Hasebe Kunishige

From Yamashiro to Sōshū—Hasebe Kunishige's Distinctive Position

Hasebe Kunishige was a swordsmith active in Kyoto during the Nanboku-chō period. Although there are various theories about his origins, his most distinctive feature is said to be an original style that is based on Yamashiro-den while actively incorporating Sōshū-den techniques. He is counted among the Ten Great Disciples of Masamune and is highly regarded as a swordsmith who displayed exceptional skill even among the Yamashiro smiths of that time who were influenced by Sōshū-den.

After the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, during the turbulent Nanboku-chō period when the influence of Sōshū-den spread throughout the country, Kunishige made his home in Yamashiro but studied the bold jigane and hamon of Sōshū-den and sublimated them into his own style. The jigane is itame mixed with masame, with deep and thick nie. The hamon shows gunome-midare and intense hardening close to hitatsura, embodying the bold beauty peculiar to the Nanboku-chō period.

Broad and Majestic—The Bold Sword Aesthetics of the Nanboku-chō Period

Among Kunishige's works are majestic, long pieces with broad blades, a fashion of the Nanboku-chō period. Swords with broad mihaba, thick kasane, and a kissaki that extends large in the ōdachi style reflect the demand for practical use in a time of chaos, and are also a group of masterpieces in which Kunishige's skill as a swordsmith is fully displayed.

Not only tachi but also tantō and katana include fine examples, all combining the beauty of the jigane with the intensity of the hamon. Itame with masame flowing through it and densely deposited ji-nie give the jigane a distinctive presence that can be called "Kunishige-hada." While his style follows the lineage of Masamune of Sōshū, it does not lose the elegance of Yamashiro, and it captivates viewers as a unique quality in which multiple traditions are fused.

Heshikiri Hasebe—The Anecdote of Oda Nobunaga's Pressing Cut

What made Kunishige's name resound to posterity is, above all, the existence of "Heshikiri Hasebe." This sword is currently held by the Fukuoka City Museum as a National Treasure, and it is known as a famous sword among famous swords that was passed down in the Kuroda family.

The name "Heshikiri (pressing cut)" derives from an anecdote involving Oda Nobunaga. It is said that when Nobunaga tried to punish a chabōzu (tea attendant) named Kannai, who had behaved rudely, Kannai fled under the kitchen shelf, and Nobunaga performed a "pressing cut," pressing the blade against him and cutting him down. It is said that this nickname came from this "pressing cut," and it is widely known as an anecdote that conveys both Nobunaga's severe temperament and the extraordinary sharpness of Kunishige's sword.

It is said that this sword was given by Nobunaga to Kuroda Kanbei (Yoshitaka), and also that it was given to Kuroda Nagamasa via Hashiba Hideyoshi, and it became a treasured heirloom of the Kuroda family. Later, when Kuroda Nagamasa established the Fukuoka Domain in Chikuzen, Heshikiri Hasebe was handed down through generations as a treasured sword of the Fukuoka Domain, and in 1978 it was donated by the Kuroda family to the city of Fukuoka and is now housed at the Fukuoka City Museum. The beauty of the sword's form, combined with the weight of history of Nobunaga and the Kuroda family, secures its unshakable position as one of the most famous swords in the history of Japanese swords.

Kunishige's Swordmaking Techniques—The Fusion of Sōshū-den and Yamashiro-den

From a technical standpoint, Kunishige's swordmaking was at the cutting edge of its time. By adding the nie techniques of Sōshū-den to the fine jigane forging methods he learned as a Yamashiro-den swordsmith, he created a unique beauty of jigane that no one could match.

The hamon is mainly deep-nie gunome-midare and hitatsura-like patterns, and characteristic Sōshū-den workings such as kinsuji and sunagashi are seen throughout. The nie within the polished hardened edge shines white, making a striking contrast with the dark, subdued forging texture of the jigane. This contrast of light and shadow can be said to be the greatest individuality that allows Kunishige's works to be recognized as Kunishige at a glance.

Also, the nakago is finished thin with fine yasurime, and the engraving of the signature is deep and bold. The signature "Hasebe Kunishige" has powerful brushwork that conveys the author's confidence and spirit. Few signed works survive, but all are received as first-class pieces, and their reliability in appraisal is extremely high.

Connection to Sendai and Tōhoku, and Kunishige's Historical Legacy

Heshikiri Hasebe passed from Nobunaga to the Kuroda family, but from the perspective of the relationship between swords and military commanders, Date Masamune of Sendai in the Tōhoku region also fostered a similar sword culture. Shokudaikiri Mitsutada (by Osafune Mitsutada), Masamune's beloved sword, is also a typical example of a famous sword as a symbol of a military commander, and like Kunishige's works, it has continued to stand on the stage of history as "the sword of a renowned general." The fact that Kunishige's swords, born in the turbulent Nanboku-chō period, have taken deep root in both later Japanese sword aesthetics and warrior culture gives an important perspective for looking at the history of Japanese swords from Sendai, where TOUKENZA is based.

Hasebe Kunishige fused two great traditions, Yamashiro-den and Sōshū-den, and embodied a bold beauty fitting for the turbulent Nanboku-chō era. By leaving behind Heshikiri Hasebe, a famous sword of the realm, his name is eternally carved into the history of Japanese swords.