of the nagasa. Masamune improved the appearance of the nagasa by perfecting the art of nie.

Masamune gathered extremely hard martensite steel crystals and set them in an equally striking layer of cementite and ferrite to create a pearlite matrix. The result? A katana blade with a starry sparkle, which makes the katana a true spectacle.

Chikei and kinsuji

As a famous samurai swordsmith, Masamune introduced the striking chikei and kinsuji patterns into katana and other samurai swords. The chikei pattern is characterised by dark, grain-like lines above the hamon, while the kinsuji pattern creates striking flashes of light from martensite crystals.

Masamune's famous samurai swords

Masamune's swords were popular during the Kamakura period, between 1185 and 1333, known for the establishment of a feudal society and the rise of the samurai as the pre-eminent caste. Masamune's swords are not only robust. They are also strikingly beautiful. The following swords are among Masamune's most important creations.

Honjo Masamune

The Honjo Masamune is as legendary as its creator, and none other than the Japanese government raised it to the rank of kokuho (Japanese national treasure) in 1939. This samurai sword was emblematic of the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period, passing from one Tokugawa shogun to the next. Sadly, the Honjo Masamune disappeared without trace during the American occupation of Japan after the Second World War.

The Honjo Masamune, Japan's most legendary samurai sword. Photo by Swords of Northshire.

Fudo Masamune

Unlike the Honjo Masamune katana, the Fudo Masamune is a tanto 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long bearing Masamune's signature. Like the Honjo Masamune, the Fudo Masamune became a Tokugawa clan heirloom. It features the Buddhist deity Fudo Myo-o engraved on the blade, gomabashi (chopstick-shaped grooves) on the back, and a dragon engraved on the ura.

Musashi Masamune

This sword by Japan's most famous samurai swordsmith is a tachi. It measures 74 centimetres or 29 inches and has many of Masamune's characteristic features. The Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) acquired the Musashi Masamune in 2000, allowing the public to marvel at one of Masamune's most prized creations.

Hocho Masamune

Masamune's most unusual creation is the Hocho Masamune. It resembles a tanto but with a wider blade, which makes it look more like a kitchen knife. These blades can be seen at the Tokugawa Art Museum.

Kotegiri Masamune

Although not as popular as the other Masamune swords, the Kotegiri Masamune holds a special place in Japanese culture and history. This blade is a cutter of a yugote (archer's arm guard) and was presented to one of the nation's best-loved rulers, Emperor Meiji (the first monarch of modern Japan).

Sengo Muramasa

Another famous samurai swordsmith is Sengo Muramasa, who founded the Muramasa school during the Muromachi period, between the 14th and 16th centuries. Many samurai of feudal Japan, including the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, preferred Muramasa's swords to Masamune's creations, which gave rise to fierce rivalry between the two schools.

However, 18th-century popular culture and folklore regarded Muramasa's swords as yoto, or "wicked" blades. This view stems from the legendary contest between Masamune and Muramasa.

The story describes Muramasa challenging Masamune to a contest to see who made the finer swords. Each swordsmith was to plant his sword in the riverbed, letting the current carry floating objects towards the blade.

Muramasa went first. His sword cut the leaves, twigs, fish and other objects that drifted with the current of the river. When it was Masamune's turn, his sword cut only inanimate objects (leaves, twigs and blades of grass). Remarkably, Masamune's blade did not cut the fish.

Muramasa claimed that his sword was better than Masamune's. Masamune merely smiled (being a monk). Another monk who had watched the contest explained that Muramasa's sword, though effective, was wicked.

It made no distinction between living and non-living things. The opposite was true of Masamune's swords. The monk explained that Masamune's creations spare innocent beings and living creatures that do not deserve harm.

Although the truth of the legend is open to question, Muramasa's "wicked" swords came full circle when they became a symbol of the anti-Tokugawa movement.

Muramasa katana: the "devil's" sword. Photo by The Collector.

Contributions to the development of the katana

Despite the "wicked" reputation of Muramasa's swords, no one can deny this master samurai swordsmith's contribution to the evolution of the samurai sword.

Muramasa-ba

Muramasa swords feature a gunome-midare hamon, a unique undulating temper line with long, very shallow valleys punctuated by clusters of gunome. What makes Muramasa's creations extraordinary is the symmetry of the hamon. Only a master swordsmith can create such an extremely complex temper-line pattern.

Muramasa-nakago

Although Masamune popularised shortening the tachi nakago (tang) to make it better suited to katana, Muramasa's swords have a tanagobara nakago resembling a fish's belly.

Muramasa's most popular samurai sword

Although Muramasa created many swords during his life as a master swordsmith, only the Myoho Muramasa has been recognised as a Japanese work of art. The katana measured 66.4 centimetres or 26 inches and had a kashira (pommel) 2.5 centimetres (1 in) wide.

The front face of the nagasa bears the mantra Myoho Renge Kyo, while the reverse gives the year of creation. The blade of the Myoho Muramasa also carried intricate engravings, including the kurikara.

Bizen Kuni Osafune Ju Kanemitsu

Bizen Kanemitsu, one of the ten Juttetsu (great disciples) of Goro Nyudo Masamune, is revered for having created some of Japan's sharpest samurai swords. Kanemitsu is also regarded as one of the few "grand masters of sharpness" (Sai-jo O-wazamono) in the country.

Contributions to the development of the katana

Kanemitsu came from a long line of famous bladesmiths and great masters of the Bizen Osafune school. His great-great-grandfather, Mitsutada, created 17 bunkazai swords and 3 kokuho swords, in addition to the 25 swords already held by the famous daimyo Oda Nobunaga.

Kanemitsu's forging techniques allowed him to create some of the sharpest samurai swords of feudal Japan. It is therefore unsurprising that many forging schools strive to match Kanemitsu's perfection in blade sharpness.

Kanemitsu's most popular samurai swords

Although Kanemitsu never studied directly under Masamune, he remained true to his commitment to create the sharpest samurai blades.

Kabutowari

Cutting through a metal helmet (kabuto) is no ordinary feat, especially as the Kabutowari measures only 35 centimetres (about 13.8 in) long. Yet Kanemitsu proved that his Kabutowari could cut through the toughest helmets.

Ishikiri

Kanemitsu's Ishikiri is a remarkable blade. Though small, this samurai sword is said to be able to split boulders.

Teppokiri

Some specialists believe that Kanemitsu's Teppokiri swords belong more to folklore than to reality. Legend has it that this sword could cut a pistol in two. It is therefore unsurprising that some Hollywood films like to feature such a blade in their action scenes.

The bottom line

The most famous of the samurai swordsmiths raised the standing of the katana and the tanto in feudal Japan. These swords are not only strong, reliable and of exceptional quality. Their beauty is also unmatched. Other Japanese swordsmiths deserve recognition, but Masamune's skill in making katana remains the benchmark for other samurai swordsmiths.