Named for the Senjudō — the hall of the Thousand-Armed Kannon at the foot of Mount Wakakusa in Nara — the Senjuin school is reckoned the oldest of the five Yamato traditions, its first masters recorded in the late Heian. As makers of ritual implements and arms for the temple warrior-monks of Tōdai-ji and beyond, its smiths rarely signed, and the earliest Ko-Senjuin blades still carry the lingering form of the straight chokutō — indispensable witnesses to the birth of the curved sword. Where Taima, Tegai, Hōshō, and Shikkake lean to restraint, Senjuin is the vigorous one: a suguha-and-shallow-notare base shot through with ko-chōji, ko-gunome, and ko-midare, the habuchi frayed with hotsure, nijūba, and kuichigai-ba over a bright, moist (uruoi) steel. By old appraisal, the most changeable hamon among the Yamato Five is read as Senjuin.
Era
1150 — 1390
Members
219
Kokuhō
2
Jūbun
3
Jūbi
3
Tokujū
7
Jūyō
69
For Sale
13
219smiths2Kokuhō3Jūbun3Jūbi7Tokujū69Jūyō
Branch美濃千手院Mino Senjuin22 smiths
The Yamato Senjuin School (千手院) Lineage
The The Yamato Senjuin School (千手院), active 1150–1390 in Yamato Province across 219 documented smiths: 2 Kokuhō (National Treasures), 3 Jūbun, 3 Jūbi, 7 Tokubetsu Jūyō, 69 Jūyō.
Phase 1 · The Yamato Senjuin School (千手院) · 1150 – 1390
Nobuyoshi (延吉) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Kokuhō, Jūbun, Jūbi, Tokujū, Jūyō. Nobuyoshi is the one famous name of the Ryūmon group, a branch of Yamato swordsmiths active from the late Kamakura period into the Nanbokuchō. The published sources are nearly unanimous on his origins: "Nobuyoshi is traditionally said to have been a smith descending from the Senjuin line" (延吉は千手院派の流れを汲む鍛冶と伝え), and because he lived at Ryūmon-shō in Yoshino District, on the road that runs from Yoshino through to Uda, he was given the byname Ryūmon Nobuyoshi. The group is said to have included other smiths, with names such as Nagayoshi and Yoshiyuki appearing in the reference works, but only Nobuyoshi became well known, to the degree that, as one Jūyō commentary puts it, "when one speaks of Ryūmon, it refers to Nobuyoshi" (竜門といえば延吉を指すほどである). No dated blade by him survives; the swordbooks place him around the Shōō or Bunpō eras.
The hand that defines him is not one manner but two, and the NBTHK draws the division on nearly every paper. One mode forges "a lively midare, or a suguha-toned temper into which chōji-ashi enter" (賑やかな乱れ刃や直刃調に丁子足の入った刃文を焼き), with *utsuri* standing in the *jigane* and a Bizen character coming forward. The other is a *suguha* that frays into *hotsure*, in which "*utsuri* does not stand and the Yamato color is strongly shown" (映りが立たず大和色が濃厚に示された), quiet and austere in feeling. His finest signed tachi, the wide-bodied piece once held by the Hori viscount and treasured by Inukai Bokudō, is the showy mode at its best: a wide *suguha-chō* with shallow *notare*, mixing *gunome*, *chōji*, *togariba* and angular elements, *ashi* and *yō* entering, the *nioiguchi* tightening with *ko-nie*, *nijūba* and *uchi-noke* worked in, with *kinsuji* and fine *sunagashi*. The published sources call it "foremost among works by the same hand" (同作中屈指の優品).
The *jigane* is the constant that carries both modes. It is a well-forged *itame* that flows and inclines to *masame*, with thick *ji-nie* laid finely and *chikei* entering frequently, the masame strengthening toward the edge on the most Yamato of his blades. Over that *jigane* the *utsuri* is the variable: on the Bizen-leaning blades a clear *midare-utsuri*, sometimes a soft *nie-utsuri*; on the Yamato blades none at all. The *bōshi* runs straight and finishes in *hakikake*, often *yakizume*, sometimes a *ko-maru* with a short turnback, and across nearly the whole record the *nioiguchi* is bright and clear. Even in the lively mode the temper stays *suguha*-based with *chōji* and *gunome* set into it rather than opening into a free *chōji-midare*, so the bright suguha with *hotsure* and *kuichigai-ba* is the Yamato root that holds the two manners together.
His signature divides as his workmanship does. Two ways of cutting the right element of the character 延 are observed, a blocky *kaisho* form resembling an abbreviated 正 and a cursive *sōsho* form resembling 氏; the published sources record that later writers "call the former Masa-Nobuyoshi and the latter Uji-Nobuyoshi" (前者を正延吉・後者を氏延吉と呼んでいる). The distinction is not merely calligraphic, for the sources note that blades with the former signature tend to a more tightly knit *hada* and those with the latter to a more standing grain, and one signed tachi is read as a transitional piece between the two. Signed works are set with a large two-character *mei* and survive in only a small number, so a genuine in-*mei* Nobuyoshi is a precious thing to encounter.
What places him is exactly this position between two traditions. His bright *midare-utsuri* and *chōji-ashi* set the Bizen-leaning mode apart from the plainer Senjuin and Taima *suguha*, while the subdued suguha-with-*hotsure* keeps him within Yamato. The published sources observe that his smaller-signature blades have since old times been confused with Ko-Bizen Ko-Ichimonji work, and that confusion is itself the measure of where he stands. On the mumei katana, which form the bulk of his record, the judges affirm the attribution from the high-*shinogi* construction, the flowing *masame*-inclined forging and the bright suguha alone, calling one such blade a full expression of "the characteristic features and merits of Ryūmon Nobuyoshi in both *ji* and *ha*."
For the collector he is a rare early Yamato name carried by a single great work. Fujishiro grades him Jō-jō saku. A signed tachi transmitted as an imperial possession of Emperor Go-Mizunoo is a National Treasure, and the published sources say plainly that "the presence of this celebrated masterpiece has contributed greatly to the high reputation of Nobuyoshi" (この名作があることによって延吉の名が高い); two further signed tachi are Important Cultural Properties, one of them preserved at Shitsukiyama Shrine in Yamaguchi. These are heritage held in shrine and institution and are not encountered on the market. His blades carry distinguished provenance recorded on their own papers, the Hori viscount and Inukai Tsuyoshi on the Tokubetsu Jūyō tachi, the Date of Sendai and the Uesugi among the Jūyō. Beyond the locked tier his record runs through one Tokubetsu Jūyō, the Jūyō and the prewar Jūyō Bijutsuhin, some twenty-six blades in the Tokubetsu Jūyō and Jūyō ranks all told, most held rather than traded. A signed example comes to light only seldom and a fine mumei attribution from time to time, so a privately held Ryūmon Nobuyoshi is a notable thing for a collector, a document of how Yamato and Bizen met in one Yoshino hand.
Sukemitsu (助光) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Tokujū, Jūyō. Sukemitsu is a Yamato smith of the late Kamakura period, recorded in the old signature compendia under the single line "Yamato, Shōan," and a tachi in the Tokyo National Museum carries his written-out date of Shōan 3 (1301), the fixed point from which his small body of work is read. The published sources place him as the earliest of a group of Yamato smiths whose signatures lead with the character *suke* (Sukemitsu, Sukehei, Sukenobu, Sukeyoshi), running from the close of Kamakura into the mid-Muromachi period, and judge him, though no lineage is stated outright, most probably a smith of the Senjuin school. His name is one of kantei's standing confusions, because the Sukemitsu most widely known is Kii Sukemitsu of the Yoshioka Ichimonji in Bizen; the published commentary settles the matter on the signature itself, noting that the Yoshioka hand is never met with a two-character mei, and that "the signature too, a bold two-character mei, is entirely different from that of Yoshioka Ichimonji Sukemitsu" (銘も大振りの二字銘で吉岡一文字助光とは全く異っている).
