Kantei
A long, curved blade seen from both sides, one next to the other, on a black background, with the dark tang below.

Chikuzen · Sa school · Nanbokuchō

Sa Kunihiro (左国弘)

A swordsmith of the Sa school of Chikuzen, regarded as a direct pupil of Ō-Sa, with tantō dated 1357 and an ō-gunome temper that almost reaches the shinogi: his period, his style, his designated blades and his sources

Sa Kunihiro (左国弘, Sa Kunihiro) is one of the swordsmiths of the Sa school, that of Samonji in Chikuzen, on the island of Kyūshū. He is regarded as a direct pupil of Ō-Sa, and he is known for tantō dated 1357 and for an ō-gunome temper so high that it almost reaches the shinogi, his hallmark in kantei.

Photo: dealer in Japan

1357
Year of his dated tantō (正平, Shōhei 12)
2025
NBTHK Jūyō, 70th session: a signed wakizashi
2026
NBTHK Tokubetsu Jūyō exhibition: an unsigned katana
2
NBTHK monthly exhibitions, 1998–2024
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Sa Kunihiro; signature 國弘作 (Kunihiro saku) AT
Kanji and reading
左国弘 (Sa Kunihiro), also written 左國弘 (Sa Kunihiro) HD
Period
The middle of the Nanbokuchō: tantō dated 1357. AT
Province
Chikuzen (筑前, Chikuzen), in Kyūshū HD
School
The Sa (左, Sa) or Samonji school; he is one of the 末左 (Sue-Sa), the Sa of the second generation AT
Master
左 (Sa), called 大左 (Ō-Sa), of whom he is regarded as a direct pupil AT
Father
Unresolved: the genealogies make him the son of 安吉 (Yasuyoshi), of Sa Sadayuki or of 吉弘 (Yoshihiro). PC
Documented fact and tradition
Documented: his designated blades in the NBTHK catalogues. Tradition: his place in the school and who his father was. AT

In short

What we know. In 2025 the NBTHK designated as Jūyō a wakizashi signed “國弘作 (Kunihiro saku)”, of 37.4 cm, and in 2026 it exhibited, among its Tokubetsu Jūyō, an unsigned katana attributed to him, of 69.5 cm.

How we know it. His period comes from his dated tantō; his style, from the Jūyō papers of his blades; his place in the school, from the old genealogies, which do not agree.

What we do not know. Who his father was, where his tantō of 1357 is and how many different blades lie behind the Jūyō designations cited for him.

Sections

  1. Ō-Sa · the Sue-Sa · Shōhei Life and times The Sa school of Chikuzen, his place in it and the genealogies that do not agree about his father.
  2. Ō-gunome · itame · a large Kuni Work and style The kantei keys: shape, steel, temper, point, tang and signature.
  3. Jūyō · Tokubetsu Jūyō Famous works His blades designated by the NBTHK, those that appear in the catalogues and those still to be checked.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their link where possible, and the credit for each image.