After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatch吉盛、盛匡、盛清など盛の字を通り名とした金剛兵衛(こんごうびょうえ)鍛冶は、大宰府に近い宝満山麓に鍛冶場を設けたことから、竈門神社の号宝満金剛に因んで金剛と名乗り、その石塔を模して茎先を剣形に仕立てた。中でも盛高は金剛兵衛の最も古い名跡の一つ。『日本刀銘鑑』によれば、鎌倉後期永仁頃の盛高、正宗に学んだ嘉暦頃の盛高、正平年紀のある盛高がおり、通常見る盛高は「大宰府住」と切銘した応永の金剛兵衛丞盛高以降の工である。 応永盛高のこの短刀は、身幅の割に寸法が延びて無反りの、室町初期の典型的な姿(注1)で、茎の先が僅かに切られるも殆ど生ぶ(注2)。棟を真に造り、重ねは極厚で、腰元に細樋が掻かれ、物打付近の鎬地の肉が削がれた鋭利で精悍な体配。小板目鍛えの地鉄は小杢、流れごころの肌を交え、一部に鍛着の疎なる部分を交えるも総じて詰み、刃寄り黒く澄んで直調の映りが立ち、白く輝く微塵の地沸で覆われ、金剛兵衛らしい柔らかくも潤い感のあるねっとりとした地鉄となる。細直刃の刃文は微かな小互の目を交えて浅く揺れ、帽子は小丸に返る。焼刃は、淡雪のような沸で刃縁が明るく、小さな喰い違い、絡みつくような金線を交え、無数の小足が入り、刃中が水色に澄む。細鑚の銘字にも古雅な味わいがある。六百年の歳月を経て今ここにある、典型的で出来の優れた一口である。 笛巻塗鞘の拵は万年青(おもと)図目貫、瑞鳥図縁頭、波千鳥図の薩摩鐔、後藤の懸守図小柄で装われ、漆黒に金色が映える趣向とされている。 (商品番号1332) 注1...室町将軍と守護大名の力は拮抗し、陰謀・抗争の芽は常にあり、武士たちは寸延び短刀を腰に、いざという時に備えていた。 注2...現状より一糎程長く、先端は卒塔婆を想わせる剣形であったはずである。
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Wakimono · Chikuzen
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The Kongōbyōe school (Kongōbyōe-ha) flourished in Chikuzen Province during the Nanbokuchō period alongside the more celebrated Samonji lineage. Based in the Reizen district, the school takes its name from the artisan Kongōbyōe, though signed examples are exceedingly rare, with the earliest documented work being a tantō by Sadamori dated Shōhei 25 (1370) and designated an Important Art Object. This blade's signature—"Chikushū Reizen Sadamori"[[c:1]]—confirms the school's geographic center and provides a stylistic benchmark for attributions within the tradition. Kongōbyōe blades exhibit a distinctive Yamato temperament (Yamato kishitsu) in both jigane and hamon, setting them apart from typical Kyūshū productions. The forging characteristically combines large itame with nagare-hada and prominent mokume-hada, creating surface texture that stands out conspicuously. The jigane tends toward a dark, slightly blackish tone with frequent chikei interwoven throughout.
The hamon is invariably a narrow suguha or hoso-suguha, occasionally tinged with shallow notare or small gunome inflections. The nioiguchi displays a characteristic tight feeling (shimari-gokoro) with well-adhering ko-nie, while modest kinsuji and sunagashi create refined scenery spanning ji and ha. Near the cutting edge, nagare-hada often transitions to masame, and hotsure appears along the habuchi. The school's output demonstrates what period connoisseurs termed "metal flavor" (kanamono), reflecting Kyūshū forging traditions while maintaining the refined sensibility of Yamato technique. Extant works attributed to Ko-Kongōbyōe typically survive as greatly shortened (ō-suriage) blades with Nanbokuchō proportions—wide mihaba, shallow sori, and ō-kissaki—presenting dignified, powerful forms despite their modified state. The combination of dark-toned jigane densely filled with fine chikei, tight nioiguchi, and restrained nie activity creates a sober yet engaging aesthetic that distinguishes the school within the broader Chikuzen tradition. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadamori貞盛 | 1345-1350 | 23 |
| Morimitsu盛光 | 1558-1570 | 0 |
| Moriyasu盛安 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Moriyoshi盛吉 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Morihisa盛久 | 1521-1528 | 0 |
The Muromachi period (1392 to 1573)
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.