After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatch刃長68.2センチ 反り1.65センチ 元幅28.0ミリ 元重ね7.5センチ 物打幅22.8ミリ 物打重ね6.0ミリ 横手位置幅20.1ミリ 松葉先重ね5.1ミリ 裸身重量682グラム。 室町前期 The early period of Muromachi era 昭和41年2月10日 香川県登録 附属 甲種特別貴重刀剣認定書、素銅地銀着加州はばき、白鞘 吉盛・盛匡・盛清など「盛」の字を通り名とした金剛兵衛一門は、大宰府近く宝満山の麓に鍛冶場を構え、竈門神社の号「宝満金剛」に因んで金剛と名乗りました。また、その象徴として茎先を独特の剣形に仕立てたことでも知られます。 なかでも盛高は古名跡の一つで、『日本刀銘鑑』には鎌倉後期永仁頃の盛高、正宗に学んだ嘉暦頃の盛高、さらに正平年紀を残す盛高が記され、現在一般に目にする作は「大宰府住」と切る應永期以降の金剛兵衛丞盛高とされています。 本刀は、元先の幅差程好く開き、切先はやや延び、表裏には丸留の刀樋を掻く端正な姿で、地鉄は小杢目がよく練れて詰み、しっとりと精美に仕上がっています。刃文は匂口明るい直刃を基調とし、刃縁には細かな働きが豊かに表れ、静かな中にも味わい深い変化を見て取ることができます。鋩子は直ぐに掃き掛けて、先丸く返った落ち着いた仕立て。金剛兵衛の伝統をよく示した、端整で鑑賞価値の高い一振です。
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Wakimono · Chikuzen
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The Kongōbyōe school (Kongōbyōe-ha) flourished in Chikuzen Province during the Nanbokuchō period alongside the more celebrated Samonji lineage. Based in the Reizen district, the school takes its name from the artisan Kongōbyōe, though signed examples are exceedingly rare, with the earliest documented work being a tantō by Sadamori dated Shōhei 25 (1370) and designated an Important Art Object. This blade's signature—"Chikushū Reizen Sadamori"[[c:1]]—confirms the school's geographic center and provides a stylistic benchmark for attributions within the tradition. Kongōbyōe blades exhibit a distinctive Yamato temperament (Yamato kishitsu) in both jigane and hamon, setting them apart from typical Kyūshū productions. The forging characteristically combines large itame with nagare-hada and prominent mokume-hada, creating surface texture that stands out conspicuously. The jigane tends toward a dark, slightly blackish tone with frequent chikei interwoven throughout.
The hamon is invariably a narrow suguha or hoso-suguha, occasionally tinged with shallow notare or small gunome inflections. The nioiguchi displays a characteristic tight feeling (shimari-gokoro) with well-adhering ko-nie, while modest kinsuji and sunagashi create refined scenery spanning ji and ha. Near the cutting edge, nagare-hada often transitions to masame, and hotsure appears along the habuchi. The school's output demonstrates what period connoisseurs termed "metal flavor" (kanamono), reflecting Kyūshū forging traditions while maintaining the refined sensibility of Yamato technique. Extant works attributed to Ko-Kongōbyōe typically survive as greatly shortened (ō-suriage) blades with Nanbokuchō proportions—wide mihaba, shallow sori, and ō-kissaki—presenting dignified, powerful forms despite their modified state. The combination of dark-toned jigane densely filled with fine chikei, tight nioiguchi, and restrained nie activity creates a sober yet engaging aesthetic that distinguishes the school within the broader Chikuzen tradition. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadamori貞盛 | 1345-1350 | 23 |
| Morimitsu盛光 | 1558-1570 | 0 |
| Moriyasu盛安 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Moriyoshi盛吉 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Morihisa盛久 | 1521-1528 | 0 |
The Muromachi period (1392 to 1573)
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
This work carries older NBTHK “Kichō”-era papers, which the NBTHK no longer issues and largely disavows today. To confirm the attribution, submission to an official Japanese examination body (such as the NBTHK or NTHK) for modern certification could be considered.
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