Hasebe Kunishige was a Yamashiro-based smith of the mid period, active contemporaneously with the masters Hiromitsu and Akihiro. The consistently identifies him alongside Kuninobu as one of the two "representative craftsmen" of the Hasebe group — a line of Kyoto smiths traditionally said to have resided at Gojō Bōmon Inokuma. Although no extant work bears the inscription "resident of Yamashiro Province," recent research now regarded as "most persuasive" holds that the group's original homeland was Yamato, that they "achieved full maturity in ," and that they finally settled in Kyoto. The group further included Kunihira, Munenobu, and Shigenobu, yet it is Kunishige and Kuninobu who are invariably cited as principal figures. Dated examples place Kunishige's activity firmly in the Bunwa and Enbun eras (1350s–1360s), with later dates such as Ōei also recorded, suggesting the name spanned several generations.
The Hasebe school is defined above all by its mastery of — the flamboyant full-temper manner — yet the is careful to distinguish it from on several technical grounds. Where work builds its fundamental from and , with a that "thrusts upward and returns with a pointed tendency," Hasebe characteristically employs a base of mixed with , over which and are applied; the is "broadly rounded," and its return is "tempered down long" in fashion, "connecting into " — a point repeatedly singled out as the school's cardinal hallmark. In forging, Hasebe displays "conspicuous tendencies near both the edge side and the back side — something comparatively uncommon in " — and this too is counted among its distinguishing traits. A further diagnostic is construction with "extremely thin ," a feature the associate specifically with the mid- period. The is typically mixed with and , standing overall, with thick and ; at its finest the steel possesses an quality — a moist, lustrous clarity described as .
Kunishige's oeuvre, as the designation records reveal, is broader than the school's flamboyant reputation might suggest. Alongside the expected masterworks, the identifies a calmer -based manner "not infrequently seen in Kunishige," in which a shallow -flavored temper still carries the diagnostic long and traces of — works prized for demonstrating "one distinctive manner within this smith's range." His output encompasses in the canonical Enbun–Jōji style, rare examples of "high documentary value," and exceedingly scarce signed that display "an outstanding, high-ranking Sōshū-den character." The recurrently praise pieces in which "the characteristic features of Kunishige are well expressed in both and ," and where both are in — sound and well-preserved — condition. Dated inscriptions, particularly those of Enbun 5 (1360), are singled out as "precious" documentary material. Taken together, the designations affirm Kunishige as a smith whose work "overflows with vigor," combining the Hasebe school's distinctive coloration with a range of workmanship that rewards sustained scholarly attention.