The Swordsmith of the Bakumatsu Era: Minamoto Kiyomaro by Reiko Saito 685 pages Born as the second son of a goshi (rural samurai) in Shinshu, Tama Yamamura (Kiyomaro) was overwhelmingly shocked by a sword his older brother Noboru brought home. The two spurred each other on, and while taking separate paths, aimed to complete the ultimate sword. Eventually, Tama, leaving his wife in their hometown, came to Edo alone. There, he began to make a name for himself as a master craftsman due to the beauty of his ji-gan (surface grain) and hamon (temper line). Setting up a forge in Yotsuya and pouring his heart and soul into creating his ideal sword, he eventually came to be known as the "Yotsuya Masamune."