Ichimonji Norifusa
一文字則房 (Ichimonji Norifusa)
A Fukuoka Ichimonji master of the mid-Kamakura period, on a par with Yoshifusa and Sukezane; his temper tends to slant, and tradition places him in Katayama.
Profile
Norifusa is, with Yoshifusa and Sukezane, one of the great names of Fukuoka Ichimonji, the Bizen branch founded by Norimune. He worked in the mid-Kamakura period, at the peak of a school known for robust tachi with funbari, a high koshizori and an ikubi-kissaki, and for high nioi chōji tempers. What sets him apart is that his temper tends to slant, a trait uncommon in Fukuoka Ichimonji. Tradition says he lived in Katayama, so he is also known as Katayama Ichimonji. The katana in the Kyūshū National Museum, a national treasure, is unsigned: it is attributed to him for its shape, its steel and that slanting temper.
Monograph
Ichimonji Norifusa (一文字則房)
A Fukuoka Ichimonji master with two National Treasures, told with the level of evidence of each fact.
Read the monograph
Notable works
- Tachi signed Norifusa, from the Tokugawa house, at the Fukuyama Museum of Art: national treasure.
- Unsigned katana attributed to Norifusa, at the Kyushu National Museum: national treasure.