Yoshitsugu (吉次) was a swordsmith of the school in Province, active from the late period into the early period, with dated works surviving from the Karyaku (1326–1329) and Gentoku (1329–1331) eras. He held the court title Uemon no Jo and signed with the clan name Taira, producing long inscriptions such as " no ju Uemon no Jo Taira Yoshitsugu ." Together with Suketsugu, Yoritsugu, and Naotsugu, he ranks among the most representative smiths of the school during this transitional period. His lineage sits within the broader tradition, which descends from an ancient swordmaking heritage in — a province praised for its blades as early as the eleventh-century compendium Sarugakki. Scholars conventionally distinguish the earlier smiths, working through about the mid- period, from the later group that continued into the era, and Yoshitsugu's production falls squarely at the juncture between these two phases. Notably, some of his works record his residence as "Bishu Manju ju" rather than " no ju," a discrepancy in place-name inscriptions that has long attracted scholarly attention.
Yoshitsugu's forging is characterized by a tightly packed , often mixed with and occasionally showing , upon which extremely fine-grained adheres thickly. This dense and luminous ground steel frequently exhibits a mottled, patch-like texture and faint — sometimes manifesting as suji- or the distinctive stepped effect known as . His is predominantly -based, ranging from to , with shallow undulations and intermixed , , and -. The characteristically tends toward a tightened construction () accompanied by , while fine and thread through the temper, producing a bright and distinctly clear () edge. Internal activities such as , , and contribute varied visual interest. His typically runs straight into a turn, and his blades often bear with carved kaki-nagashi. These qualities collectively express the hallmark traits of late work while revealing Yoshitsugu's particular mastery of the restrained idiom.
Yoshitsugu's surviving oeuvre encompasses long swords, , and , demonstrating considerable range in form. His larger blades are praised for their ample and robust, imposing , while his display the quiet elegance of narrow with dense and luminous . Several of his works bear tangs with clearly preserved inscriptions and Karyaku-era dates, furnishing important documentary evidence for the chronology of the school. The form is notably uncommon within this tradition, lending particular rarity to his signed example dated Karyaku 3. Distinguished provenance further attests to the historical esteem in which his work has been held: one bearing a attribution was transmitted in the Nabeshima family of Ogi domain, where it served as the sword worn by Nabeshima Motoshige when he led the first charge at Hara Castle during the Shimabara Rebellion of 1638. Multiple blades carry appraisals by the house, including by Kochu and Kotsune, confirming sustained appreciation across generations of connoisseurs. Yoshitsugu stands as an essential figure for understanding the evolution of swordmaking at a pivotal moment in its history.