Ichimonji Norimune
一文字則宗 (Ichimonji Norimune)
A Fukuoka smith in Bizen of the early Kamakura period, founder of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school and first among the rotating smiths of the retired emperor Go-Toba.
Profile
Norimune founded the Fukuoka Ichimonji school, named after the «one» (ichi) some of its smiths cut on the tang. Tradition puts him at the head of the rotating smiths (goban-kaji) whom the retired emperor Go-Toba had work by months, hence the name Kiku-ichimonji he is given after the imperial chrysanthemum; but no blade signed «Kiku-ichimonji» exists. His tachi are slender and elegant, with the shape of the late Heian, and his temper, a ko-midare on a suguha base with some chōji, recalls Ko-Bizen. He signed only «Norimune», with a fine chisel. Very few genuine blades survive.
Monograph
Ichimonji Norimune (一文字則宗)
The founder of Fukuoka Ichimonji, between documented fact and tradition, with the level of evidence of each fact.
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Notable works
- Signed tachi of the Hie shrine in Tokyo: national treasure; offered in 1646 for the first shrine visit of the future shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.