Work and style

Kantei keys

Sugata

Thin kasane, high shinogi and no hira-niku, from the first to the third generation. Katana longer than those of his time: many of about 2 shaku 3 sun, made for two hands, when the usual was the one-handed uchigatana of about 2 shaku. Also kowakizashi and tantō in hira-zukuri, and yari. The Japanese Sword Index gives late Mino two types of katana sugata, besides shōbu-zukuri, yari and naginata. AT

Jihada

Flowing itame (nagare), with masame in the shinogi-ji and a steel that turns whitish (shirake); by exception, a very tight ko-itame. The Japanese Sword Index adds a harder, darker jigane, with openings (ware). AT

Hamon

The sanbonsugi: a pointed gunome repeated in groups of three. In his hand it is irregular, with a low yaki that breaks here and there and a soft nioiguchi; in the later generations it becomes regular, “like a painting”, with a tighter nioiguchi. He rarely makes suguha, and even then with some pointed part. The Japanese Sword Index describes it as narrow, in nioi with nie in some places, with ko-midare of ko-gunome or ko-gunome togari. AT

Bōshi

The Japanese Wikipedia: always yori-jizō, gathered like the head of a Jizō. The Japanese Sword Index: midare-komi with a deep kaeri. AT

Nakago

Takanoha yasurime and a shallow kuri-jiri AT

Mei

兼元 (Kanemoto), in two characters, on the omote face AT