Hasebe Munenobu was a Yamashiro smith of the period, traditionally transmitted as the son of Kuninobu of the Hasebe group. The Hasebe school, contemporaneous with the smiths Hiromitsu and Akihiro, became particularly known in the mid- period for a brilliant style specializing in flamboyant . As representative makers of the group, Kunishige and Kuninobu are cited, and Munenobu stands among a small number of smiths in the lineage for whom signed examples survive, alongside Kunihira and Shigenobu.
Hasebe work is distinguished from by several diagnostic features that the consistently identifies. Where typically bases its on and with the tending toward a pointed return, Hasebe work characteristically hardens a based on mixed with , upon which , , and are superimposed. The tends toward , with the return carried long as so that it connects into . Another distinguishing characteristic is a -like tendency standing out near both the edge side and the back side of the forging — something relatively uncommon in work. The extremely thin evident in the construction is likewise a notable feature of the period's Hasebe workmanship. Within the , further variation such as , , and imparts a powerful feeling overall.
Munenobu's surviving works, principally in , clearly reflect their -period character. The thinly built construction, the shallowly undulating yet fundamentally gentle temper with plentiful , and the finishing with are all customary features of the group that Munenobu faithfully expresses. The has noted that the manner of the signature on the tang — its distinctive character spacing and calligraphic style — accords with the traits of this school, and that his works well express the characteristic traits of the Hasebe group.
