Juyo-Token, 66th Session — Designated December 15, 2020
Katana, mumei: Norishige (則重)
Measurements Nagasa 70.3 cm, sori 1.2 cm, motohaba 2.85 cm, sakihaba 1.95 cm, kissaki-nagasa 3.5 cm, nakago-nagasa 19.2 cm, nakago-sori slight
Description Keijo: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune; standard width; the difference between moto and saki width is somewhat open; shallow koshizori; chu-kissaki. Kitae: itame-hada with the overall grain strongly running and tending toward masame; fine ji-nie thickly applied; prominent thick chikei enter here and there; the steel color tends toward blackish. Hamon: suguha-based with a shallow notare-tendency, mixed with ko-gunome, ko-choji, ko-midare, etc.; abundant ashi and yo; thick nie; and, at points, kinsuji and sunagashi; the nioiguchi is bright. Boshi: midare-komi, with a pointed (togari) tendency, and hakikake. Horimono: None. Nakago: ubu; o-saki with shallow kurijiri; yasurime katte-agari; one mekugi-ana; unsigned.
Artisan Norishige (則重)
Era Late Kamakura period (Koto)
Explanation The sword books of the Edo period—such as the Kokon Meizukushi—list Norishige as one of the “Ten Great Disciples of Masamune” (Masamune Juttetsu). However, considering such factors as the extant examples of his tachi and tanto, and the existence of works bearing production dates from the Shōwa (正和, 1312–1317) and Gen’ō (元応, 1319–1321) eras, it is most reasonable to accept the view recorded in Muromachi-period sword treatises that he was a disciple of Shintōgo Kunimitsu. Accordingly, he should be regarded as a fellow disciple of Masamune rather than Masamune’s student.
Among the superior Sōshū masters, Norishige’s style is the closest to that of Masamune. Yet many of his works express variations of nie even more openly than Masamune’s. His forging tends toward a larger, more standing pattern, producing the highly individual texture known as “pine-bark grain” (matsukawa-hada), in which thick chikei enter conspicuously. Moreover, diverse forms of activity entangled with the forged grain can be observed both along the habuchi and within the ha, revealing ever-changing (senpen banka) internal hataraki.
In this katana, the jihada is itame that strongly flows overall and tends toward masame, with fine ji-nie thickly applied; thick chikei enter here and there; and the steel color inclines to blackish. The hamon is suguha-based with a shallow notare tendency, mixed with ko-gunome, ko-choji, and ko-midare; the nioiguchi is bright and the nie is thick; ashi and yo are vigorous; and, at points, kinsuji and sunagashi are seen. This is a typical example of Norishige’s archaic (koshoku) style, said to take models from Ko-Bizen and Ko-Hōki. The construction is robust, with ample hiraniku, and is kenzen (sound and well-preserved); hataraki also appear within the ha here and there, and the overall workmanship is excellent.
[Koto IV-3]
