Noda Hankei was born in Province and bore the personal name Noda Zenshiro Kiyotaka. He originally served the Tokugawa house as a gunsmith (teppo-kaji), but after the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Genna 2 (1616), he relocated to and turned to swordsmithing. His period of activity overlapped closely with that of the first-generation Yasutsugu, and he may be regarded as a pioneer among the early smiths. It is said that the ideal Hankei aspired to was Masamune; however, when judged on the basis of his actual workmanship, his model is rather to be found in Norishige. This affinity with the tradition is fundamental to understanding both his technical approach and his position within the lineage of -period swordsmiths.
Hankei's forging is among the most distinctive of any smith. He works in a conspicuously standing large mixed with and , into which thick enter prominently, producing the unique surface texture known as -- so called for its resemblance to hijiki seaweed. The steel characteristically shows a somewhat blackish tone. His is typically mixed with , over which runs with great frequency and long appear; coarse adheres, and the tends toward , so that the boundary between and is not sharply defined. The is generally deeply tempered, often becoming flame-like with vigorous . His blades are constructed with and a steeply dropped ridge, features that directly echo Norishige's manner and further reveal his intention. File marks () follow a consistent pattern of on the and reverse on the , and his bold, thickly cut two-character signature is placed below the on the .
Across the corpus of designated works, certain evaluative phrases recur with notable consistency: the describes his finest blades as displaying "outstanding workmanship" finished in a "bold manner," conveying a "sense of vigor" and "brimming with power." Works that depart from his characteristically rough forging toward a more compact, tightly gathered are praised for their "settled and restrained character" and "refinement," with an "antique taste" that approaches the quality of his -period models. The brightness of the is singled out in his best examples as elevating the work closer to the level of his ideal, Norishige. Extant examples of his and are noted as extremely few, and those with ranma- carvings are limited to a single known specimen, underscoring their documentary value. Several blades bear distinguished provenance, having been transmitted in the Shimazu and Arima families during the era of domain rule. Within the tradition, Hankei occupies a singular position: a former firearms artisan who, through studied emulation of the school, achieved a body of work that the consistently regards as among the most powerful and technically accomplished of the early period.