-, 60th Session — Designated October 16, 2014
, : (大宮)
Measurements 69.3 cm, 1.0 cm, 3.0 cm, 2.2 cm, 3.6 cm, 19.8 cm, 0.1 cm
Description Keijo: , ; somewhat wide with little difference between and width; thick ; shallow ; elongated . : mixed with and ; abundant (dense in the ground), with plentiful ; a faint appears. : A mixed temper of small , , , and , with some angular turns; at times showing ; with and ; -dominant with ; accompanied by and , and with small . : On the it enters in ; on the it enters in ; a small appears above the ; on both sides it turns back with a pointed tendency. : on both sides, carved kaki-nagashi. : ; ; file marks ; three ; unsigned.
Artisan school
Era period () (inferred)
Explanation The group of Province is traditionally said to have originated when the school’s founder Kunimori (国盛) moved from Inokuma in Yamashiro Province to . Kagemori (景盛), who cut long signatures such as “Bishū Kagemori” (備州長船景盛), has long been regarded as the school’s representative smith. In recent years, however, a new theory has emerged: based on shared stylistic traits and the common feature of cutting certain characters in reverse, Kagemori is understood as a collateral smith belonging to the lineage of Chikakage (近景) and Yoshikage (義景). From this perspective, it has been proposed that the smiths who cut powerful, large two-character signatures such as “Morikage” (盛景) or “Mori” (盛) may in fact represent the true smiths in the sense of inheriting Kunimori’s direct line—thereby prompting a re-examination of the conventional view.
This has a somewhat wide with little taper from base to tip, a shallow , and an elongated . The forging shows mixed with and ; abundant adheres, appears well, and a faint can be seen. The blends multiple elements—small , , , and —and is at places slightly angular, with occasional . and enter, the temper is -dominant with , and , , and appear. The runs into and shows a pointed tendency in the turnback. These features clearly express the distinctive characteristics of the school. The blade is preserved in (sound and well-preserved) condition in both and ; with thick and ample , it is a dignified and imposing work.
Additionally, it is recorded as a prefectural designation (Board of Education), No. 5739, dated October 16, 1953.
