Late Kotô 末古刀 Tantô 短刀
Signature 銘: Sôshû Jû Tsunahiro 相州住綱廣
Province 国: Sagami 相模
Period 時代: late Muromachi period 室町時代末期
ca. Temmon 天文 (1532 ~ 1555)
Measurements 法量: Length 刃長 29.85 cm
curvature (Sori) 反り 0.6 cm
width at base (Motohaba) 元幅 2.86 cm
thickness at base (Motokasane) 元重 0.76 cm
Construction (Keijô) 形状: Hira-zukuri 平造, Mitsu-mune 三つ棟
Forging pattern (Kitae) 鍛: Itame 板目with Ô-hada大肌, Ji-nie 地沸and Chikei 地景
Temper line (Hamon) 刃紋: Gunome-notare 互の目湾れ with Tobiyaki 飛焼 and Muneyaki 棟焼, forming Hitatsura皆焼; Kinsuji 金筋 and Inamzuma 稲妻
Tang (Nakago) 茎: 10.3 cm, 1 rivet hole (Mekugi-ana 目釘穴)
Engravings (Horimono) 彫物: Naga-Bonji 長梵字 on both sides

Comment 説明
At the end of the Muromachi period 室町時代, a group of Kamakura smiths 鎌倉鍛冶 gathered in Odawara 小田原, another city in Sôshû 相州 province This group was called the Odawara Sôshû 小田原相州, and was one of the Sue-Sôshû 末相州 schools. Tsunahiro 綱廣, in the lineage of the most famous of all smiths, Masamune 正宗, worked around Temmon 天文 (1532 ~ 1555), and is considered the founder and the best of the Sue-Sôshû 末相州 smiths. The generally accepted school of thought is that the Yondai Sôshû Masahiro 四代相州正廣 received the character “tsuna 綱” from Hôjô Ujitsuna 北條氏綱, Daimyô 大名 of Odawara 小田原, and changed his name to Tsunahiro 綱廣

This blade was polished by Honami Nisshû 本阿弥日洲, a “Jûyô Mukei Bunkazai Hojisha” 重要無形文化財保持者 (important intangible cultural property holder), also called Ningen Kokuhô 人間国宝 (living national treasure), who passed away in 1996.