* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Fukuoka Ichimonji Hisamune
福岡一文字久宗
Description
Background of Fukuoka Ichimonji Hisamune and His Position as a Ko-Ichimonji Smith
Fukuoka Ichimonji Hisamune was a swordsmith who worked at the Fukuoka estate in Bizen Province (present-day Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture) in the early to middle Kamakura period (the Jōkyū to Ryakunin eras, c. 1219–1239). He was one of the Ko-Ichimonji smiths who laid the foundations of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school. Hisamune is said to have been the grandson of Ichimonji Norimune, the founder of the school. The tachi, mei Hisamune (Ko-Ichimonji), held by the Touken World Foundation (Token Corporation), has been designated a Tokubetsu Jūyō Tōken.
"Ko-Ichimonji" is a classification for the smiths who were active in the earliest period of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school (the early to first half of the middle Kamakura period). They established the prototype of the "Ichimonji" inscription and prepared the ground for the later tradition of splendid chōji-midare. In this Ko-Ichimonji era, Hisamune, as Norimune's grandson, was a figure at the very core of the school both in lineage and in technique.
Style and Characteristics of the Ko-Ichimonji
Hisamune's blades display the typical style of the Ko-Ichimonji. Tachi of the early to middle Kamakura period show the aspect of a transitional phase, changing from the slender proportions (taihai) of the late Heian period; their mihaba grow somewhat broader, and they are at a stage of development toward a majestic form with strong fun-bari. Hisamune's works embody the characteristics of this transitional phase; compared with the later, majestic tachi of the middle-to-late Kamakura period by Sukefusa and Yoshifusa, they have somewhat gentler proportions.
The jigane is itame-hada mixed with nagare-hada, and shows midare-utsuri characteristic of Bizen work. The hamon is suguha-chō mixed with ko-midare and ko-gunome; the nioiguchi is somewhat deep, with abundant ko-nie, and hotsure, nijūba, kinsuji, and sunagashi appear along the habuchi. The hamon displays a character typical of the Ko-Ichimonji, distinct from the splendid chōji-midare of its peak period. The bōshi is often ko-maru or hakikakete kaeru.
Representative Works and Evaluation
The tachi, mei Hisamune (Ko-Ichimonji), held by the Touken World Foundation (Token Corporation), is a valuable extant work that conveys the skill of Hisamune, of whom few signed works are seen, and the stature of the Ko-Ichimonji. Tokubetsu Jūyō Tōken is the highest-ranking designation in appraisals by the NBTHK (Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords), and the fact that Hisamune's work has received this evaluation clearly shows its historical and artistic value.
Hisamune, from his familial position as Norimune's grandson, was a smith who literally inherited the technical tradition of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school "by bloodline." He is remembered in the history of swords as a figure who bridged the era of the Ko-Ichimonji and the zenith of Sukefusa and Yoshifusa.
Famous Works
- Tachi, “signed Hisamune” (Ko-Ichimonji, Tokubetsu Jūyō Tōken)