Matsuyama Nagakuni with saidan-mei

Matsuyama Nagakuni katana with cutting test inscription.

• Status: Available
• Kanteisho: Hozon

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 gen. 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