Bizen Ichimonji tachi

Bizen Ichimonji ubu tachi

• Status: Available
• Kanteisho: juyo

Jūyō-Tōken, 47th Session — Designated October 11, 2001
Tachi, mumei: Ichimonji school (一文字)

Measurements
Nagasa 72.4 cm, sori 2.4 cm, motohaba 2.8 cm, sakihaba 1.7 cm, kissaki-nagasa 2.6 cm, nakago-nagasa 20.2 cm, nakago-sori 0.1 cm

Description
Keijō: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune; somewhat slender; with a noticeable difference between base and tip width; kasane of normal proportion; high curvature with koshizori; showing a sense of funbari; chū-kissaki.
Kitae: itame-hada; fine ji-nie; delicate chikei; a vivid midare-utsuri stands out clearly.
Hamon: chōji-midare mixed with gunome; in the lower half the yakiba shows somewhat more rise and fall, while the upper half is narrower in yakihaba and becomes calmer in comparison; overall it presents the manner of small-patterned work; with ashi and yō; ko-nie adheres well; with sunagashi and kinsuji.
Bōshi: on the omote it enters in midare-komi; on the ura it is inclined toward sugu and turns back in a rounded manner.
Horimono: None.
Nakago: ubu; tip ha-agari-kurijiri; file marks indistinct; three mekugi-ana, one of which is plugged; unsigned.

Explanation
The Ichimonji group was a major lineage that flourished in Bizen Province from the early Kamakura period through the Nanbokuchō period. The reason this group came to be called “Ichimonji” lies in the practice of carving the character “ichi” (一) on the tang. In addition to blades bearing only the single character “ichi,” there are also signatures in which an individual name is added below the “ichi,” as well as examples that bear only an individual signature.

As for the scope of the group’s workmanship, in its early phase a small-patterned irregular temper (ko-midare) tends to stand out more than chōji, and on the whole the style is in the manner of Ko-Bizen. Reaching the middle phase, however, splendid chōji-midare hamon begin to appear, and the jihada develops a manner in which vivid midare-utsuri is strongly emphasized.

This work, though unsigned, retains an ubu nakago. It is a tachi of somewhat slender build with chū-kissaki, marked curvature with koshizori, presenting a desirable tachi silhouette. The forging shows an itame texture, with a clearly standing midare-utsuri. The hamon is chōji-midare mixed with gunome, and the distinctive features of the Ichimonji school are well manifested. In particular, ashi and yō enter well within the tempered area, the ha-nie adheres well, and activities such as kinsuji and sunagashi are abundant, resulting in a notably superior work. In addition, the pleasing tachi form with its ubu tang is especially commendable.

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An ubu tachi attributed to Ichimonji. Hawatare 72.4 cm ( 28.5″). Sori 2.4cm ( .9375″). Shinogi-zukuri tachi with a high koshizori. Itame hada with chikei and Very strong choji utsure. Nioi deki gunome choji midare with ashi iri. There are kinsuji.

Fukuoka Ichimonji, like Yoshioka, Sochu, and Katayama is named for its location. The school was founded by Ichimonji Norimune, one of the Go Ban Kaji (smiths who attended the Emperor Go Toba) The school runs from around Kenryaku (1211-1212) to about Kenji (1275-1278). Very few of these smiths signed with their full name, instead they used a single kanji Ichi. Fukuoka is the earliest of the Ichimonji schools, their work is superior, and all of the other schools seem to have descended from them.

General Characteristics:

• Tachi are most common, and there are also naginata.
• Both Koshizori and Toriizori. The sori is deep, and the fumbari is strong.
• Mokume mixed with itame hada, well forged, with ji nie. There are some in which the hada stands out espicially in the ha.
• Most have choji utsure.
• Hamon is juka-choji, and in some works it reached the shinogi. There are a lot of nioi ashi. Occasionally ko-choji is seen. The earliest works are ko-nie deki, but the school evolved into nioi deki.

Shirasaya, gold foil habaki, sayagaki by Tanobe Michihiro.