Norishige

Norashige (則重) was a swordsmith who worked in Echū Province during the late Kamakura period and the early period of the Northern and Southern Courts (Nanboku-chō). Known also as Norashige of Gofuku Village from his residence in Gofuku Village (now Gofuku, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture) in Hanefu County, Echū Province, he signed his blades as "Norashige," "Saeki Norashige," and "Echū Saeki Norashige." Extant examples include a blade dated Enkyaku 3 (1310) and a tantō signed Shōwa 3 (1314), which attest to his period of activity. His lineage has long been the subject of various theories. He was traditionally numbered among the Masamune no Jittetsu and was long said to be a pupil of Sōshū Masamune, but in recent years a more influential view holds that he was a fellow student of Shindō Kunimitsu (alternatively Tōzaburō Yukimitsu) at Kamakura in Sagami Province—making him a senior fellow student to Masamune. Moreover, a deep connection has been explained between him and Gō Yoshihiro (also Yoshihiro of Matsukura Village), a renowned craftsman of Echū who resided in Matsukura Village, with the widely transmitted view that Norashige was Yoshihiro's teacher. In any case, he is positioned as a central figure in transmitting the Sōshū tradition to Echū.

The style of Norashige's work is most characteristically defined by his jigane. The result of forging hard and soft iron together produced a unique forging texture in which the skin rises in a whirling pattern, resembling thick pine bark layered in multiple tiers—this distinctive forged surface is characteristic. This is called "Norashige's pine-bark skin" (Norashige no matsukawahada) and has become the principal distinguishing mark in the connoisseurship of Norashige. Within the jigane, bold jikei enters prominently, thick jisie adheres well, and yubasashiri, kinsuji, and sunagashi appear vigorously, creating a landscape rich in variation. The hamon is fundamentally a straight edge (suguha) mixed with small undulations; some examples show irregularity into gunome-style, and in characteristic Sōshū manner, strong nie adheres well and ashikomi are well-placed. Altogether, the raised quality of the forging combined with the subdued tonality of the jiba manifests a forceful and weighty impression.

Signed tachi by Norashige are few, and more tantō survive in extant examples. The finest examples tend to be slender in profile, thick in kasane (cross-sectional depth), and conspicuous in uchi-zori (internal curve). The most celebrated work is the National Treasure tantō signed "Norashige." This blade is known to have been transmitted through the Hosokawa house and treasured by Hosokawa Moritatsu, and is celebrated with the appellation "Nippon-ichi Norashige" (First Norashige in Japan) for its superb execution. Measuring 24.6 centimeters in length, it is of hirazukuri form, displaying small itame patterning mixed with pine-bark skin, with good jisie, a gunome-style hamon with strong nie, and frequent kinsuji and sunagashi—a splendid example. Designated as an Old National Treasure in 1931 (Shōwa 6) and as a National Treasure in 1953 (Shōwa 28), it is now housed in the Eisei Bunko collection. This is the sole National Treasure among Norashige's works; several other tachi, katana, and tantō are designated as Important Cultural Properties.

His rank is assessed as supreme among old blades (kototsu saijōsaku), and he is numbered among master craftsmen accomplished in the Sōshū tradition. Particularly as the representative swordsmith of the Sōshū tradition in Echū, he stands alongside Masamune and Gō Yoshihiro in renown. Unparalleled in the subtlety of nie-hataraki and the individuality of his pine-bark skin, in scholarly discourse Echū blades are often examined in the paired formula "Norashige or Gō?"—testimony to his high standing as a representative master craftsman of Echū works.