Junkei (順慶) is a smith active no later than the mid- period, now firmly identified as an individual distinct from Nagamitsu. Since the period, Junkei was regarded as the Buddhist name (hogo) of Nagamitsu, and two competing views persisted: that Junkei and Nagamitsu were the individual, and that they were different individuals. Today, on the basis of workmanship as well as the style of the calligraphy and the manner of the chisel work in the signature, the view that they were different individuals has been adopted. The further considers that Junkei was not a smith of the group, and that his dating should be placed earlier — his workmanship being unequivocally that of .
Junkei's forging is an mixed with and ; the grain characteristically stands out (), and appears in the . The varies between a -based temper mixed with and , and a mixed with showing abundant and . A defining trait is notably strong ; among works attributed to him, they generally differ from Nagamitsu in being . and appear, and the can be deep. The tends toward , turning back in . Overall, the work presents an archaic (kocho) character consistent with .
The recognition of Junkei as a separate, pre- smith represents a significant scholarly correction. Honma Junji stated that when he served in the Ministry of Education, he deliberately recognized Junkei's work as . Signed by Junkei are precious; one published example appears in the Tsuchiya , and others are recorded in the Kozan , Nihonto Zuikan, and Shinpan Nihonto Koza. His oeuvre provides an important bridge between the tradition and the later mainstream, preserving the older, -dominant aesthetic that would give way to the -based refinement of Nagamitsu and his successors.