His recognized typical work is the slender *shinogi-zukuri* tachi, *koshizori* with *funbari* and a *ko-kissaki*, ubu where it survives whole, the large two-character mei 助光 cut above the *mekugi-ana* in a thick, angular chisel. The tell of his hand is the temper: not the free clove-flower of the Bizen school whose name he shares, but a bright *suguha-chō* into which *ko-chōji*, *ko-gunome* and small *midare* are worked, *ko-ashi* entering well, a *koshiba* hardened toward the base, *sunagashi* running in the lower half with *kinsuji*, the *nioiguchi* clear and bright with *ko-nie* well adhered. The published commentary describes the very chiselling as forceful, the 力 element of *suke* and the legs of *mitsu* all angular forms cut with a thick chisel, so that signature and temper read together as one knowable hand.
The *jigane* is the Yamato constant beneath both his manners. Over a compact *ko-itame* the grain flows and inclines toward *masame*, standing a little, with fine *ji-nie* adhering densely and *jifu* mixed in, fine *chikei* entering; on the finest signed tachi a distinct *jifu-utsuri* stands clear, and where the forging tightens the *utsuri* only grows brighter. The *bōshi* runs straight, or with a slight *notare*, and turns back in *ko-maru*, shallow and a little moist on the Tokubetsu Jūyō piece; a *bō-hi* is carried through on both faces. On the shortened, unsigned attributions the same hand stands more openly, the *itame* flowing into *masame* along the edge, the *suguha* fraying with the *bōshi* running to *hakikake* and turning pointed, the Yamato character shown plainly.
The central scholarly question around him is his own two-sidedness. Examining the signed tachi against the Tokyo National Museum dated piece, the published sources find that "that two modes of workmanship are present is made clear by these two swords" (二様の作風があることがこれら二口によって明らかである): the one a flowing *itame* with a *suguha-chō* and small *gunome* showing the Yamato highlights, the other a closely packed *ko-itame* with clear *utsuri* and a *suguha-chō* mixing *ko-chōji* and *ko-gunome* that carries a Bizen-like temperament. One Jūyō tachi opens further into *chōji* mixed with *gunome*, slightly *saka-gakari*, and at first glance reads as a Bizen *den*; yet the *ko-nie* laid through both *ji* and *ha* holds it apart, and the commentary concludes that "considered overall, he should be regarded as a Yamato smith" (総合的にみて大和鍛冶とみるべきもの), leaving the relation between Sukemitsu and the Bizen smiths for further study.
What sets him apart from his neighbours is exactly what the judges name. From the famous Yoshioka Sukemitsu he is divided by the bold two-character signature and by a temper that stays *suguha*-based where the Bizen hand runs to free *chōji-midare*; from the plainer Yamato suguha smiths he is divided by the brightness of his *nioiguchi* and the *ko-chōji* and small *midare* gathered on his edge, the Bizen-leaning admixture that gives his work its individual color. He stands within the Senjuin tradition as a minor but distinct hand, knowable from the construction and the bright *suguha* alone, his place fixed less by lineage records, which are silent, than by the dated reference tachi and the consistency of the signed group.
For the collector he is a rare early Yamato name. Fujishiro grades him Jō-jō saku. He has no National Treasures and no Important Cultural Properties; his record runs instead through one Tokubetsu Jūyō tachi and a small number of Jūyō tachi, with a further attributed Jūyō wakizashi, the four blades of the Tokubetsu Jūyō and Jūyō tiers being nearly the whole of his designated record. The published sources state plainly that "extant signed works by the Yamato smith Sukemitsu are extremely few" (大和鍛冶助光の在銘現存の作はごく僅かである) and call one of the tachi "an extremely rare surviving work" (非常に珍らしい遺品). The dated reference tachi is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum, and his blades otherwise rest in long-held private collections of recorded whereabouts. A signed Yamato Sukemitsu comes to light only seldom, so a privately held example is a notable thing for a collector to encounter, a quiet document of a Yamato hand that looked, at moments, toward Bizen.
Nagayoshi (長吉) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Kokuhō. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Rikio (力王) — Mainline · 1368-1375. Jūbun. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigeyoshi (重吉) — Mainline · 1332-1334. Jūbun. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1299-1302. Jūbi, Tokujū, Jūyō. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniyuki (國行) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Tokujū, Jūyō. Kuniyuki resided at Tsuruga in Echizen and later relocated to Mino Province; dated works bearing the era names Joji and Oan confirm his period of activity within the Nanbokucho era, roughly 1362 to 1375. Signed examples exist reading "Etsushu-ju Fujiwara Kuniyuki" and "Noshu-ju Fujiwara Kuniyuki," and from the sequence of dated works it may be inferred that he entered Mino sometime between the tenth month of Oan 6 and the eighth month of the following year. It is noteworthy that in this same period, smiths such as Kaneshige and Tametsugu also moved from Echizen into Mino. A further signed tachi by a Kuniyuki of the Mino Akasaka Senjuin group -- said to have been formed by craftsmen who relocated from the Yamato Senjuin lineage -- is also recorded, though his precise lineage remains unclear.
Kuniyuki's manner is characterized by a forging of *itame* mixed with *mokume* and a *masame* tendency, frequently showing *hada-dachi*; *ji-nie* forms thickly with *chikei*, and the steel color tends to be dark, bearing a *kana-iro* tone. In both *jigane* and *hamon* one observes characteristics common to works of the northern provinces (*kitaguni-mono*). His tempering encompasses two distinct modes: a slender *suguha* with tight *nioiguchi* that is almost entirely *nioi-deki*, exhibiting fine *hotsure* and *kuichigai-ba*; and a *notare* mixed with *gunome* accompanied by rather coarse *nie*, *sunagashi*, and *kinsuji*, which at times takes on a *hitatsura*-like appearance through the addition of *yubashiri*, *tobiyaki*, and *muneyaki*.
Reliably signed works by Kuniyuki are exceedingly few, and the NBTHK has consistently noted that extant signed pieces constitute especially valuable material for scholarly research. Within both *ji* and *ha* one may clearly discern a northern temperament -- a rustic vigor that the examiners have termed particularly interesting -- and works in the *hitatsura* idiom are recognized for their abundant activities and scenery of *nijuba* and *sanjuba* effects. As a rare example of a smith whose move from Echizen to Mino is documented by inscription, and whose oeuvre demonstrates new facets of workmanship through both *suguha* and *midare* styles, his blades are regarded as possessing high documentary value.
Nobuzane (信實) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Tokujū. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigehisa (重久) — Mainline · 1199-1242. Tokujū. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tamechika (爲近) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Tokujū. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1132-1135. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Other smiths
Senjuin (千手院) — Mainline · 1222-1224. The Senjuin school takes its name from the Senjudo, a hall enshrining Senju Kannon (the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara) said to have stood at the western foothills of Mt. Wakakusa in Nara. Tradition holds that the group of swordsmiths residing in this area constituted the school, which is regarded as the earliest in origin among the five schools of Yamato. According to old transmitted writings, two master smiths, Yukinobu and Shigehiro, were active in the late Heian period; however, no secure extant works by either have yet been confirmed. For reasons unknown, signed works of the school are scarce even thereafter. The oldest surviving signed example is a tachi bearing the three-character inscription "Senjuin," thought to date to the early Kamakura period. Works prefixed Ko-Senjuin are attributed to the school's earliest phase and display forms that retain the lingering presence of the earlier straight-sword (*chokuto*) tradition, constituting indispensable material for research into the development of the curved *shinogi-zukuri* blade.
