Shikkake School

Origin of the Name Shikkake and the School

The place name 'Shikkake' in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture) is said to derive from an area in present-day Nara City, behind Tōdai-ji. A group of smiths is thought to have formed in this area and to have produced swords under the patronage of Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji, Nara's great religious powers. This is considered the origin of the Shikkake school.

The five Yamato schools are each identified by their ties to particular regions and temples, and the Shikkake school is considered to have a especially close relationship with Tōdai-ji. Shikkake smiths are thought to have supplied ritual swords for shrines and temples and practical combat swords for sōhei (warrior monks).

Regarding the origin of the name 'Shikkake,' the common view is that the place name was adopted directly as the school name, although various theories exist about the etymology of the word itself. In any case, it is certain that this place name became established as the name expressing the identity of the smith group.

Characteristics of the Shikkake School within Yamato-den

All five Yamato schools share the common features of Yamato-den, masame-hada and suguha, but the finer characteristics differ from school to school. Comparing the Shikkake school with the other four Yamato schools reveals the following tendencies.

Compared with the Tegai school, which is connected with Tōdai-ji and Tengai-mon and shows the most refined and aristocratic style among the five Yamato schools, the Shikkake school tends toward a more practical and unpretentious direction.

In its hamon, the Shikkake school may show, within suguha, a distinctive hamon with a slightly wavy boundary, described as suguha with a notare tendency (notare-gakatta suguha). Its jigane shows a texture called Shikkake-hada, in which itame and mokume mix into masame. This serves as one of the reference indicators in appraising Shikkake school works.

Principal Smiths and Extant Works

The best-known representative smith of the Shikkake school is Norinaga. Active from the late thirteenth to the first half of the fourteenth century, from the late Kamakura period into the early Nanboku-chō period, Norinaga embodied the typical Yamato-den style, with orderly masame jigane and suguha-based hamon. Norinaga left dated signed works, including one bearing the age of sixty-nine on a dated inscription of 1341, making it an indispensable source in Yamato school research.

The name Norinaga was passed down over several generations and continued into the early Muromachi period.

Several smiths with the character Nori are also confirmed in the Shikkake school, which is thought to reflect a naming convention within the lineage and school. These include Norihiro, considered the founder, as well as Norinaga, Norinari, Norisada, and Norinao, all recorded as Shikkake school smiths. However, few certain signed works survive, which makes research difficult.

Decline and Transformation in the Nanboku-chō and Muromachi Periods

During the turmoil of the Nanboku-chō period (1336–1392), the temple and shrine powers of Yamato were also drawn into the fighting, and demand for swords concentrated on practical large tachi and naginata. The Shikkake school is said to have also produced works responding to this demand. However, amid the historical shift from the slender, elegant tachi of the Kamakura period to imposing, large-bladed weapons, the individuality of each school tended to become relatively diluted.

From the mid-Muromachi period (first half of the fifteenth century) onward, the Ōnin War (1467) devastated Nara and dealt a serious blow to all five Yamato schools. Organized smith groups that could not exist without the support of Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji dissolved rapidly once that patronage was lost. The Shikkake school is said to have lost its existence as an organization during this period. Its individual smiths either migrated or assimilated into other regions or schools, or ceased their activity.

Modern Evaluation and Research Significance

Among the five Yamato schools, the Shikkake school is considered to have one of the fewest certain surviving works, and it attracts the interest of sword researchers as a Yamato school full of mysteries. The discovery of new works and re-appraisals are treated as important events in sword research. Shikkake school works with appraisal certificates (origami) receive exceptional evaluation in the collector market because of their rarity.

In the study of Yamato-den, the Shikkake school is discussed as a good example of the Japanese sword school system, in which each of the five schools has its own individuality while sharing the same tradition. Comparing how the three Yamato elements of masame-hada, suguha, and thick kasane were embodied in each individual school provides an indispensable perspective for understanding both the regional diversity and the technical unity of Japanese swords.