Norikane (則包) was a swordsmith of the Fukuoka school in Province, traditionally regarded as a son of Sukefusa and a figure within the Norimune line. His active period is variously placed around the Ryakunin era (1238-1239) or the Kencho era (1249-1256), situating him firmly in the mid- period. The lineage, alongside the group, constituted the two major currents of workmanship in this era, flourishing at centers including Fukuoka, Yoshioka, and Iwato and producing many excellent smiths. Extant signed works by Norikane are exceedingly few, lending particular documentary and material value to those that survive.
Norikane's forging is characteristically a tightly packed or with fine well applied and prominent standing out in the ground. His is a flamboyant enriched by variations that include , , and pointed tendencies, producing abundant change with rises and falls across the temper. and enter vigorously; the is deep with adhering; and appear within the hardened edge. The notes that the at its finest is bright and clear -- described as -- though Norikane's work overall tends toward , a moist or subdued quality in the border, so that despite a relatively flamboyant the blade as a whole can present a less brilliant overall effect. His blades in form display wide with high , yielding what the examiners describe as a "grand, robust, and powerful construction."
The consistently identifies Norikane's work as exemplifying the typical style of the mid- Fukuoka school. Where the clarity of both and is superb, examiners characterize the result as "especially outstanding workmanship." His signed are recognized as rare survivals of considerable scholarly importance, and several designated blades carry distinguished provenance -- including transmission within the Tokugawa shogunal house and the Uesugi family -- attesting to the esteem in which his work has been held across centuries of connoisseurship.