The school's technical hallmarks are firmly rooted in the Yamato tradition. The *jigane* characteristically shows *itame-hada* mixed with *mokume* and areas of *nagare-masame*, frequently tending toward *hada-dachi*; thick *ji-nie* adheres well, with abundant *chikei*, and in finer examples a faint *nie-utsuri* appears, yielding a steel that is bright and clear. The *hamon* is fundamentally *suguha*-based with a shallow *notare* tendency, mixing *ko-choji*, *ko-gunome*, and *ko-midare*; the *habuchi* is characteristically frayed with *hotsure*, and activities such as *uchi-noke*, *nijuba*, *kuichigai-ba*, and *yubashiri* appear in profusion. Thick *ko-nie* adheres along the *nioiguchi*, which is bright and clear, while *kinsuji* and *sunagashi* run vigorously throughout. The *boshi* typically enters straight, forming *ko-maru* with vigorous *hakikake*, or terminates in *yakizume*. It has been observed from old times that within the Yamato Five Schools, a *hamon* of unusually vigorous and changeable character should be appraised as Senjuin, distinguishing the school from the more restrained temper patterns of the Taima, Tegai, Hosho, and Shikkake groups.
The Senjuin school occupies a position of singular importance in the study of early Japanese swordsmithing. Its production spans from the late Heian period through the Nanbokucho era, and the school's close association with temple warrior-monks is thought to account for the rarity of signed works. Surviving blades encompass *tachi*, *katana*, *kodachi*, *ken*, and *yari*, the last of these being exceptionally rare as signed examples from this period. Many works retain their *ubu* nakago, preserving classical forms of pronounced *koshizori* with *funbari* that overflow with an archaic elegance. The school's *ken* served not as weapons of the warrior class but as *goshintai* and ritual implements, and surviving examples in this form are notably numerous among Yamato works. Pieces transmitted through such collections as Tanzan Shrine and Kyoo Gokoku-ji (To-ji) further attest to the school's deep connections with religious institutions. In both *ji* and *ha*, the finest Senjuin works display a powerful forging woven through with thick *ji-nie* and supported by frequent *chikei*, combined with a luminous *hamon* rich in *nie* activity, producing blades that are at once archaic in character and technically outstanding.
Kanemitsu (兼光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanesumi (兼住) — Mainline · 1429-1441. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1299-1302. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasushige (康重) — Mainline · 1306-1308. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Enso (圓宗) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hidemasa (秀方) — Mainline · 1864-1865. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hironaga (弘長) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniharu (國治) — Mainline · 1504-1521. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunikiyo (国清) — Mainline. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunimitsu (國光) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuninaga (國長) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunishige (国重) — Mainline · 1336-1392. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Mitsumasa (光正) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagamitsu (永光) — Mainline · 1317-1319. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakazane (中眞) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuie (延家) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sadasue (貞末) — Mainline · 1441-1444. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigehiro (重弘) — Mainline · 1166-1169. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sukeuji (助氏) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tamekiyo (爲清) — Mainline · 1334-1338. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tsunetsugu (恒次) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasuhiro (保弘) — Mainline · 1329-1331. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (吉弘) — Mainline · 1352-1356. One signed tanto by Yoshihiro survives bearing the date Koei 2 (1343), and a second carries the inscription "Washu Soekami-gun Senjuin Yoshihiro, Bunwa 2, eighth month"; from these few dated pieces the smith is placed in the Bunwa years of the early Nanbokucho period and read as a hand of the Senjuin group in Yamato. His name is cut 吉広 or 吉弘 on the rare signed blades, while his mumei works are appraised under the character 義弘, the *meikan* recording these as one and the same smith. The Senjuin school takes its name from the Senjudo at the western foot of Mount Wakakusa in Nara, where Senju Kannon is enshrined, and the smiths said to have resided there formed the group. The published sources call it the earliest in origin of the Five Schools of Yamato, with the late-Heian masters Yukinobu and Shigehiro named in old writings, though no secure example by either survives and signed works of the school remained few thereafter, which is why Yoshihiro's handful of dated blades carries an unusual documentary weight.
What sets Yoshihiro apart within Yamato is the sheer range of his hand. Among Nanbokucho Yamato works the NBTHK singles him out as the smith whose blades show 「南北朝期の大和物中、最も地刃に変化を見せ、働きが豊富であり、更に特に沸の強いものである」, the one whose *ji* and *ha* vary most, whose *hataraki* is most abundant, and whose *nie* is especially strong. He works two distinct manners on the same Yamato foundation. The first is a flamboyant large *midare*, tempered with strong *nie*, *kinsuji* running through the *ha*, *sunagashi* entering frequently, and a *boshi* that turns in *midare-komi* and breaks into *hakikake*. The published sources read these traits as suggesting *Soshu* workmanship, and it is on works of this character that the Yoshihiro *kiwame* is traditionally hung.
Under both manners lies one constant *jigane*, and it is the surest mark of his work. He forges a flowing *itame* that runs toward *masame*, *nagare-hada* gathering especially toward the edge, the steel thickly covered in *ji-nie* with *chikei* entering frequently and, on his most refined pieces, very fine *ji-nie* settling densely as *jinie-mijin*. The temper divides cleanly. In his calm register the *ha* is a *suguha* tone with a shallow *notare*, the *habuchi* breaking into *hotsure*, *nijuba* and *uchi-noke* with small *ashi*, the old Yamato motifs carried in *ko-nie* with *kinsuji* and *sunagashi* through the steel and a bright *nioiguchi*. In his flamboyant register the *nioi* is deep and the *nie* thick, the activity richer and the *yakiba* wider. The *boshi* answers each manner in kind, *midare-komi* and *hakikake* on the bold blades, *sugu* turning in a small *ko-maru* or running straight to a *yakizume* point on the quiet ones, the swept *hakikake* tip recurring across both.
The scholarship around him turns on this division and on the rarity of his signed work. The published sources note that 「古来、千手院派の中で相州伝が色濃く混在しているものに義弘の極めをあてる傾向がある」, that within Senjuin attributions the Yoshihiro *kiwame* has long been applied to works in which the *Soshu-den* element is strongly intermixed, and they name the dated Bunwa tanto, with its flamboyant *midare*, strong *nie* and *hakikake* *boshi*, as the touchstone against which mumei pieces are measured. Yet the quieter manner is equally his. An *o-suriage mumei* katana with a relaxed, gentle *yakiba* in *suguha* with shallow *notare*, deep *nioi* and thick *nie* through the *ji* and *ha*, is recognized as one settled manner of the same smith. His signed pieces span the forms: the only surviving signed tanto, likely the only one of that shape; a signed *ken* in narrow *suguha* with *ko-nie* and abundant *kinsuji* and *sunagashi*; and the dated tanto known from old records. The directories also preserve a reference to a Yoshihiro blade dated Ryakuo 4 (1341) whose tang is reproduced in the *Kotoku Oshigata*, the actual sword unseen in modern times.
