Masayoshi was born in Noshu, and at the age of twenty went with his father to study under the revivalist smith Suishinshi Masahide in 1805. He became one of the two main pupils of Masahide together with Taikei Naotane. He used the names Masagura and Masakata in his early years, but after four years with Masahide he received the character 'Hide' from his teacher's name and adopted the name Morihide. In 1820 he changed his name finally to Masayoshi. He was retained by the Matsudaira clan of Tsuyama Han, and signed as a retainer of Sakuyo ( Mimasaka - present day Okayama prefecture) ) while working for the Matsudaira in Edo (Bushu province).

Click here to watch vintage 1930s film of the making of a samurai sword.