Chikamura was a swordsmith of the Sanjo group of Kyoto in Yamashiro Province, active from the late Heian period into the early Kamakura period. According to the meikan and related signature references, he is transmitted as a son of Sanjo Munechika. A smith of the same name is also recorded within the Ko-Bizen school, and among surviving works it is not always easy to determine at a glance whether a given blade should be assigned to Sanjo or to Ko-Bizen. However, the former imperial treasure (kyu-gyobutsu) bearing his signature may safely be regarded as a Kyoto-made piece on the basis of its workmanship, and this attribution has served as the principal reference point for distinguishing his hand.

Chikamura's characteristic work displays the archaic and elegant tachi sugata associated with the Sanjo lineage: slender, with high koshizori, funbari, and ko-kissaki. The jigane is itame-hada mixed with nagare-masame and mokume, with abundant ji-nie well applied and chikei appearing. The hamon ranges from suguha mixed with small midare to ko-midare, with ko-ashi and yo entering, ko-nie adhering well, and sunagashi and kinsuji appearing — hallmarks of accomplished nie-deki workmanship. The boshi typically runs straight, turning in ko-maru, with a tendency toward yakizume. Two distinct types of signature survive: one in large, boldly cut characters and another in smaller script, possibly reflecting different periods within the same smith's career.

Extant signed works by Chikamura are exceedingly few, rendering every surviving example of considerable documentary value. His blades constitute essential material for the study of the Sanjo school's transmission beyond its founding generation, and those retaining traces of vermilion writing (shusho) reading "Sanjo" on the reverse of the nakago provide direct evidence of the traditional school attribution. The former imperial collection pieces, in particular, remain the touchstone against which all attributions to this smith are measured.