Against his Yamato contemporaries Yoshihiro is distinguished less by any single feature than by amplitude. The other Yamato schools, Tegai, Taima, Shikkake and Hosho, hold to a narrower *suguha* discipline and a more insistent *masame*; Yoshihiro keeps the school's flowing *masame*-tending steel and its *hotsure* and *nijuba*, but his *ha* swells into a *midare* and his *nie* and *kinsuji* run with a freedom the published sources call the most varied of the period's Yamato hands. The very breadth that makes him recognizable also complicates attribution, since a flamboyant *nie*-laden blade with *Soshu* coloring may pass under his name when its true author is uncertain; it is precisely for that reason that his signed and dated blades, anchoring the manner to a real hand and a real date, are valued as documentary material rather than for prestige alone, the published commentary describing the signed *ken* as a piece of antique fragrance overflowing with dignity.
Five of his blades are recorded at the Juyo level, two signed and three mumei, and none has been raised to the higher tiers of designation, nor does any documented daimyo provenance attach to his work in the present record. His blades are held quietly, in private hands and in the care of regional owners, rather than in the great public collections, and none of his pieces carries the kind of celebrated *denrai* that follows a meibutsu. For the collector this is a smith encountered rarely and by patience: a Senjuin Yoshihiro of either manner, the bold *Soshu*-tinged *midare* or the calm Yamato *suguha*, comes to light only from time to time, and a signed example, of which barely a handful exist across tanto and *ken*, is among the rarer things a student of Nanbokucho Yamato work could hope to see. Where most Yamato attributions retreat into anonymity, Yoshihiro's dated signatures give him a face, and the blades that carry them are prized as the fixed points from which the rest of his varied output is read.
Yoshihiro (義弘) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1324-1326. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshitomo (吉友) — Mainline · 1352-1356. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukikuni (行國) — Mainline · 1346-1370. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukimitsu (行光) — Mainline · 1308-1311. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigeyuki (重行) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Togai (藤外) — Mainline. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Akimitsu (日光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Akimitsu (日光) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimasa (有正) — Mainline · 1331-1336. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimitsu (有光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimitsu (有光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimitsu (有光) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arinaga (有長) — Mainline · 1449-1452. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arinaga (有長) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ario (有王) — Mainline · 1350-1352. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1460-1466. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有利) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有利) — Mainline · 1159-1160. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有利) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1429-1441. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyori (有依) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyuki (有行) — Mainline · 1151-1154. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyuki (有行) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyuki (有行) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Chikamura (近村) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Chikanori (近則) — Mainline · 1044-1046. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Choen (長圓) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Choen (長圓) — Mainline · 1145-1151. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Doin (道印) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Haruhira (治平) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hiromichi (弘道) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hiromura (弘村) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hironaga (廣長) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanekado (兼門) — Mainline · 1716-1736. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanekaku (兼角) — Mainline · 1368-1375. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemochi (兼持) — Mainline · 1332-1334. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemochi (兼持) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemochi (兼持) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (包林) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (兼林) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (兼林) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (包守) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (兼林) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemoto (兼本) — Mainline · 1234-1235. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemura (包村) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemura (包村) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanenao (包直) — Mainline · 1201-1204. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanenao (包直) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneo (金王) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanesaki (兼先) — Mainline · 1570-1573. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (包氏) — Mainline · 1352-1356. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (包氏) — Mainline · 1239-1240. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (兼氏) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (兼氏) — Mainline · 1492-1501. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (兼氏) — Mainline · 1573-1592. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneyama (金山) — Mainline · 1261-1264. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneyasu (包安) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneyuki (金行) — Mainline · 1342-1345. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunimitsu (國光) — Mainline · 1558-1570. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuninaga (國長) — Mainline · 1492-1501. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniyoshi (國吉) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniyuki (國行) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Mitsumune (光宗) — Mainline · 957-961. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Morikuni (盛國) — Mainline · 1624-1644. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motochika (基近) — Mainline · 1213-1219. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1570-1573. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1501-1504. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1342-1345. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1319-1321. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagahide (長秀) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagahira (長平) — Mainline · 923-931. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagahiro (永弘) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagakuni (長國) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagamichi (長道) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagamitsu (長滿) — Mainline · 1688-1704. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagasue (長李) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagayoshi (長吉) — Mainline · 1326-1329. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakagawa (中川) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakagawa (中河) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakamaru (中丸) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Naoie (直家) — Mainline · 1338-1342. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Naomitsu (直光) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nichio (日王) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nikko (日光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobufusa (信房) — Mainline · 1135-1141. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuhira (信平) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuhira (信平) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobukuni (信國) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobumasa (信正) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobusada (信貞) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobusada (信貞) — Mainline · 1615-1624. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobutomo (信具) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuyuki (信行) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuzane (信眞) — Mainline · 1222-1224. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuzane (信眞) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuzane (信眞) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Norihira (法平) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Norihiro (則弘) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Norimitsu (則光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Noritsune (則常) — Mainline · 1069-1074. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Rikio (力王) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Rikio (力王) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sadashige (定重) — Mainline · 1455-1457. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sadashige (定重) — Mainline · 1379-1381. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sensui (泉水) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigehiro (重弘) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigemitsu (重光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigemura (重村) — Mainline · 1171-1175. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadahide (忠秀) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadahide (忠秀) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadaka (忠香) — Mainline · 1247-1249. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadakumo (忠雲) — Mainline · 1317-1319. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadakutsu (忠沓) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadamitsu (忠光) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadasue (忠末) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadataka (忠香) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadataka (忠香) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadato (忠沓) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (忠次) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (但次) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (旦次) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (忠次) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (旦次) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadayori (忠依) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadayoshi (忠義) — Mainline · 1182-1184. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadayoshi (忠義) — Mainline · 1182-1184. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Takamitsu (高光) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tatemitsu (立光) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Todaiji (東大寺) — Mainline · 1077-1081. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toichi (藤一) — Mainline · 1249-1256. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tokihira (時平) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tokimitsu (時光) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tokisue (時末) — Mainline · 1336-1340. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomokiyo (友清) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomonaga (友長) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomonaga (友長) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1260-1261. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1211-1213. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tora Omaru (虎王丸) — Mainline · 1044-1046. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1151-1154. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimitsu (利光) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshiyuki (俊行) — Mainline · 1249-1256. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshiyuki (俊行) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tsunetoshi (恒利) — Mainline · 1182-1184. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tsunezane (恒眞) — Mainline · 1087-1094. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumichi (康道) — Mainline · 1492-1501. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumichi (康道) — Mainline · 1504-1521. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1234-1235. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1249-1256. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasunori (安則) — Mainline · 987-989. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasunori (安順) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasushige (康重) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1384-1387. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1321-1324. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (義廣) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (善廣) — Mainline · 1334-1338. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (義廣) — Mainline · 1334-1338. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (吉廣) — Mainline · 1340-1346. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukihira (行平) — Mainline · 1211-1213. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukimitsu (行光) — Mainline · 999-1004. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1166-1169. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1238-1239. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1219-1222. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1259-1260. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukise (行瀬) — Mainline · Mid-Kamakura to Nanbokucho. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Live·Senjuin lineage
千手院
The Yamato Senjuin School
Named for the Senjudō — the hall of the Thousand-Armed Kannon at the foot of Mount Wakakusa in Nara — the Senjuin school is reckoned the oldest of the five Yamato traditions, its first masters recorded in the late Heian. As makers of ritual implements and arms for the temple warrior-monks of Tōdai-ji and beyond, its smiths rarely signed, and the earliest Ko-Senjuin blades still carry the lingering form of the straight chokutō — indispensable witnesses to the birth of the curved sword. Where Taima, Tegai, Hōshō, and Shikkake lean to restraint, Senjuin is the vigorous one: a suguha-and-shallow-notare base shot through with ko-chōji, ko-gunome, and ko-midare, the habuchi frayed with hotsure, nijūba, and kuichigai-ba over a bright, moist (uruoi) steel. By old appraisal, the most changeable hamon among the Yamato Five is read as Senjuin.
