OtherShinshintō (New-New Swords)Saijōsaku

手柄山正繁

Tegarayama Masashige

Period

Late Edo

School

Harima Shinshintō

Active Years

18世紀末〜19世紀前半

Tradition

Other

Rank

Saijōsaku

Description

## The Genius of Harima — Tegarayama Masashige Tegarayama Masashige was a Shinshintō-period master active primarily in Harima Province (present-day Hyōgo Prefecture) during the late Edo period (around Tenmei through Tenpō eras). He is the representative Harima smith who, despite being a provincial swordsmith, achieved a level of swordmaking that rivaled the central smithing communities of Edo and Osaka. The name "Tegarayama" is said to derive from a place name in Harima (present-day Tegara, Himeji City), expressing the pride of a smith deeply rooted in the land of Harima. While Masashige drew on the models of Edo's Suishinshi Masahide and Osaka's masters, he established a style distinctive to himself — based on Harima's regional character and his own independent research — that resembles no one else. His powerful hamon based primarily on gunome-midare and his rich nie landscape are widely known as Masashige's hallmarks, and he is highly regarded as an outstanding figure even among Kinki and Western Japan Shinshintō smiths. ## Harima as a Region and Masashige's Swordsmithing Activity Harima Province was an important region centered on Himeji since ancient times, and in the Edo period it served as a major base for western Japan's politics, economy, and culture as the castle town of the Himeji domain (Ikeda clan). Masashige worked in this Harima land, sharpening his technique while meeting the demands of the Himeji domain and surrounding warrior and merchant families. While working as a provincial smith, Masashige proactively researched and absorbed the latest sword trends of the central cities (Edo and Osaka). Drawing on the ancient-sword revival philosophy of Suishinshi Masahide and the technical refinement of Osaka Shinshintō, he fused these with the cultural soil of Harima to form his original style. This position of Masashige at the intersection of center and province is a good example showing that Shinshintō-period Japanese sword culture spread richly throughout the entire country rather than concentrating only in Edo and Osaka. ## Blade Characteristics — Ō-gunome and Rich Nie The defining characteristic of Masashige's swords is the large, powerful gunome-midare and the rich, varied nie landscape. The hamon centers on ō-gunome with successive large mountain-form gunome with open bases — a powerful composition sometimes said to be consciously influenced by Nanbokuchō-period Sōshū-den in its grandeur. The ashi and yō are rich, and the blade interior displays abundant nie-derived activities including kinsuji and sunagashi. The jigane is a powerful forging primarily in itame and ō-itame, with some works showing Sōshū-den-like "nie jigane" atmosphere from the strong ji-nie. The overall style has a large, powerful, "martial" beauty — a style that prioritizes reliable structure and power over ornamentation, sometimes interpreted as reflecting the strongly martial regional character of Harima. The blade form reflects late-Edo period trends, with both moto-haba and saki-haba richly proportioned in a powerful silhouette, with appropriate curvature. The overall practical completion as a "working sword" is also high. This balance of practicality and artistry demonstrates the universal value of Masashige's swords, which were supported by both the warrior and merchant cultures of Harima. ## Extant Works and Evaluation Masashige's signed works are relatively numerous for a Shinshintō-period provincial smith, with multiple Important Cultural Properties and Important Art Objects designated. Works are transmitted in major museums and galleries across the country as well as former Himeji domain families, temples, and shrines. From the end of the Edo period through the Meiji era, Masashige's swords were widely treasured among warriors and merchants of Harima, Settsu, and the Sanyōdō road. In modern sword research, Masashige is evaluated as one of the highest-level provincial smiths of the Shinshintō period, positioned as an important smith illustrating the spread of Edo-period sword culture to the provinces. ## DATEKATANA and Tegarayama Masashige DATEKATANA presents Tegarayama Masashige as a master who, from the province of Harima, realized swordmaking at a level rivaling the center and embodied the regional richness of Shinshintō-period Japanese sword culture. His works eloquently testify that excellent smiths with their own aesthetic sensibilities and techniques existed in the provinces as well as the central sword cultures of Edo and Osaka. His powerful and individual style is living proof that the beauty of the Japanese sword bloomed in diverse forms throughout the entire country.