Sword, Japan, Nagakuni 長國, 1592 (文禄 Bunroku) - 1596.

Swordsmith: Nagakuni 長國
Region: Iyo 伊孩 and Region: Owari 尾張

Date of manufacture: 1592 (文禄 Bunroku) - 1596
Art Period: Muromachi (1392–1573)
Sword Period: Koto (800-1596)

Total blade length: 58
Nagasa: 44.6

The smith's sword sharpened (in Kaihō Kenjaku) as: 業物 = Wazamono = good (91 smiths listed)

The blacksmith quality graded as: Jo Saku 上作 = Superior

A very early work by Nagakuni while working in Owari. In "Nihonto Meikan" this blacksmith is recorded 2 times because he worked in 2 regions and over different time/history eras (Koto/Shinto and Muromachi/Momoyama/Edo). Nagakuni is the founder of the well-known Miyoshi school

Appraisal/Certificate of Authenticity included from: NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kai) Kicho = "Important Work"/"Precious Work" (white paper).

Information from:
INDEX OF JAPANESE SWORDSMITHS - Markus Sesko
NAGAKUNI (長国), Genna (元和, 1615-1624), Iyo/Ōshū – “Nagakuni” (長国), “Yoshū Matsuyama-jū Nagakuni” (予州松山住長国), “Ōshū Aizu-jū Nagakuni” (奥州会津住長国), real name Miyoshi Sōzaemon (三好宗左衛門), he also bore the first name Tōshirō (藤四郎), he was born in the fifth year of Tenshō (天正, 1577) in Hiroshima (広島) in Aki province, he signed first with Yasuhiro (安広), after the death of his father Tsuneyoshi (常慶, also read as Jōkei) he was raised by his uncle, the Hiroshima-smith Harima no Kami Teruhiro (播磨守輝広, the 2nd Gene. Teruhiro), with the transfer of his lord Katō Yoshiaki (加藤嘉明, 1563-1631) also Nagakuni moved successively to the Matsuyama fief (松山藩) of Iyo and to the Aizu fief (会津藩) of Ōshū province, he died on the 18th day of the sixth month Kan´ei eight (寛永, 1631) at the age of 54, his blades have a wide mihaba and can either show a thin or a normal kasane, the jigane is an itame mixed with masame which tends to stand out, the hamon is a suguha or slightly undulating notare mixed with gunome in ko-nie-deki with a wide nioiguchi, but also works with a tight nioiguchi are extant, jō-saku

Reference material from:
NIHONTO MEIKAN 日本刀名鑑 - Honma Kaoruyama; Ishii Akirakuni; NIHON SHINTO SHI - Markus Sesko; THE CONNOISSEUR'S BOOK OF JAPANESE SWORDS - Kokan Nagayama - Kenji Mishina; NIHONTO KOZA VOLUME IV - SHINTO; SHINTO SHU - Mitsuo Shibata 光男·柴田 - Yoshio Fujishiro 藤代 義雄; KANZAN OSHIGATA SHINTO JITEN 寒山押形新刀事典 - Dr. Kanzan; NIHON TOKO JITEN - SHINTO VOLUME - Yoshio Fujishiro 藤代 義雄 - Matsuo Fujishiro 藤代松雄; SHINTO MEIKAN - Markus Sesko

LINK TO REFERENCE MATERIALS .