Munechika宗近

Sanjo school · Yamashiro province · active 987-1017

Hawley reference MUN29
Hawley
500
points — scale 15 (recorded) to 500+ (legendary)
Fujishiro
Sai-jo saku
supreme masterwork — the highest grade
Tōkō Taikan
¥25M
reference market valuation (Tokuno Kazuo, 1977)

Smith record

Active period987-1017
ProvinceYamashiro
School / traditionSanjo
Hawley IDMUN29

Recorded signatures (mei)

宗近造munechika tsukuru
宗近munechika
三条sanjo
三条宗近sanjo munechika

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About these ratings

Hawley points come from W. M. Hawley's Japanese Swordsmiths (1981), the standard Western reference cataloguing over 12,000 smiths. Most recorded smiths sit at 15–20 points; only a few dozen legendary masters exceed 150.

Fujishiro grades (from Nihon Tōkō Jiten) rank workmanship from Chū saku up to Sai-jō saku, while the Tōkō Taikan valuation (Tokuno, 1977) reflects each smith's relative market standing in yen. Explore more smiths in the searchable swordsmith index.

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