来国久
Rai Kunihisa
Description
Rai Kunihisa is a swordsmith of the renowned Rai school of Yamashiro Province (Kyoto), active during the Nanbokucho period (1336–1392). The Rai school, which produced such luminaries as Rai Kuniyuki, Rai Kunitoshi, Rai Kunimitsu, Rai Kunitsugu, and Rai Kunihide, stands as one of the supreme lineages of classical Japanese sword-making, and Kunihisa represents its continuation into the turbulent Nanbokucho era. His blades display the hallmark Rai qualities: the finely textured "Rai no hada" jihada with its characteristic soft luminosity, and traditional hamon in suguha, ko-midare, or ko-gunome that embody the Rai school's ideal of refined, aristocratic elegance. While some of his work shows the influence of the Nanbokucho era's preference for larger, more powerful forms, Kunihisa consistently maintains the technical precision and aesthetic refinement associated with the best Rai school masters. His suguha-based blades in particular are regarded as exemplary continuations of the Rai tradition of restrained, exquisitely controlled straight temper lines — widely considered the most technically demanding hamon form. Ranked "Jōjōsaku" among sword appraisers, Kunihisa's surviving works serve as important reference pieces for understanding the late Rai school.
Famous Works
- 太刀「来国久」（重要文化財）
- 刀（各地神社仏閣伝来）