Hirotsugu of in is known from four designated works, three of them placed in the Meio era at the close of the fifteenth century and one in the late period. The earliest anchor is a recorded in Honma's inventory of the Imperial collection, signed -ju Hirotsugu and dated Meio 9 (1500). The published sources describe him in a single line: 「広次は相州鎌倉に住した刀工で、銘鑑にはその初代を建武としているが、現存するものでは室町時代中期を遡るものはなく室町時代後期を代表する相州鍛冶といえる」 (Hirotsugu lived at in ; the reference books put a first generation in Kenmu, but no surviving work predates the mid- period, and he may be regarded as a representative smith of the late period). Honma's inventory adds that of the works it had examined the Meio-dated pieces are the oldest, and that a Tenbun-dated blade signed as a resident of Shimada in Suruga is held to be by the same man.
Two of his are signed in two ways. The earlier designation, of 1971, bears a two-character , Hirotsugu, cut with a fine chisel beside the . Its is with and , and the is a with a feeling. The is narrow in the lower half and widens from the middle upward into a flamboyant with , deep in , with , and . The blade is carved with a - on the and , and on the . The published sources call it 「地刃の出来が優れ、彫物も見事で、室町時代の相州物の典型である」 (excellent in and , splendid in its carving, and a typical piece of work).
The second , designated in 2015, has a six-character signature, -ju Hirotsugu , and is placed 「その銘振りや作風からおよそ明応年間の作と推されるものである」 (from the manner of the signature and the workmanship, to around the Meio era). It has a deep with and a thick . The is mixed with and , with thick , and a faint . The temper runs high enough to reach the , mixing with and , with frequent and and along the tops. The published sources close with 「匂口は締まりごころに明るく冴えるなど、出色の出来映えを示している」 (the is inclined to tightness, bright and clear, showing outstanding workmanship).
The of the Honma inventory shows a standing of whitish cast, a with , a with , and with above and a lotus pedestal. Across the Meio works the constants are a temper with , carving in the manner, and that date.
The fourth work, a designated in 2021, is judged by its and build to be by a somewhat later Hirotsugu of the end of the period, after the skilled makers of the name known around Meio or Tenbun. It is wide, with an extended , and its mixed with stands throughout, thick in with frequent . The temper runs high in with , , and -shaped elements, and with and it becomes , thick in , the bright, with frequent and . The published sources write that at first glance it recalls the Hasebe school of the period, a powerful strong in , and that it shows the high skill of this Hirotsugu.