National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

Kageyori was a swordsmith of Bizen-no-Kuni. It is known that there were several swordsmiths with the same name in the Ko-Bizen school and the Osafune school. The inscriptions include "Kageyori" in two characters, "Sakon-no-shogen Kageyori" and "Bizen-no-Kuni Osafune-ju Kageyori" and there are various views on how they were related. This sword has a two-character inscription and is known for its old-fashioned style, compared to the styles of other swords by swordsmiths with the same name. The long sword, which retains its original style, has a sharp koshizori (a type of a blade curve where the deepest part of the curve is near the tang) and a stable and dignified appearance. The ground metal has a wood grain pattern with jinie and midare-utsuri while the hamon (literally "blade pattern," which is a visual effect created on the blade by the hardening process) shows komidare, kochoji, konie and a pattern similar to kinsuji, displaying an antique style close to the style of the Ko-Bizen school.