NihontoWatch時代 : 鎌倉末期~南北朝期 国 : 備前国 証書 : 財団法人日本美術刀剣保存協会 特別保存刀剣 鑑定書 外装 : 拵付白鞘入 刃長 : 1尺2寸9分弱 反り : 1分6厘 目釘穴 : 2個 元幅・元重 : 28.5mm(棟を含)・5.2mm 先幅・先重 : 20.8mm・4.1mm Period : Late Kamakura~Nanbokucho 14c Country : Bizen Paper : NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token Fittings : Koshirae+Shirasaya Length : 39.0cm (15.35inches) Curve : 0.5cm Hole : 2 Bottom Width,Thickness : 28.5mm(Mune is included)・5.2mm Top Width,Thickness : 20.8mm・4.1mm 鎌倉時代の備前物の最も大きな流れは一文字と長船の両派で、一文字派は以降南北朝にかけて福岡・吉岡・岩戸などの地に繫栄し、多くの良工を輩出しました。この派が一文字と呼称される所以は茎に「一」の字を鐫ることによりますが、「一」の字だけのもの、「一」の下に個銘を添えるもの、個銘だけのものなどがあります。吉岡一文字派は福岡一文字派についで、鎌倉末期から南北朝にかけて繁栄し、代表工には助光・助吉・助茂・助義などがいます。作風は福岡一文字の名残のある大模様の乱れのものもありますが、一般的には乱れの中に互の目が目立ち、やや小模様となるものが通例です。 本作は吉岡一文字に極められた脇差です。鎬造、庵棟、表裏棒樋に添え樋があり、中切先の体配です。地鉄は板目に小板目交じり、流れごころあり、地沸細かにつき、乱れ映り淡くたち、刃文は沸勝ちに匂いよくつき、高低差のさほどない丁子乱れを主体とし、小互の目交じり、足、葉しきりに入り、砂流しかかり、帽子は表裏のたれ込んで返る出来です。脇差ながら充分に吉岡一文字を堪能できる作品です。また外装の鞘は青貝微塵塗に鼓の家紋でしょうか、朱色の紋が表に11個、裏に10個あり、縁頭も鼓の図柄、小柄にも鼓が入っており、鐔は金山風の透かし鐔で品良くまとめられた拵となっています。
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Bizen-den · Bizen
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The Ichimonji school (Ichimonji-ha) represents one of the two paramount traditions of Bizen Province swordmaking during the Kamakura period, flourishing alongside the Osafune lineage from the early thirteenth century through the Nanbokuchō era. The school's name derives from the practice of carving the character ichi (一, "one") onto the nakago, though signatures varied considerably—some blades bear only this single ideograph, others append an individual maker's name beneath it, and still others carry personal names alone. The tradition prospered across multiple geographic centers within Bizen, most notably at Fukuoka during the mid-Kamakura period, followed by Yoshioka from the late Kamakura into the Nanbokuchō era, with additional branches at Katayama and Iwato. Each locale developed its own stylistic nuances while maintaining the school's fundamental aesthetic principles. The collective technical signature of Ichimonji work centers on brilliant chōji-midare tempering executed with extraordinary virtuosity. The mid-Kamakura Fukuoka Ichimonji masters in particular forged blades of exceptional flamboyance, tempering large-scale chōji, layered jūka-chōji (multi-petaled clove patterns), fukuro-chōji (bag-shaped clove forms), and kawazu-kochōji (frog-leg small clove patterns) that rise and fall dramatically across the blade surface. The jigane characteristically displays vivid midare-utsuri (irregular reflection in the steel) standing clearly against an itame foundation, with densely adhering ji-nie (martensitic particles in the ground steel) and fine chikei (地景, steel veining). The tempering itself is distinguished by a soft, luminous nioiguchi (hardening boundary) rich in internal activity—ashi and yō (leg-like and leaf-like crystalline formations) appear in profusion, while kinsuji and sunagashi (金筋・砂流し, lightning-like and sand-flow patterns) run frequently through the ha.
The Yoshioka Ichimonji branch, which rose to prominence as Fukuoka's influence waned, typically produced more restrained work with chōji patterns of smaller scale, often incorporating conspicuous gunome (clover-shaped elements) and occasionally showing saka-gakari (reverse-slanting) tendencies. The Katayama Ichimonji group, reportedly founded when the smith Norifusa relocated from Fukuoka, became particularly renowned for naginata (polearms), forging strong, clear steel with somewhat smaller chōji-midare patterns that characteristically lean in reverse, featuring fine, intricate ashi within the temper. The Ichimonji school's enduring influence stems from its synthesis of technical excellence with aesthetic grandeur. Early works of the tradition often display ko-midare (small irregular patterns) more prominently than chōji and retain a Ko-Bizen character, but by the middle Kamakura period the school had perfected the magnificent chōji-midare for which it became celebrated. These blades preserve the powerful tachi form of their era—deep koshizori (curvature concentrated at the base), pronounced funbari (flaring at the base), and well-balanced nikuoki (flesh or convexity of the blade)—combined with forging of exceptional quality in which both ji and ha achieve a bright, kenzen (sound and healthy) character. The school's masters succeeded in creating works that unite martial vigor with ornamental brilliance, tempering patterns that alternate between sumptuous, boldly undulating compositions and more controlled arrangements with aligned yakigashira (temper peaks), combining motion and stillness in a manner that engages the viewer without exhausting the eye. This aesthetic achievement, coupled with the school's technical sophistication in producing dense, fine-textured steel with vivid utsuri and richly active tempering, secured Ichimonji's position as one of the most celebrated and influential sword-forging lineages in Japanese history. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Muneyoshi宗吉 | 1207-1211 | 12 |
| Sadazane貞眞 | 1247-1249 | 13 |
| Tsunetsugu恒次 | 1321-1324 | 12 |
| Narimune成宗 | 1207-1211 | 9 |
| Munetada宗忠 | 1211-1213 | 5 |
Bizen in the Nanbokuchō period
Sixty years of war between two courts drove blades long and broad, and Osafune met the demand: Kanemitsu and Chōgi led forges serving the provincial warriors who did the fighting, while Sōshū influence arrived with the armies to create Sōden-Bizen.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official sitePlease contact us by phone within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back the next day. The postage and security service fees are the customer's responsibility.