The name Masayoshi encompasses several distinct smithing lineages, of which the Satsuma Ijichi line and the -based Hosokawa line are the most prominently represented in official designations. In Satsuma, the first-generation Masayoshi (commonly known as Uehara Jūzaemon) was a warrior-smith of Izumi-gō, a strategically vital district at the northern extremity of the province bordering . Very few of his works survive, but those that do exhibit outstanding and . An earlier Satsuma smith, Mondo-no-shō Fujiwara Masayoshi, studied under Sōemon Masafusa and was summoned to to forge for Shogun Yoshimune at the Ōhama Palace, earning the right to engrave the Tokugawa hollyhock on his tangs. He had a high reputation for "surpassing his teacher," specializing in -tradition work of such quality that some shortened blades were mistaken for genuine Masamune or .
The third-generation Ijichi Masayoshi -- who later received the title Hōki no Kami and changed his name to Masayuki -- demonstrated skill surpassing that of his forebears, earning the praise of "indigo yielding bluer than indigo." Together with Oku Yamato no Kami Motohira, he stands as one of the two foremost masters of Satsuma . His works are characteristically broad in , of great length, thick in , and with an extended . In tempering, he excelled at a ground into which and pointed elements are mixed, with deep , coarse , and conspicuous and -- a manner modeled on the tradition and especially evocative of . One blade of exceptional length and weight was deemed a "white-eyebrow" preeminent masterpiece, representing a life's major work, while his early-period examples from the Meiwa and An'ei eras suggest influence from Gō and Inoue Shinkai.
Hosokawa Masayoshi (second generation), also known as Chikara-no-, was the son of Hosokawa Ryōsuke of Shimotsuke Province. Entering the school of Suishinshi Masahide, he effectively succeeded within that lineage and, together with Naotane, stands as one of its twin peaks. His workmanship divides broadly into - and Sōshū-den, though it is in the manner that his most accomplished works are found. His features pressed-together fan-shaped blossoms with spreading left and right and appearing at the base -- corresponding exactly to the description in the -shūroku: "the overlaps like double cherry blossoms." His forging produces an appearance of almost textureless steel. Despite producing large-scale works of wide and , the has observed that "no breakdown or inconsistency is seen in the and ." One was counted among "the finest five works of his career."