Era
1150 — 1390
Members
219
Kokuhō
2
Jūbun
3
Jūbi
3
Tokujū
7
Jūyō
69
For Sale
13
219smiths2Kokuhō3Jūbun3Jūbi7Tokujū69Jūyō
Branch美濃千手院Mino Senjuin22 smiths
The Yamato Senjuin School (千手院) Lineage
The The Yamato Senjuin School (千手院), active 1150–1390 in Yamato Province across 219 documented smiths: 2 Kokuhō (National Treasures), 3 Jūbun, 3 Jūbi, 7 Tokubetsu Jūyō, 69 Jūyō.
Phase 1 · The Yamato Senjuin School (千手院) · 1150 – 1390
Nobuyoshi (延吉) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Kokuhō, Jūbun, Jūbi, Tokujū, Jūyō. Nobuyoshi is the one famous name of the Ryūmon group, a branch of Yamato swordsmiths active from the late Kamakura period into the Nanbokuchō. The published sources are nearly unanimous on his origins: "Nobuyoshi is traditionally said to have been a smith descending from the Senjuin line" (延吉は千手院派の流れを汲む鍛冶と伝え), and because he lived at Ryūmon-shō in Yoshino District, on the road that runs from Yoshino through to Uda, he was given the byname Ryūmon Nobuyoshi. The group is said to have included other smiths, with names such as Nagayoshi and Yoshiyuki appearing in the reference works, but only Nobuyoshi became well known, to the degree that, as one Jūyō commentary puts it, "when one speaks of Ryūmon, it refers to Nobuyoshi" (竜門といえば延吉を指すほどである). No dated blade by him survives; the swordbooks place him around the Shōō or Bunpō eras.
The hand that defines him is not one manner but two, and the NBTHK draws the division on nearly every paper. One mode forges "a lively midare, or a suguha-toned temper into which chōji-ashi enter" (賑やかな乱れ刃や直刃調に丁子足の入った刃文を焼き), with *utsuri* standing in the *jigane* and a Bizen character coming forward. The other is a *suguha* that frays into *hotsure*, in which "*utsuri* does not stand and the Yamato color is strongly shown" (映りが立たず大和色が濃厚に示された), quiet and austere in feeling. His finest signed tachi, the wide-bodied piece once held by the Hori viscount and treasured by Inukai Bokudō, is the showy mode at its best: a wide *suguha-chō* with shallow *notare*, mixing *gunome*, *chōji*, *togariba* and angular elements, *ashi* and *yō* entering, the *nioiguchi* tightening with *ko-nie*, *nijūba* and *uchi-noke* worked in, with *kinsuji* and fine *sunagashi*. The published sources call it "foremost among works by the same hand" (同作中屈指の優品).
The *jigane* is the constant that carries both modes. It is a well-forged *itame* that flows and inclines to *masame*, with thick *ji-nie* laid finely and *chikei* entering frequently, the masame strengthening toward the edge on the most Yamato of his blades. Over that *jigane* the *utsuri* is the variable: on the Bizen-leaning blades a clear *midare-utsuri*, sometimes a soft *nie-utsuri*; on the Yamato blades none at all. The *bōshi* runs straight and finishes in *hakikake*, often *yakizume*, sometimes a *ko-maru* with a short turnback, and across nearly the whole record the *nioiguchi* is bright and clear. Even in the lively mode the temper stays *suguha*-based with *chōji* and *gunome* set into it rather than opening into a free *chōji-midare*, so the bright suguha with *hotsure* and *kuichigai-ba* is the Yamato root that holds the two manners together.
His signature divides as his workmanship does. Two ways of cutting the right element of the character 延 are observed, a blocky *kaisho* form resembling an abbreviated 正 and a cursive *sōsho* form resembling 氏; the published sources record that later writers "call the former Masa-Nobuyoshi and the latter Uji-Nobuyoshi" (前者を正延吉・後者を氏延吉と呼んでいる). The distinction is not merely calligraphic, for the sources note that blades with the former signature tend to a more tightly knit *hada* and those with the latter to a more standing grain, and one signed tachi is read as a transitional piece between the two. Signed works are set with a large two-character *mei* and survive in only a small number, so a genuine in-*mei* Nobuyoshi is a precious thing to encounter.
What places him is exactly this position between two traditions. His bright *midare-utsuri* and *chōji-ashi* set the Bizen-leaning mode apart from the plainer Senjuin and Taima *suguha*, while the subdued suguha-with-*hotsure* keeps him within Yamato. The published sources observe that his smaller-signature blades have since old times been confused with Ko-Bizen Ko-Ichimonji work, and that confusion is itself the measure of where he stands. On the mumei katana, which form the bulk of his record, the judges affirm the attribution from the high-*shinogi* construction, the flowing *masame*-inclined forging and the bright suguha alone, calling one such blade a full expression of "the characteristic features and merits of Ryūmon Nobuyoshi in both *ji* and *ha*."
For the collector he is a rare early Yamato name carried by a single great work. Fujishiro grades him Jō-jō saku. A signed tachi transmitted as an imperial possession of Emperor Go-Mizunoo is a National Treasure, and the published sources say plainly that "the presence of this celebrated masterpiece has contributed greatly to the high reputation of Nobuyoshi" (この名作があることによって延吉の名が高い); two further signed tachi are Important Cultural Properties, one of them preserved at Shitsukiyama Shrine in Yamaguchi. These are heritage held in shrine and institution and are not encountered on the market. His blades carry distinguished provenance recorded on their own papers, the Hori viscount and Inukai Tsuyoshi on the Tokubetsu Jūyō tachi, the Date of Sendai and the Uesugi among the Jūyō. Beyond the locked tier his record runs through one Tokubetsu Jūyō, the Jūyō and the prewar Jūyō Bijutsuhin, some twenty-six blades in the Tokubetsu Jūyō and Jūyō ranks all told, most held rather than traded. A signed example comes to light only seldom and a fine mumei attribution from time to time, so a privately held Ryūmon Nobuyoshi is a notable thing for a collector, a document of how Yamato and Bizen met in one Yoshino hand.
Sukemitsu (助光) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Tokujū, Jūyō. Sukemitsu is a Yamato smith of the late Kamakura period, recorded in the old signature compendia under the single line "Yamato, Shōan," and a tachi in the Tokyo National Museum carries his written-out date of Shōan 3 (1301), the fixed point from which his small body of work is read. The published sources place him as the earliest of a group of Yamato smiths whose signatures lead with the character *suke* (Sukemitsu, Sukehei, Sukenobu, Sukeyoshi), running from the close of Kamakura into the mid-Muromachi period, and judge him, though no lineage is stated outright, most probably a smith of the Senjuin school. His name is one of kantei's standing confusions, because the Sukemitsu most widely known is Kii Sukemitsu of the Yoshioka Ichimonji in Bizen; the published commentary settles the matter on the signature itself, noting that the Yoshioka hand is never met with a two-character mei, and that "the signature too, a bold two-character mei, is entirely different from that of Yoshioka Ichimonji Sukemitsu" (銘も大振りの二字銘で吉岡一文字助光とは全く異っている).
