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Overview·Honors·Designations·Provenance·Blade Forms·Signatures·School
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  1. Schools
  2. Ichimonji
  3. Fukuoka Ichimonji
  4. Sukenori

Ichimonji Sukenori

助則

Jūyō
Vol. 35, No. 72 · Tachi

Ichimonji Sukenori

助則

4 ranked works

御番鍛冶
ProvinceBizenEraJokyu (1219–1222)PeriodKamakuraSchoolIchimonjiTraditionBizen-denFujishiroJo-jo sakuToko Taikan2,000(top 2%)TypeSwordsmithCodeSUK403
3Jūyō Bijutsuhin
1Jūyō Tōken

Overview

Sukenori (助則) was a swordsmith of the Ko- group active in Province during the early period, traditionally placed around the Jōkyū era (1222–1224). Reference works record him as the son of Fukuoka Sukemune. He is counted among the smiths appointed as imperial in the service of Emperor Go-Toba, a distinction shared with Sukenari — the only two Ko- smiths for whom extant blades bear the prefixed character "" (一) above the individual name.

Sukenori's work represents the earlier phase of the Fukuoka school, before the flamboyant, large that would characterize the school's mid- flowering. His typically show a slender with , preserving a strong flavor in both and . The is , sometimes with a moist tendency, producing a clear in which appears distinctly. His ranges from -based compositions intermingled with and — described as archaic in feeling with thickly applied , , and gentle — to with plentiful and and a somewhat wide . The characterizes his earlier-mode work as possessing "a restrained, understated appeal," noting that the remains "gentle and faint" in contrast to more pronounced later examples.

Surviving signed works by Sukenori are exceptionally rare. The three blades bearing his name show minor differences in signature style, but expert opinion holds them to be by the hand, with the finest among them achieving "workmanship not inferior to Sukemune." His output constitutes valuable material for the study of the Ko- school and the transitional character of early swordsmithing, bridging the archaic idiom and the brilliant tradition that would follow.

Honors

御番鍛冶Goban Kaji (Go-Toba's Imperial Forging Rotation)

Transmitted as one of the goban kaji (extended roster)

Master smiths summoned by Retired Emperor Go-Toba (後鳥羽上皇) to serve monthly rotations forging swords at the imperial court, ca. Jōgen–Jōkyū (1208–1221). A cross-school honor: each smith retains his own school (, Fukuoka , , etc.). The linked school NS- holds only Go-Toba's own Kiku gyōsaku blades.

View full roster→

Designations

Kokuhō—
Jūyō Bunkazai—
Jūyō Bijutsuhin3
Gyobutsu—
Tokubetsu Jūyō—
Jūyō Tōken1

Elite Standing

0.11 across 4 designated works

Top 18% among smiths

Provenance

2 documented provenances across certified works by Sukenori

Provenance Standing

0 works held in elite collections across 2 documented provenances

Top 48% among smiths

Raw score: 2.00 / 10

Blade Forms

Distribution across 4 ranked works

Signatures

Signature types across 4 ranked works

Currently Available

Ichimonji School

Other artisans of the Ichimonji school

  1. 1.Muneyoshi宗吉12designated
  2. 2.Sadazane貞眞1 for sale13designated
  3. 3.Narimune成宗10designated
  4. 4.Munetada宗忠5designated
  5. 5.Shigehisa重久5designated
  6. 6.Tsunetsugu恒次11designated
  7. 7.Sukemune助宗4designated
  8. 8.Chikatsugu親次2designated
  9. 9.Naomune尚宗2designated
  10. 10.Yukikuni行國1 for sale2designated
  11. 11.Muneyori宗依3designated
  12. 12.Sukemasa資正1designated