The first-generation Hoki no Kami Fujiwara Nobutaka was born in Eiroku 6 (1563) at Kami-Aruchi in Province. Traditionally said to descend from the San'ami Kanekuni lineage, he received the court title of Hoki no Kami in Tensho 9 (1581) at the age of nineteen. He subsequently moved to Kiyosu in Owari Province and, in Keicho 15 (1610), accompanied Tokugawa Yoshinao to Nagoya, where he became one of the founding figures of the Owari tradition. In 'ei 10 (1633) he retired under the Buddhist name Keiyu, dying three years later at seventy-six. His personal name was Kawamura Saemon, and the majority of his extant works are and , with and polearms comparatively few.
Nobutaka's forge work reveals the tradition of his origin: mixed with , tending toward , with thick and . His tempering ranges from tightly controlled with clear to bold, spirited compositions in which , , and span into the , developing into -like all-over hardening. The is deep and sometimes coarsely formed, yielding at the and along the , punctuated by frequent and . His tends to be deeply tempered with long , at times assuming an -like boldness.
Among the designated pieces, the Tensho 9 is celebrated as an after the renowned Inabae, executed with natural assurance immediately upon receiving his court title. His imposing display the wide-bodied proportions characteristic of the period, while even his of extraordinary length show no breakdown in execution, demonstrating technical mastery across blade forms.