His recognized typical work is the slender *shinogi-zukuri* tachi, *koshizori* with *funbari* and a *ko-kissaki*, ubu where it survives whole, the large two-character mei 助光 cut above the *mekugi-ana* in a thick, angular chisel. The tell of his hand is the temper: not the free clove-flower of the Bizen school whose name he shares, but a bright *suguha-chō* into which *ko-chōji*, *ko-gunome* and small *midare* are worked, *ko-ashi* entering well, a *koshiba* hardened toward the base, *sunagashi* running in the lower half with *kinsuji*, the *nioiguchi* clear and bright with *ko-nie* well adhered. The published commentary describes the very chiselling as forceful, the 力 element of *suke* and the legs of *mitsu* all angular forms cut with a thick chisel, so that signature and temper read together as one knowable hand.
The *jigane* is the Yamato constant beneath both his manners. Over a compact *ko-itame* the grain flows and inclines toward *masame*, standing a little, with fine *ji-nie* adhering densely and *jifu* mixed in, fine *chikei* entering; on the finest signed tachi a distinct *jifu-utsuri* stands clear, and where the forging tightens the *utsuri* only grows brighter. The *bōshi* runs straight, or with a slight *notare*, and turns back in *ko-maru*, shallow and a little moist on the Tokubetsu Jūyō piece; a *bō-hi* is carried through on both faces. On the shortened, unsigned attributions the same hand stands more openly, the *itame* flowing into *masame* along the edge, the *suguha* fraying with the *bōshi* running to *hakikake* and turning pointed, the Yamato character shown plainly.
The central scholarly question around him is his own two-sidedness. Examining the signed tachi against the Tokyo National Museum dated piece, the published sources find that "that two modes of workmanship are present is made clear by these two swords" (二様の作風があることがこれら二口によって明らかである): the one a flowing *itame* with a *suguha-chō* and small *gunome* showing the Yamato highlights, the other a closely packed *ko-itame* with clear *utsuri* and a *suguha-chō* mixing *ko-chōji* and *ko-gunome* that carries a Bizen-like temperament. One Jūyō tachi opens further into *chōji* mixed with *gunome*, slightly *saka-gakari*, and at first glance reads as a Bizen *den*; yet the *ko-nie* laid through both *ji* and *ha* holds it apart, and the commentary concludes that "considered overall, he should be regarded as a Yamato smith" (総合的にみて大和鍛冶とみるべきもの), leaving the relation between Sukemitsu and the Bizen smiths for further study.
What sets him apart from his neighbours is exactly what the judges name. From the famous Yoshioka Sukemitsu he is divided by the bold two-character signature and by a temper that stays *suguha*-based where the Bizen hand runs to free *chōji-midare*; from the plainer Yamato suguha smiths he is divided by the brightness of his *nioiguchi* and the *ko-chōji* and small *midare* gathered on his edge, the Bizen-leaning admixture that gives his work its individual color. He stands within the Senjuin tradition as a minor but distinct hand, knowable from the construction and the bright *suguha* alone, his place fixed less by lineage records, which are silent, than by the dated reference tachi and the consistency of the signed group.
For the collector he is a rare early Yamato name. Fujishiro grades him Jō-jō saku. He has no National Treasures and no Important Cultural Properties; his record runs instead through one Tokubetsu Jūyō tachi and a small number of Jūyō tachi, with a further attributed Jūyō wakizashi, the four blades of the Tokubetsu Jūyō and Jūyō tiers being nearly the whole of his designated record. The published sources state plainly that "extant signed works by the Yamato smith Sukemitsu are extremely few" (大和鍛冶助光の在銘現存の作はごく僅かである) and call one of the tachi "an extremely rare surviving work" (非常に珍らしい遺品). The dated reference tachi is preserved in the Tokyo National Museum, and his blades otherwise rest in long-held private collections of recorded whereabouts. A signed Yamato Sukemitsu comes to light only seldom, so a privately held example is a notable thing for a collector to encounter, a quiet document of a Yamato hand that looked, at moments, toward Bizen.
Nagayoshi (長吉) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Kokuhō. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Rikio (力王) — Mainline · 1368-1375. Jūbun. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigeyoshi (重吉) — Mainline · 1332-1334. Jūbun. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1299-1302. Jūbi, Tokujū, Jūyō. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniyuki (國行) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Tokujū, Jūyō. Kuniyuki resided at Tsuruga in Echizen and later relocated to Mino Province; dated works bearing the era names Joji and Oan confirm his period of activity within the Nanbokucho era, roughly 1362 to 1375. Signed examples exist reading "Etsushu-ju Fujiwara Kuniyuki" and "Noshu-ju Fujiwara Kuniyuki," and from the sequence of dated works it may be inferred that he entered Mino sometime between the tenth month of Oan 6 and the eighth month of the following year. It is noteworthy that in this same period, smiths such as Kaneshige and Tametsugu also moved from Echizen into Mino. A further signed tachi by a Kuniyuki of the Mino Akasaka Senjuin group -- said to have been formed by craftsmen who relocated from the Yamato Senjuin lineage -- is also recorded, though his precise lineage remains unclear.
Kuniyuki's manner is characterized by a forging of *itame* mixed with *mokume* and a *masame* tendency, frequently showing *hada-dachi*; *ji-nie* forms thickly with *chikei*, and the steel color tends to be dark, bearing a *kana-iro* tone. In both *jigane* and *hamon* one observes characteristics common to works of the northern provinces (*kitaguni-mono*). His tempering encompasses two distinct modes: a slender *suguha* with tight *nioiguchi* that is almost entirely *nioi-deki*, exhibiting fine *hotsure* and *kuichigai-ba*; and a *notare* mixed with *gunome* accompanied by rather coarse *nie*, *sunagashi*, and *kinsuji*, which at times takes on a *hitatsura*-like appearance through the addition of *yubashiri*, *tobiyaki*, and *muneyaki*.
Reliably signed works by Kuniyuki are exceedingly few, and the NBTHK has consistently noted that extant signed pieces constitute especially valuable material for scholarly research. Within both *ji* and *ha* one may clearly discern a northern temperament -- a rustic vigor that the examiners have termed particularly interesting -- and works in the *hitatsura* idiom are recognized for their abundant activities and scenery of *nijuba* and *sanjuba* effects. As a rare example of a smith whose move from Echizen to Mino is documented by inscription, and whose oeuvre demonstrates new facets of workmanship through both *suguha* and *midare* styles, his blades are regarded as possessing high documentary value.
Nobuzane (信實) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Tokujū. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigehisa (重久) — Mainline · 1199-1242. Tokujū. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tamechika (爲近) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Tokujū. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1132-1135. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Other smiths
Senjuin (千手院) — Mainline · 1222-1224. The Senjuin school takes its name from the Senjudo, a hall enshrining Senju Kannon (the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara) said to have stood at the western foothills of Mt. Wakakusa in Nara. Tradition holds that the group of swordsmiths residing in this area constituted the school, which is regarded as the earliest in origin among the five schools of Yamato. According to old transmitted writings, two master smiths, Yukinobu and Shigehiro, were active in the late Heian period; however, no secure extant works by either have yet been confirmed. For reasons unknown, signed works of the school are scarce even thereafter. The oldest surviving signed example is a tachi bearing the three-character inscription "Senjuin," thought to date to the early Kamakura period. Works prefixed Ko-Senjuin are attributed to the school's earliest phase and display forms that retain the lingering presence of the earlier straight-sword (*chokuto*) tradition, constituting indispensable material for research into the development of the curved *shinogi-zukuri* blade.
