Koyama Munehira

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Koyama Munehira (固山宗平) is the name of a line of swordsmiths of the Koyama family, who came from Shirakawa in Mutsu; the signature does not always tell which generation made a given blade. The first of the name, active from the Bunsei era (1818-1831), was the elder brother of Koyama Munetsugu (固山宗次). The family were town smiths in Shirakawa when the Matsudaira, lords of the domain, were moved to Kuwana in Ise in 1823, and Munehira also lived in Kuwana. School tradition holds that around the Tenpō era he served the Koga domain in Shimōsa before returning to the Matsudaira of Kuwana. Like his brother, he worked throughout in the Bizen tradition: a tightly forged, clean jigane and a nioi-based chōji midare hamon, at times mixed with gunome. Signed works bear 固山宗平 (Koyama Munehira).