Yasutsugu(康継) was bornaround 1550 in Shimosaka (下坂) in Ōmiprovince.He came from a family ofsword makers headed by his father, Hironaga(廣長), believed to be the last descendant of theYamato no Kuni Senjuin ( 大和国千手院). Although his father was from Omi, he was trained in the Mino(美濃)tradition.
Yasutsugu's early training (康継) was in the Yamato Senjuin ( 大和)style, and in theMino (美濃) tradition. His first signature was Echizen Ju Shimosaka (越前住下坂). He later began experimenting with theSōshū (相州 ) traditionand becameproficient in all three.During theBunroku period (1592-1596), he was given the title ofHigo Daijō ( 肥後大掾).At the beginning of theKeichōera(1596), he moved to Echizen province and settled inFukui.
He was noticed and supported by Matsudaira Hideyasu (松平秀廉), the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康). Hideyasu (秀廉) wasthe daimyōof Echizen province and throughhispatronage, Yasutsugu (康継) became known to Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康)and Tokugawa Hidetada (徳川秀忠), thefirst two shoguns of theTokugawafamily. Around the 11th or 12th year of theKeichō period(1606-1607), Yasutsugu's (康継) fame reached such a level that he was summoned to Edo (nowTokyo) to share his blacksmithing skills with Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康).Atthis time, Yasutsugu (康継) was granted the privilege of using the "Yasu" (康) signfrom Tokugawa Ieyasu's (徳川家康) name. So from then on he changed his name to Yasutsugu (康継).This privilegewasgivento Yasutsugu and his descendantsforever.Thus,Yasutsugu (康継) swordsmen became the kaji (sword smiths)of the Tokugawa family.
Yasutsugu (康継) was one of the early proponents of usingnanban-tetsu(foreign steel) in his swords. He proudly engraved this fact on the nakago of his later works.The use offoreign steel helped him spreadhisfame.
Yasutsugu (康継) worked in Echizen and Edo, following the custom of theTokugawa family at the time.This was very similar to the practice ofsankin-kōtai(participation in alternate years), required ofdaimyō. He died in the seventh year of Genna's reign (1621), probably at the age of68-70. Over time, 2 branches of the family developed, working in Echizen and Edo. The Yasutsugu branch from Edo functioned for as many as 11 generations, andit is from the Echizen line that YasutsuguKōdaicomes.
