Mihara Masahiro

Mihara Masahiro was a swordsmith of the (Ko-)Mihara school active in Mihara, Bingo Province (present-day Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture) during the late Nanboku-chō period. He stands alongside Mihara Masaie and Kageyasu as one of the principal smiths of the Mihara school and is known as a talented craftsman who sustained the sword culture of the Bingo region. His jigane features the masame-tinged itame characteristic of the Mihara tradition, with fine, even jinie producing a clean, refined surface texture. His hamon—primarily suguha with variations of ko-midare and hitatsura-like effects—displays the refined elegance characteristic of the Mihara school. The Mihara school flourished in the castle town of the Mōri clan during the Sengoku period, and Masahiro was widely supported by the warrior class of Bingo and Aki provinces. Signed works inscribed 'Mihara Masahiro' on tachi and katana survive, with examples designated Jūyō Bijutsuhin and Jūyō Tōken.