Masamune's Student

Students

Masamune is believed to have trained a great number of sword smiths, 15 are known, 10 of which are considered to be the Juttetsu or 'Ten Famous Students' or "10 Great Disciples of Masamune".

Great Juttetsu

(備州長船住長義作 - Bishu Osafune Ju Chogi Saku) (備前國長船住長義 - Bizen Kuni Osafune Ju Chogi)
Although probably not a direct student of Masamune^[5] due to the dates when he was forging, his works are greatly influenced by Masamune's work and the Soshu tradition as well as the work of the Soden Bizen swordsmiths.

[edit] Kanemitsu

(備前國長船住兼光 - Bizen Kuni Osafune Ju Kanemitsu) (備州長船住兼光 - Bishu Ssafune ju Kanemitsu) (備前國長船住左衛門尉藤原兼光 - Bizen no Kuni Osafune ju Saemonjo Fujiwara Kanemitsu)
Considered to have created some of the sharpest swords ever known^[5], Kanemitsu produced swords for many great men and generals. Another student who most likely wasn't taught by Masamune directly but was influenced by the Soshu and Soden Bizen revolution.

[edit] Shizu Saburo Kaneuji

(兼氏 - Kaneuji)
Lived in Yamato province before going to Mino to study under Masamune where his style radically changed. His swords are most like those of Masamune and quite often confused with his. The Mishina school can trace its history back to Kaneuji and through him back to Masamune.^[6]

[edit] Kinju

(金重)
Kinju along with Kaneuji are founders of the Mino style. He was a monk at the Seisen-ji in Tsuruga, he led to the creation of Echizen sword making like Kuniyuki, moving to Mino around the time of Ryakuo (1338-1342) creating the Seki tradition.^[7]

[edit] Kunishige

(長谷部国重 - Hasebe Kunishige)
Created the Hasebe school producing swords in the style of the second period of Soshu and Yamashiro. His swords are considered by some to be equal to Akihiro and Hiromitsu. He created the Heshikiri Hasebe Image (The Forceful Cutter) listed in the Kyoho Meibutsu Cho, owned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and then Oda Nobunaga. It bears a gold appraisal inlay of Honami Kotoku called a Kinzogan (金象嵌). Today the sword is a family heirloom of the Kuroda Daimyo Ke. The sword takes its name from the story of Oda Nobunaga drawing it to cut through a table to kill Kannai, a tea master who betrayed him.

[edit] Kunitsugu

(来源国次 - Rai Minamoto Kunitsugu)
Also goes by the name Kamakura Rai as he is the grandson of Rai Kuniyuki. The influence of the Soshu and Yamashiro traditions can be observed in his works.

[edit] Saemonzaburo

(左 - Sa) (筑州左 - Chikushu Sa) (筑前國住左 - Chikuzen no Kuni ju Sa)
Believed to go by the name Yasuyoshi but signed his work using the first two letters of his given name. Considered by some to be one of the greatest of Masamune's students. As well as being a Soshu swordsmith he also created the Chikuzen tradition.

[edit] Saeki Norishige

(則重 - Norishige, 佐伯 - Saeki)
Historically considered one of the best of Masamune's students, he is numbered among the Juttetsu. However, current research indicates that he was a senior student to Masamune, junior to Yukimitsu, under the great teacher Shintogo Kunimitsu. He, like Go, hails from Etchu province and is well known as the only smith to have mastered the style of matsukawa-hada (pine tree bark pattern steel), making his work unique.

[edit] Go Yoshihiro

(郷（江）- Go, 義弘 - Yoshihiro)
Very few works exist by this swordsmith due to his death at the young age of 27, No known signed works exist. He is believed to have gone by the names of Go Yoshihiro or simply Go, the name of the town from which he came. As well as being a Soshu sword smith he is a member of the Etchu tradition.

[edit] Naotsuna

(石州出羽直綱作 - Sekishu Izuwa Naotsuna Saku) (直綱作 - Naotsuna Saku)
Many theories exist that he may in fact have been a student of Saemonzaburo among others. His work is considered by many to have been infleunced by Soshu(相州) even if not taught by Masamune directly, he is also influenced by the Soden Bizen(備前) and Iwami province (石州) style.

[edit] Other Students

• Fuji
• Hiroki
• Tomishi
• Hiromitsu (相模國住人廣光 - Sagami Kuni Junin Hiromitsu) - Along with Akihiro brought about the second period of the Soshu style.
• Sadamune - A student and possibly son or adopted son of Masamune. Like his father he left no signed work, but is considered peerless in the Soshu tradition after Masamune.
• Akihiro (相州住秋廣 - Soshu Ju Akihiro) (相模國住人秋廣 - Sagami Kuni Junin Akihiro) - A direct student of Masamune, along with Hiromitsu was responsible for refineing the Soshu style to create the Soshu second period.