Kantei
A tantō on a black background, with a temper of large waves and a short tang with one hole.

Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase · ColBase terms of use

Sōden-Bizen · mimigata · Chōgi-bōshi

Work and style

Wide blades with a large kissaki, notare with gunome and plenty of nie, gunome in pairs like ears and a bōshi with a long turn-back: the Bizen base with the temper of Sagami.

On this page
  1. Kantei keys
  2. The least “Bizen-like” of Bizen
  3. Who he is confused with
  4. Details

Kantei keys

Sugata
Wide tachi and tantō, with a large kissaki and a powerful shape, as the Nanbokuchō demanded, often with a high shinogi. His tantō often measure 8 or 9 sun, although some keep the classic shape, of normal length, minimal sori and moderate width. HD
Jihada
Of Bizen type and softer than Kanemitsu’s, with the utsuri less visible; itame with ji-nie, sometimes with the hada standing out. HD
Hamon
Notare with gunome and plenty of nie; ō-gunome with open bases and gunome in ear-shaped pairs (mimigata), above all in the tantō. Two manners, one more of Bizen and another more of Sagami, both with a wide temper and large rises. HD
Bōshi
With a deep kaeri: pointed, tending towards the candle (rōsoku), with plenty of nie and a long, wide turn-back; it is called Chōgi-bōshi. HD
Nakago and mei
The long swords are almost all heavily shortened (ō-suriage) and unsigned; what is signed is mostly tantō, with 備州長船住長義 (Bishū Osafune jū Chōgi). HD

The least “Bizen-like” of Bizen

“Among the Bizen smiths, the one who does not look like Bizen is Chōgi.” The NBTHK stresses that he seeks nie and a free style, and that the “mountain and ear” features of the hamon are seen above all in his tantō. The Tokyo National Museum describes his tachi with ō-kissaki, itame and gunome-midare in ko-nie strongly influenced by Sagami, which is called Sōden-Bizen.

Who he is confused with

Faced with a katana in Sōden-Bizen style, the NBTHK names Chōgi, Kanenaga and Ōmiya Morikage. Kanenaga has a lower temper; Morikage, also low and narrow, with an odd mokume jihada, of uneven colour and a worn nioiguchi. Chōgi, even with a wide temper, can look low in his late works.