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© Copyright Robert Cole
1998 - No copying or distributing -Note:
Missing graphics
BIZEN
BIZEN FUKUOKA ICHIMONJI Technical: SUGATA - KOSHIZORI. All sword styles became wider at the MONOUCHI beginning with KAMAKURA. The "SHO-GEN BIZEN KISSAKI appeared following GEN-RYAKU. GOBAN" The BIZEN KISSAKI has a stout feeling to its NORIMUNE | broad plane and rounded FUKURA. NOBUFUSA | HADA - Fine MOKUME and ITAME. O-HADA is found. MUNEYOSHI | Blue, cotton blue steel. MIDARE-UTSURI. SUKEMUNE | HAMON - NIOI OBUSA CHOJI-MIDARE, clustered CHOJI with YUKIKUNI | valleys, KOBUSHI or JUKA with ASHI and YO. SUKENARI | KINSUJI and INAZUMA along the HA. SUKENOBU | BOSHI - MIDARE and complex forms with little turnback. NAKAGO - Shape like that of KO-BIZEN. Signatures found on these blades may be characterized by the title, "ICHI," which may precede the name or the inscribed KIKU-MON of the GOBAN groups. The pursuit of perfection, and culturing of style, came in generational waves. The beginning is called the KO-ICHIMONJI, made up of the great names, DAI-ICHIMONJI, using early-KAMAKURA SUGATA as found of the SHO-GEN 1207 period. The KO-ICHIMONJI was the progenitor of all coming sub-groups. Their sons and students, SHO-ICHIMONJI, make up the ICHIMONJI groups proper, with the mid-KAMAKURA styles of KEN-CHO 1249. The KO-ICHIMONJI: -NORIMUNE Line -NOBUFUSA Line -MUNEYOSHI Line The beginning KO-ICHIMONJI stylists made KO-BIZEN style. Early work may seem KO-BIZEN: KO-KISSAKI, narrow blade where the upper straightens. May show NIE. Note: Early KAMAKURA SHO-GEN pieces of this KO-BIZEN style differ from GEN-RYAKU late HEIAN by a strengthening of the upper and a stronger NIE presence. BIZEN and the mid-KAMAKURA bow and blossom together:
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The ICHIMONJI YAKIBA: Early works show JI-NIE, KO-MIDARE KO-CHOJI in KO-NIE. Then: Variations of NIOI-DEKI DAI-BO CHOJI stretch all former dynamics. Vividly clear MIDARE-UTSURI contrast the steel. Note: Conservatism overtakes this momentum starting BUN-EI 1264. Early MEI: Thickly cut ICHI, rather style-lacking, may seem somewhat slanted and may be cut to the MUNE. More like an armorer's mark than that of a signature. Later, the ICHI moves to the center of the NAKAGO. A stylized ICHI points away from early. The FUKUOKA ICHIMONJI starts with the SHO-GEN GOBAN of NORIMUNE and Emperor GOTOBA (See YAMASHIRO KYOTO Gotoba - GOTOBA pdf- The Emperor- smith) Later, SUKEZANE moves to KAMAKURA in SAGAMI and begins the KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI and NORIFUSA moves to KATAYAMA in BITCHU with student SANETOSHI and begins the KATAYAMA ICHIMONJI group. See SAGAMI - KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI and BITCHU - KATAYAMA ICHIMONJI The travels of her sons find open doors with open arms _____________________ | |---SAGAMI KAMAKURA ICHIMONJI | |---BITCHU NORIFUSA KATAYAMA ICHIMONJI | FUKUOKA ICHIMONJI |---MIKAWA NAKAHARA KUNIMUNE YAKUOJI | |---HOKI KUNIMUNE & HOKI MASAMUNE |_____________________|---BINGO KOKUBUNJI SUKEKUNI |
