OtherShintō (New Swords)Jōjōsaku

三善長道

Miyoshi Nagamichi

Period

Mid-Edo

School

Osaka Shintō

Active Years

17世紀後半〜18世紀前半

Tradition

Other

Rank

Jōjōsaku

Description

## The Sharp Edge of Osaka Shintō — Miyoshi Nagamichi Miyoshi Nagamichi was a Shintō-period master active in Osaka, Settsu Province, during the mid-Edo period. He is known among Osaka Shintō smiths — themselves famous as producers of wazamono (swords outstanding in actual cutting performance) — as a smith whose cutting edge reputation is particularly high. In Edo-period cutting-performance evaluation records such as the Wazamono-chō, he received ratings of ryō-wazamono (good cutting sword) or above, and is evaluated as a smith who embodied the essential nature of the Japanese sword as a functional weapon as well as a mere art object. Nagamichi bore the Miyoshi clan name and established an original style within the Osaka swordsmithing community. While the supreme Osaka Shintō masters — Sukehiro, Shinkai, and Tadatsuna — pursued particularly artistic refinement, Nagamichi's goal was to balance artistic completion with the practical value of cutting performance, giving him a unique position even within Osaka Shintō. ## Blade Characteristics — The Integration of Beauty and Utility The characteristics of Nagamichi's swordmaking lie in the high level of practical completion combining the refined jigane characteristic of Osaka Shintō with a stable and beautiful hamon. The jigane displays refined ko-itame forging with the tight surface distinctive to Osaka Shintō. The hamon is primarily gunome-midare with rich ashi and yō. Many works have a somewhat wider cutting edge, which is thought to relate to their high cutting-performance evaluations. The quality of the jigane is said to be particularly refined and uniform even compared to contemporaneous Osaka Shintō, with many high-quality works showing few forge-flaws or disturbances in the jigane. This indicates that Nagamichi paid special attention to material selection and forging process, reflecting his swordmaking philosophy of seeking both cutting performance and artistic quality. The blade form reflects mid-Edo period fashions, with well-proportioned widths that maintain consistency from base to tip, and a beautiful silhouette with appropriate koshi-zori curvature. The same characteristics appear in his wakizashi, with Nagamichi's individual aesthetic sensibility expressed within the stylistic unity of Osaka Shintō. ## Evaluation as Wazamono — The Transmission of Cutting Performance In the Edo period, the cutting performance of Japanese swords was officially assessed through tameshigiri (test cutting), with results recorded and transmitted to posterity. Nagamichi's swords receiving a rating of ryō-wazamono or above means they demonstrated high cutting performance in actual test cutting, proving their excellence as functional swords alongside their artistic evaluation. This cutting-performance evaluation is another proof of the reliability of Nagamichi's swordmaking technique. In a context where artistic refinement and practical blade performance can sometimes be in tension, the fact that Nagamichi's works received high evaluations in both dimensions shows that his technique had reached true "comprehensive completion." ## The Cultural Significance of Nagamichi within Osaka Shintō Osaka Shintō was one of the important centers of sword culture in the Edo period, and within it, Nagamichi occupied an important position as a smith with the unique stance of balancing artistry and practicality. While in a different direction from the unprecedented artistic expressions of Sukehiro's tōran-midare, Nagamichi embodied another aspect of Osaka Shintō's possibilities — completion as a weapon. For later sword enthusiasts and warriors, Nagamichi's swords have been treasured as one of the ideals of "a beautiful sword that also cuts." This evaluation remains unchanged today, and his works are highly regarded as embodying the original dual nature of the Japanese sword as both weapon and artwork. ## DATEKATANA and Miyoshi Nagamichi DATEKATANA presents Miyoshi Nagamichi as a capable smith who embodied both the artistic tradition and the functional weapon tradition of Osaka Shintō at a high level. As one of the smiths who formed the rich diversity of Osaka Shintō alongside Sukehiro, Shinkai, and Tadatsuna, Nagamichi's presence continues to prove that the Japanese sword is a cultural product that integrates both — neither mere artwork nor mere weapon — in a unified whole.