The Yamakichibei lineage, originally known by the full surname Yamasaka Kichibei, constitutes one of the two pillars of the Owari tradition, standing alongside Hoan as a representative tsubako of the province. The school is said to have originated as armorers in the service of the Oda family, and the earliest works -- those signed in full as "Yamasaka Kichibee" without abbreviating the surname -- are associated with a maker active around the Genki era (c. 1570) in the closing years of the period. These display the most archaic stylistic character within the school's oeuvre. The name was thereafter inherited across several generations: works signed "Yamakichibei" in abbreviated form are attributed to the second generation, active in the period, while makers who styled themselves "Sakura Yamakichi" with a cherry-blossom seal and the Bishu province name are placed in the to Genroku eras (1661--1704). It has long been circulated that the first-generation Yamakichibei was a disciple of Nobuie; however, as the observe, "there are no documents or firsthand examined works that substantiate a master-pupil relationship," and points held in common with Nobuie are in fact scarce. Rather, there are many similarities with Hoan works, giving a stronger sense of connection to that line.
The collective style of the Yamakichibei school is grounded in the forging and finishing of iron plate. The forms are characteristically "imposing" (dodoshite) -- dignified and commanding in presence -- and the iron is well forged; through annealing (-namashi), raised (鉄骨, iron bones) emerge across plate and rim, "imparting an elegant taste while also suggesting strength." The (槌目, hammered ground) and -shiage (焼手仕上げ, fire finishing) produce surfaces of remarkable freedom and variety, with a characteristic reddish-cast rust tone to the iron's patina. The school's signature decorative technique is Amida-yasuri (阿弥陀鑢, radiating file marks), in which the second generation is held supreme: "whether among earlier or later works, no one equals Yamakichibei in Amida-yasuri." Openwork designs are rendered in a rustic, unpretentious idiom; the school's representative motifs include ganigama- (wild geese and sickle) and kuruma- (cart-wheel openwork), the latter a specialty shared broadly among Owari makers. Chrysanthemum forms and (ground carved away to leave the motif in relief) also appear. The (打返耳, turned-back rim) is a recurring structural element, powerfully executed and dense with granular , while the lead-filled set slightly below the surrounding ground constitute the "Owari plugging" (Owari-) prized by connoisseurs. These guards, as the repeatedly affirm, are " that, when mounted on the that were in vogue at the time, appear all the more striking."
The Yamakichibei school occupies a central place in the canon of Owari iron . The first generation -- the so-called "great first generation" (o-) signing "Yamasaka Kichibee" -- produced works of striking formal innovation, adopting the otafuku form and bold, large-scale openwork whose taut, sharply defined lines convey what the describes as the severity of the Sengoku period. The second generation refined the school's aesthetic toward a more nuanced interplay of Amida-yasuri and hammered texture, achieving an "aloof beauty" (koko no utsukushisa) that the characterize as resonant with the spirit of bushido. The school's works inherit "the elegant flavor of early -- such as armorer's (katchushi) and swordsmith () " -- while investing that legacy with a distinctive rustic vigor and deep, subdued elegance. Across generations, the Yamakichibei tradition embodies the defining virtues of Owari workmanship: powerful forging, expressive , and an unadorned beauty born of iron mastery.