Tsunehiro (恒弘) was a smith of the school in Province, active during the late period. Although sword reference works place a first generation around the Gentoku era at the end of the period, "almost no extant works by that figure are seen." The Tsunehiro whose works survive in appreciable number is the later smith, counted among the group of makers associated with the so-called — "small-curvature" or "slight-" pieces that constitute a distinctive stylistic current of the late era. While the Kokon Kaji Biko advances the theory that Tsunehiro belonged to Chogi's line, the observes that "neither the workmanship nor the manner of signing resembles Chogi," and places him instead among smiths whose and are "characteristic of the small- works of the later period."
The forging in Tsunehiro's blades shows mixed with , overall tending toward , with fine , thick , and intermixed; stands out, sometimes with a "whitish tendency." The is principally a with -like elements — mixed with , , and pointed forms — tightened down with and , producing an overall small-patterned effect. The tends toward , occasionally with a slight tendency, while at the one observes -like effects. The enters in , tending toward a pointed feeling with vigorous . Signature characters are "notably small and placed close to the ridge."
The characterizes Tsunehiro's finest works as masterpieces in which "the is well consolidated, the is clear and bright, and both and are ." His blades share traits broadly with other smiths such as Moriyuki and Mitsuhiro, yet Tsunehiro's individual manner — the -like with its small-patterned, tightened character — is recognized as a distinctive stylistic contribution within the late tradition.
