Saemon no Jo Hidetsugu was a swordsmith of the school active in Province during the late period, with dated works bearing era names such as Kagen, Enkyo, and Showa. Sword reference compendia record him as signing " no Manju no Sho ju Saemon no Jo," and note that the name Hideji was transmitted in successive generations — one tradition holding that Hideji was a son of Tsugatada, another that he was a son of Tsuguhide. The lineage, flourishing chiefly in the lower basin of the Takahashi River, inherited a reputation for swords noted as early as the eleventh-century Sarugaki-ki. Works up through roughly the mid- period are classified as , while those thereafter through the period are grouped broadly under the name .
In forging and hardening, works by this smith display the hallmarks of the mature tradition. The shows tightly forged with extremely fine and distinct standing in the ground. The is fundamentally , mixed with , angular elements, , and ; and enter abundantly, with interspersed and attaching. Fine and run through the temper, and the is bright and clear. In certain works the presence becomes calmer and the tightens, reflecting the stylistic transition from the late into the period that characterizes this school's later output.
Extant signed works by smiths bearing the Saemon no Jo title within the Hideji line are rarely encountered, and those that survive in condition with dated inscriptions hold particular documentary value. The kaki-kudashi style of date inscription seen on certain examples is a feature observed within the broader group and represents precious evidence for research into both the individual smith and the school. These blades demonstrate a markedly superior workmanship that plainly reveals the high technical level of Saemon no Jo Hidetsugu, and they serve as important reference material for the study of Province sword production in the late period.