____________ 1st SUKEFUSA GENRYAKU 1184 |__________ _____________________________________________ ___|_____ ____|____ | YOSHIFUSA YOSHIKANE | NORIFUSA SUKENAGA | NORIKANE | SANETOSHI | SADATOSHI | |__________ ________ ________ | ___|_____ ____|____ ___|____ ___|____ ____|____ SADATSUGU SADAYOSHI SADAMOTO SADANORI SUKEYOSHI ________ ________ _________ _________ _________| ______|___ ____|____ ___|____ ____|____ ____|____ ____|____ YOSHIMOCHI SANEYOSHI SUKETOMO SUKETSUNA SUKESHIGE YOSHIMOTO YOSHISADA SUKETADA YOSHITOMO SUKEZANE NAGAMUNE ____________________ NORIMUNE Founder SHOGEN GOBAN KAJI 1208 |__________ ________ ________ _______ _________________ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ ___|___ ___|____ | SUKEMUNE NARIMUNE TOMONORI NAOMUNE YASUNORI | SUKEMUNE SUKESHIGE SUYENORI ___|____ MORIMUNE HISAMUNE SUKEYUKI SUKENORI SHIGEHISA ________ ________ ________ ________| SUKEKANE ____|___ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ SANETADA YUKITAKA YUKIKUNI SUKEMURA SUKENARI SUKENOBU IYEYOSHI YUKITOSHI SUKEYUKI SUKEMURA SUKEHISA SHIGENORI SUYEYUKI KUNIZANE MURASUKE SUKENAGA YOSHIMITSU YUKIMUNE SUKENOBU SUKEMORI YUKITSUNE SUKEHIDE YOSHIMITSU ____________ 2nd SUKEFUSA KENPO 1213 |____________ ________ _________ ________ _______ ____|____ ____|____ ___|____ ____|____ ___|___ ___|____ YOSHIFUSA(2) SUKETOSHI KORESUKE SUKECHIKA NORIIYE SUKEZANE YUKIHIDE IYEMUNE SUKESADA ________ SUKETSUNA NOBUFUSA SUKENAGA |________ ________ ________ SUKETOKI ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ ___|____ SUKEYASU NOBUKANE MUNEYORI NOBUMASA NAGASUKE SUKETAKA TAMEKIYO NOBUYASU _________ SUKETOMO MUNEYOSHI YUKIKANE ________ __________ _________ _________ _______| ___|____ ___|___ ____|___ ____|____ ____|___ ___|____ MUNETADA MUNEIYE YOSHIIYE YOSHIMUNE MUNENAGA NAGANORI SADAZANE YOSHIMUNE YOSHIHIRA YOSHINAGA NAGAMOTO NAGAKANE YASUSADA YOSHIMORI YOSHIMORI _________ SANESADA YOSHIHIRA YOSHITOMO CHIKAFUSA SHO-KYU 1219 YOSHITOMO MOTOCHIKA IYENOBU MOTOTSUGU The great technical success and prestige of KYOTO electrified FUKUOKA BIZEN. They would covet the ICHIMONJI crown and perfect this style through the KAMAKURA era. The ICHIMONJI were select smiths from various provinces called to KYOTO, and later OKI Island, for the research conspiracies of FUKUOKA NORIMUNE and the Emperor GOTOBA. See YAMASHIRO KYOTO Gotoba or GOTOBA pdf- The Emperor-smith for the pertinent history and makeup of the ICHIMONJI GOBAN KAJI. Seven BIZEN smiths worked in the first SHO-GEN GOBAN KAJI: 1st month: FUKUOKA NORIMUNE 3rd month: FUKUOKA NOBUFUSA 7th month: FUKUOKA MUNEYOSHI 9th month: FUKUOKA SUKEMUNE 10th month: FUKUOKA YUKIKUNI 11th month: FUKUOKA SUKENARI 12th month: FUKUOKA SUKENOBU The second ICHIMONJI GOBAN endeavor, the Twenty-four GOBAN KAJI was again peopled with many BIZEN masters. See YAMASHIRO - KYOTO. 1st month: FUKUOKA KANEMICHI, Secret MEI: SUIICHI w/KYO KUNITOMO 2nd month: FUKUOKA NAGASUKE and OSAFUNE MOROZANE 3rd month: FUKUOKA YUKIKUNI - with: SENJUIN SHIGEHIRO 4th month: OSAFUNE CHIKAFUSA - with: BUNGO YUKIHIRA 5th month: FUKUOKA KANECHIKA and FUKUOKA SANEFUSA 6th month: FUKUOKA YOSHIFUSA and OSAFUNE NORITSUGU 7th month: FUKUOKA TOMOSUKE - with: HOKI OHARA MUNETAKA 8th month: FUKUOKA AKIZANE and OSAFUNE SANETSUNE 9th month: FUKUOKA KANESUYE and FUKUOKA NOBUFUSA 10th month: SANEFUSA's MIMASAKA sons 11th month: FUKUOKA KANESUKE and FUKUOKA NORIMUNE 12th month: FUKUOKA KORESUKE - with: BITCHU KO-AOE TACHIBANA NORIZANE OKI GOBAN: 7th and 8th months: FUKUOKA MUNEYOSHI 9th and 10th months: FUKUOKA NOBUMASA 11th and 12th months: FUKUOKA SUKENORI |
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