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Sword mounting
Sword accessories
Japanese Swords: Cutting Edge
Shintō (new swords)
Shintō (new swords) describes the new traditions in sword-making that developed from around 1600. By this time the civil war had ended and a new era - known as the Edo period (1600-1868) - saw the establishment of the Tokugawa regime. Demand for swords fell after the fighting stopped so only the best smiths were able to continue in business. Many of them moved to Kyoto, Osaka and Edo (modern Tokyo), while the most skilled went to provincial towns controlled by feudal lords (daimyō).
Changes in manufacturing technology were influenced by gun-making and foreign steel imports. In general, shintō blades look 'younger' than kotō and the textures of the metal are less complex owing to simplified manufacturing methods. Shintō are likely to be heavier, thicker and less curved than kotō, with a more precise hamon (crystalline structure of the blade edge). Sword blades and their mountings became more decorative during this period, although sombre mountings with black scabbards were required for formal duty in Edo.
This wakizashi (companion sword) blade was made during the early seventeenth century by Sampin Masatoshi. He was the fourth son of Kanemichi of Seki, and he moved to Kyoto in the early 1590s. The ribbed scabbard is lacquered black and the fine matching metal fittings are decorated with chrysanthemums and other autumn flowers in gold high-relief inlay.