Enju Kuniyasu

Enju Kuniyasu was a swordsmith active in Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture) from the late Kamakura to Nanbokuchō period, and was one of the principal smiths of the Enju school. The Enju school was a group of swordsmiths that developed independently in Kyushu under the patronage of the Kikuchi clan, and Kuniyasu is known as a master smith of outstanding technical skill within it. His blade-making descends from the Rai school (Yamashiro tradition) while retaining regional characteristics of Kyushu; the jigane has a soft texture of itame mixed with mokume, with fine ji-nie. The hamon is calm in character, based on suguha with ko-midare mixed in, and fine nie sits evenly along the habuchi.