Kantei
The point of a katana on a black background.

Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase · ColBase terms of use

Sōshū-den · bright steel · kinzōgan

Work and style

What is said of his style comes from attributed blades: a Sōshū-den base with bright, clear steel and temper, something rare among the northern smiths.

On this page
  1. Kantei keys
  2. Signed by others
  3. The attributions, on the tang

Kantei keys

Sugata
Blades almost always heavily shortened (ō-suriage), of about 69 to 72 cm; the Inaba-gō, 70.9 cm, with a sori of 2.0 and a width of 2.9 at the base. HD
Jihada
Very tight ko-itame, with fine, dense ji-nie, sometimes mokume and chikei; clear and bright, whereas in the northern smiths it is usually dark. HD
Hamon
Of Sagami: notare or ko-notare with gunome, plenty of nie, sunagashi, kinsuji and inazuma, wide and irregular towards the monouchi. There is also a wide suguha with chōji-ashi (Kuwana-gō) and a tight suguha, rare in him (Matsui-gō). Sesko cites him for the wide nioiguchi suguha, extremely rare in kotō. HD
Bōshi
Ichimai or almost ichimai, with a round or deep kaeri. HD
Nakago and mei
No signature is his own: they are attributions by the Hon'ami, in gold (金象嵌, kinzōgan) on the shortened tang, or in red lacquer (shu-mei 朱銘) if part of the original remains. HD

Signed by others

  • The Inaba-gō bears 天正十三十二月日 (Tenshō jūsan jūnigatsu hi) 江 (Gō) 本阿弥磨上之 (Hon'ami suriage kore): a Hon'ami shortened and attributed it in December 1585.
  • The Kitano-gō bears 江磨上 光徳 (Gō suriage, Kōtoku), with the monogram of Hon'ami Kōtoku; the Matsui-gō, the red lacquer of Hon'ami Kōjō.