Myoju (埋忠明寿), commonly known as Hikojiro, was born in Eiroku 1 (1558) and resided in Nishijin in Yamashiro Province, where he styled himself the twenty-fifth-generation descendant of Munechika. The family had served the Ashikaga shogunal house generation after generation as a lineage of metalworkers. Tradition holds that Myoju initially called himself Shigeyoshi, or alternatively Muneyoshi, though among extant works there are no Shigeyoshi signatures that can be regarded as credible, and only a small number of Muneyoshi-signed pieces survive. He later took Buddhist vows and adopted the name Tsurumine Myoju. His production spans the Bunroku, Keicho, Genna, and 'ei eras, with the earliest dated work signed "Myoju" being a of Keicho 3 (1598) and the latest a of 'ei 8 (1631), bearing an age inscription of seventy-four years. He is recognized as a "great maker who opened a new chapter in the manufacture of swords and ," and he served as teacher to such smiths as of and no Kami Teruhiro of Geishu.
Surviving works by Myoju are exceedingly few, and his swordmaking chiefly consisted of , with only a single extant long sword. Many of these are and, despite their modest length, display a notably broad , assuming a stocky, hocho-like silhouette that the identifies as the "distinctive shape characteristic of Myoju." His customary workmanship features a of mixed with , often tending toward near the edge and , with the standing slightly and fine adhering well, accompanied by . The is primarily with intermingled — tempered "as though taking and Sadamune as ideals" — with entering, adhering, and a that tends toward (a tightening quality). Fine and appear within the tempered area, and the is characteristically bright and clear. His , whether simple or elaborate, are invariably executed on both and ; the paired jewel-chasing ascending and descending dragons (-oi ryuu) represent what Myoju "most excelled at," rendered in shallow relief with details such as the angular, strongly projecting lower jaw — termed ukeguchi (underbite) — that vividly display his individual traits.
The accords Myoju the distinction of being "one of the representative masters of the early period," while noting that "his standing as a kinko (metalworker) is higher still, and in the field of toshin-bori he may rightly be called preeminent." His carvings display "a freedom and fresh inventiveness not seen in earlier periods," and it is said that his work "superbly demonstrates the true essence of carving" and "exerted considerable influence upon the highly decorative carving styles of blades." The finest examples are praised as pieces "in which Myoju's true abilities are fully manifested," with the most accomplished among them regarded as kaishin- — works representing the maker's deepest satisfaction. In every respect, Myoju stands as a singular figure at the intersection of swordsmith and metalworker, whose dual mastery established new standards for the decorative art of the blade at the dawn of the era.