Yamashiro-denKotō (Old Swords)Saijōsaku

長谷部国重

Hasebe Kunishige

Period

Nanbokuchō

School

Hasebe school

Active Years

14世紀中期

Tradition

Yamashiro-den

Rank

Saijōsaku

Description

## Between Yamashiro and Sōshū: Hasebe Kunishige's Unique Position Hasebe Kunishige was a swordsmith who flourished in Kyoto during the Nanbokuchō period (14th century). While rooted in the Yamashiro tradition, his defining characteristic was the active incorporation of Sōshū techniques into his work. Though not counted among Masamune's Ten Pupils, he stands out as one of the most accomplished of the Yamashiro smiths who absorbed Sōshū influence during this era. After the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, Sōshū techniques spread rapidly across Japan during the turbulent Nanbokuchō period. Kunishige, based in Yamashiro, studied the powerful jigane and hamon of the Sōshū tradition and integrated them into his own style. His jigane shows itame mixed with masame and thick, deep nie. His hamon often presents vigorous gunome-midare or near-hitatsura patterns, embodying the bold aesthetics of the Nanbokuchō era. ## Wide and Commanding: The Warrior Aesthetic of Nanbokuchō Many of Kunishige's works feature the broad width, thick kasane, and elongated kissaki characteristic of Nanbokuchō fashion — the great ōdachi style that reflected the real-world demands of civil war. These works display his technical mastery to its fullest extent. His tantō and katana are equally fine, combining beautiful jigane with dynamic hamon. The itame-masame mixed surface coated in deep ji-nie creates what might be called "Kunishige-hada" — a distinctive, immediately recognizable texture. While drawing from the lineages of Osafune Kanemitsu and Masamune, his work retains a Yamashiro elegance, making his synthesis of traditions one of its most compelling qualities. ## Heshikiri Hasebe: The Legendary Blade of Oda Nobunaga Kunishige's fame rests most powerfully on a single sword: Heshikiri Hasebe ("Pressure-Cutter Hasebe"), a National Treasure now held at the Fukuoka City Museum as a treasure of the Kuroda family. The name "heshikiri" (to press and cut) derives from a famous anecdote involving Oda Nobunaga. When a tea server incurred Nobunaga's wrath and fled under a shelf, Nobunaga drew this sword and cut through the shelf to reach the man — pressing the blade through the obstacle. The legend simultaneously evokes Nobunaga's ferocious temperament and the sword's extraordinary cutting power. Nobunaga later presented the blade to Kuroda Kanbei (Yoshitaka), after which it became a treasured heirloom of the Kuroda clan. When Kuroda Nagamasa established the Chikuzen Fukuoka domain, Heshikiri Hasebe passed down through successive generations as the domain's most sacred sword, eventually coming to rest in the Fukuoka City Museum. The combination of its formal beauty and its association with Nobunaga and the Kuroda family has made it one of the most celebrated blades in Japanese sword history. ## Kunishige's Technique: The Fusion of Two Traditions Technically, Kunishige's forging represented the cutting edge of his era. Building on the refined jigane skills of the Yamashiro tradition, he layered in Sōshū nie techniques to create a steel texture of unparalleled individuality. His hamon — primarily deep nie-based gunome-midare or hitatsura-like patterns — features Sōshū hallmarks such as kinsuji and sunagashi throughout. The radiant white nie of the polished hamon contrasts dramatically against the dark, textured jigane, creating the light-and-shadow interplay that makes a Kunishige immediately identifiable. The nakago (tang) is thinly finished with fine file marks, and the signature carving is deep and vigorous. "Hasebe Kunishige" is inscribed with bold strokes conveying the smith's confidence and spirit. Signed works are not numerous, but all are rated first-class, and attribution is highly reliable. ## Historical Legacy and Connection to Japan's Sword Culture Heshikiri Hasebe passed from Nobunaga to the Kuroda family, but in terms of great swords associated with great generals, Date Masamune of Sendai cultivated a parallel sword culture in the Tōhoku region. His beloved Shokudaikiri Mitsutada (by Osafune Mitsutada) is a comparable example of a "great general's sword" standing on the stage of history alongside Kunishige's masterpiece. The fact that a blade born in the turbulence of the Nanbokuchō period continued to shape both the aesthetics of Japanese swords and the culture of the warrior class speaks to the enduring legacy of Hasebe Kunishige — a legacy visible even from the Sendai perspective of DATEKATANA. Hasebe Kunishige fused two great traditions — Yamashiro and Sōshū — to embody a bold beauty fitting for his turbulent age. With Heshikiri Hasebe as his monument, his name is forever inscribed in the history of the Japanese sword.