The school's technical hallmarks are firmly rooted in the Yamato tradition. The *jigane* characteristically shows *itame-hada* mixed with *mokume* and areas of *nagare-masame*, frequently tending toward *hada-dachi*; thick *ji-nie* adheres well, with abundant *chikei*, and in finer examples a faint *nie-utsuri* appears, yielding a steel that is bright and clear. The *hamon* is fundamentally *suguha*-based with a shallow *notare* tendency, mixing *ko-choji*, *ko-gunome*, and *ko-midare*; the *habuchi* is characteristically frayed with *hotsure*, and activities such as *uchi-noke*, *nijuba*, *kuichigai-ba*, and *yubashiri* appear in profusion. Thick *ko-nie* adheres along the *nioiguchi*, which is bright and clear, while *kinsuji* and *sunagashi* run vigorously throughout. The *boshi* typically enters straight, forming *ko-maru* with vigorous *hakikake*, or terminates in *yakizume*. It has been observed from old times that within the Yamato Five Schools, a *hamon* of unusually vigorous and changeable character should be appraised as Senjuin, distinguishing the school from the more restrained temper patterns of the Taima, Tegai, Hosho, and Shikkake groups.
The Senjuin school occupies a position of singular importance in the study of early Japanese swordsmithing. Its production spans from the late Heian period through the Nanbokucho era, and the school's close association with temple warrior-monks is thought to account for the rarity of signed works. Surviving blades encompass *tachi*, *katana*, *kodachi*, *ken*, and *yari*, the last of these being exceptionally rare as signed examples from this period. Many works retain their *ubu* nakago, preserving classical forms of pronounced *koshizori* with *funbari* that overflow with an archaic elegance. The school's *ken* served not as weapons of the warrior class but as *goshintai* and ritual implements, and surviving examples in this form are notably numerous among Yamato works. Pieces transmitted through such collections as Tanzan Shrine and Kyoo Gokoku-ji (To-ji) further attest to the school's deep connections with religious institutions. In both *ji* and *ha*, the finest Senjuin works display a powerful forging woven through with thick *ji-nie* and supported by frequent *chikei*, combined with a luminous *hamon* rich in *nie* activity, producing blades that are at once archaic in character and technically outstanding.
Kanemitsu (兼光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanesumi (兼住) — Mainline · 1429-1441. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1299-1302. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasushige (康重) — Mainline · 1306-1308. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Enso (圓宗) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hidemasa (秀方) — Mainline · 1864-1865. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hironaga (弘長) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniharu (國治) — Mainline · 1504-1521. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunikiyo (国清) — Mainline. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunimitsu (國光) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuninaga (國長) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunishige (国重) — Mainline · 1336-1392. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Mitsumasa (光正) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagamitsu (永光) — Mainline · 1317-1319. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakazane (中眞) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuie (延家) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sadasue (貞末) — Mainline · 1441-1444. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigehiro (重弘) — Mainline · 1166-1169. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sukeuji (助氏) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tamekiyo (爲清) — Mainline · 1334-1338. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tsunetsugu (恒次) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasuhiro (保弘) — Mainline · 1329-1331. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (吉弘) — Mainline · 1352-1356. One signed tanto by Yoshihiro survives bearing the date Koei 2 (1343), and a second carries the inscription "Washu Soekami-gun Senjuin Yoshihiro, Bunwa 2, eighth month"; from these few dated pieces the smith is placed in the Bunwa years of the early Nanbokucho period and read as a hand of the Senjuin group in Yamato. His name is cut 吉広 or 吉弘 on the rare signed blades, while his mumei works are appraised under the character 義弘, the *meikan* recording these as one and the same smith. The Senjuin school takes its name from the Senjudo at the western foot of Mount Wakakusa in Nara, where Senju Kannon is enshrined, and the smiths said to have resided there formed the group. The published sources call it the earliest in origin of the Five Schools of Yamato, with the late-Heian masters Yukinobu and Shigehiro named in old writings, though no secure example by either survives and signed works of the school remained few thereafter, which is why Yoshihiro's handful of dated blades carries an unusual documentary weight.
What sets Yoshihiro apart within Yamato is the sheer range of his hand. Among Nanbokucho Yamato works the NBTHK singles him out as the smith whose blades show 「南北朝期の大和物中、最も地刃に変化を見せ、働きが豊富であり、更に特に沸の強いものである」, the one whose *ji* and *ha* vary most, whose *hataraki* is most abundant, and whose *nie* is especially strong. He works two distinct manners on the same Yamato foundation. The first is a flamboyant large *midare*, tempered with strong *nie*, *kinsuji* running through the *ha*, *sunagashi* entering frequently, and a *boshi* that turns in *midare-komi* and breaks into *hakikake*. The published sources read these traits as suggesting *Soshu* workmanship, and it is on works of this character that the Yoshihiro *kiwame* is traditionally hung.
Under both manners lies one constant *jigane*, and it is the surest mark of his work. He forges a flowing *itame* that runs toward *masame*, *nagare-hada* gathering especially toward the edge, the steel thickly covered in *ji-nie* with *chikei* entering frequently and, on his most refined pieces, very fine *ji-nie* settling densely as *jinie-mijin*. The temper divides cleanly. In his calm register the *ha* is a *suguha* tone with a shallow *notare*, the *habuchi* breaking into *hotsure*, *nijuba* and *uchi-noke* with small *ashi*, the old Yamato motifs carried in *ko-nie* with *kinsuji* and *sunagashi* through the steel and a bright *nioiguchi*. In his flamboyant register the *nioi* is deep and the *nie* thick, the activity richer and the *yakiba* wider. The *boshi* answers each manner in kind, *midare-komi* and *hakikake* on the bold blades, *sugu* turning in a small *ko-maru* or running straight to a *yakizume* point on the quiet ones, the swept *hakikake* tip recurring across both.
The scholarship around him turns on this division and on the rarity of his signed work. The published sources note that 「古来、千手院派の中で相州伝が色濃く混在しているものに義弘の極めをあてる傾向がある」, that within Senjuin attributions the Yoshihiro *kiwame* has long been applied to works in which the *Soshu-den* element is strongly intermixed, and they name the dated Bunwa tanto, with its flamboyant *midare*, strong *nie* and *hakikake* *boshi*, as the touchstone against which mumei pieces are measured. Yet the quieter manner is equally his. An *o-suriage mumei* katana with a relaxed, gentle *yakiba* in *suguha* with shallow *notare*, deep *nioi* and thick *nie* through the *ji* and *ha*, is recognized as one settled manner of the same smith. His signed pieces span the forms: the only surviving signed tanto, likely the only one of that shape; a signed *ken* in narrow *suguha* with *ko-nie* and abundant *kinsuji* and *sunagashi*; and the dated tanto known from old records. The directories also preserve a reference to a Yoshihiro blade dated Ryakuo 4 (1341) whose tang is reproduced in the *Kotoku Oshigata*, the actual sword unseen in modern times.
Against his Yamato contemporaries Yoshihiro is distinguished less by any single feature than by amplitude. The other Yamato schools, Tegai, Taima, Shikkake and Hosho, hold to a narrower *suguha* discipline and a more insistent *masame*; Yoshihiro keeps the school's flowing *masame*-tending steel and its *hotsure* and *nijuba*, but his *ha* swells into a *midare* and his *nie* and *kinsuji* run with a freedom the published sources call the most varied of the period's Yamato hands. The very breadth that makes him recognizable also complicates attribution, since a flamboyant *nie*-laden blade with *Soshu* coloring may pass under his name when its true author is uncertain; it is precisely for that reason that his signed and dated blades, anchoring the manner to a real hand and a real date, are valued as documentary material rather than for prestige alone, the published commentary describing the signed *ken* as a piece of antique fragrance overflowing with dignity.
Five of his blades are recorded at the Juyo level, two signed and three mumei, and none has been raised to the higher tiers of designation, nor does any documented daimyo provenance attach to his work in the present record. His blades are held quietly, in private hands and in the care of regional owners, rather than in the great public collections, and none of his pieces carries the kind of celebrated *denrai* that follows a meibutsu. For the collector this is a smith encountered rarely and by patience: a Senjuin Yoshihiro of either manner, the bold *Soshu*-tinged *midare* or the calm Yamato *suguha*, comes to light only from time to time, and a signed example, of which barely a handful exist across tanto and *ken*, is among the rarer things a student of Nanbokucho Yamato work could hope to see. Where most Yamato attributions retreat into anonymity, Yoshihiro's dated signatures give him a face, and the blades that carry them are prized as the fixed points from which the rest of his varied output is read.
Yoshihiro (義弘) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1324-1326. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshitomo (吉友) — Mainline · 1352-1356. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukikuni (行國) — Mainline · 1346-1370. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukimitsu (行光) — Mainline · 1308-1311. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigeyuki (重行) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Togai (藤外) — Mainline. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Akimitsu (日光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Akimitsu (日光) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimasa (有正) — Mainline · 1331-1336. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimitsu (有光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimitsu (有光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arimitsu (有光) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arinaga (有長) — Mainline · 1449-1452. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Arinaga (有長) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ario (有王) — Mainline · 1350-1352. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1460-1466. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有利) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有利) — Mainline · 1159-1160. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有利) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Aritoshi (有俊) — Mainline · 1429-1441. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyori (有依) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyuki (有行) — Mainline · 1151-1154. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyuki (有行) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Ariyuki (有行) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Chikamura (近村) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Chikanori (近則) — Mainline · 1044-1046. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Choen (長圓) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Choen (長圓) — Mainline · 1145-1151. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Doin (道印) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Haruhira (治平) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hiromichi (弘道) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hiromura (弘村) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Hironaga (廣長) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanekado (兼門) — Mainline · 1716-1736. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanekaku (兼角) — Mainline · 1368-1375. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemochi (兼持) — Mainline · 1332-1334. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemochi (兼持) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemochi (兼持) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (包林) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (兼林) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (兼林) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (包守) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemori (兼林) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemoto (兼本) — Mainline · 1234-1235. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemura (包村) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanemura (包村) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanenao (包直) — Mainline · 1201-1204. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanenao (包直) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneo (金王) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kanesaki (兼先) — Mainline · 1570-1573. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (包氏) — Mainline · 1352-1356. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (包氏) — Mainline · 1239-1240. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (兼氏) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (兼氏) — Mainline · 1492-1501. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneuji (兼氏) — Mainline · 1573-1592. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneyama (金山) — Mainline · 1261-1264. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneyasu (包安) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kaneyuki (金行) — Mainline · 1342-1345. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kunimitsu (國光) — Mainline · 1558-1570. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuninaga (國長) — Mainline · 1492-1501. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniyoshi (國吉) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Kuniyuki (國行) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Mitsumune (光宗) — Mainline · 957-961. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Morikuni (盛國) — Mainline · 1624-1644. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motochika (基近) — Mainline · 1213-1219. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1570-1573. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1501-1504. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1342-1345. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Motokiyo (元清) — Mainline · 1319-1321. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagahide (長秀) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagahira (長平) — Mainline · 923-931. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagahiro (永弘) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagakuni (長國) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagamichi (長道) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagamitsu (長滿) — Mainline · 1688-1704. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagasue (長李) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nagayoshi (長吉) — Mainline · 1326-1329. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakagawa (中川) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakagawa (中河) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nakamaru (中丸) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Naoie (直家) — Mainline · 1338-1342. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Naomitsu (直光) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nichio (日王) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nikko (日光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobufusa (信房) — Mainline · 1135-1141. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuhira (信平) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuhira (信平) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobukuni (信國) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobumasa (信正) — Mainline · 1243-1247. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobusada (信貞) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobusada (信貞) — Mainline · 1615-1624. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobutomo (信具) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuyuki (信行) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuzane (信眞) — Mainline · 1222-1224. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuzane (信眞) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Nobuzane (信眞) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Norihira (法平) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Norihiro (則弘) — Mainline · 1362-1368. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Norimitsu (則光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Noritsune (則常) — Mainline · 1069-1074. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Rikio (力王) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Rikio (力王) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sadashige (定重) — Mainline · 1455-1457. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sadashige (定重) — Mainline · 1379-1381. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Sensui (泉水) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigehiro (重弘) — Mainline · 1207-1211. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigemitsu (重光) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Shigemura (重村) — Mainline · 1171-1175. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadahide (忠秀) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadahide (忠秀) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadaka (忠香) — Mainline · 1247-1249. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadakumo (忠雲) — Mainline · 1317-1319. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadakutsu (忠沓) — Mainline · 1199-1201. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadamitsu (忠光) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadasue (忠末) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadataka (忠香) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadataka (忠香) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadato (忠沓) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (忠次) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (但次) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (旦次) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (忠次) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadatsugu (旦次) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadayori (忠依) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadayoshi (忠義) — Mainline · 1182-1184. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tadayoshi (忠義) — Mainline · 1182-1184. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Takamitsu (高光) — Mainline · 1288-1293. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tatemitsu (立光) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Todaiji (東大寺) — Mainline · 1077-1081. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toichi (藤一) — Mainline · 1249-1256. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tokihira (時平) — Mainline · 1312-1317. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tokimitsu (時光) — Mainline · 987-1596. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tokisue (時末) — Mainline · 1336-1340. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomokiyo (友清) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomonaga (友長) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomonaga (友長) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1260-1261. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1211-1213. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tomoyuki (友行) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tora Omaru (虎王丸) — Mainline · 1044-1046. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimasa (俊正) — Mainline · 1151-1154. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshimitsu (利光) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshiyuki (俊行) — Mainline · 1249-1256. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Toshiyuki (俊行) — Mainline · 1264-1275. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tsunetoshi (恒利) — Mainline · 1182-1184. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Tsunezane (恒眞) — Mainline · 1087-1094. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumichi (康道) — Mainline · 1492-1501. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumichi (康道) — Mainline · 1504-1521. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1234-1235. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1249-1256. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1303-1306. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasumura (安村) — Mainline · 1278-1288. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasunori (安則) — Mainline · 987-989. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasunori (安順) — Mainline · 1190-1199. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasushige (康重) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1233-1234. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1384-1387. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1321-1324. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yasutsugu (康繼) — Mainline · 1532-1555. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (義廣) — Mainline · 1345-1350. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (善廣) — Mainline · 1334-1338. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (義廣) — Mainline · 1334-1338. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshihiro (吉廣) — Mainline · 1340-1346. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1469-1487. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yoshimitsu (吉光) — Mainline · 1394-1428. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukihira (行平) — Mainline · 1211-1213. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukimitsu (行光) — Mainline · 999-1004. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1166-1169. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1184-1185. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1238-1239. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1275-1278. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1293-1299. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1356-1361. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1219-1222. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukinobu (行信) — Mainline · 1259-1260. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.
Yukise (行瀬) — Mainline · Mid-Kamakura to Nanbokucho. Smith of the Yamato Senjuin School.