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BIZEN NORIMITSU

By Fred Weissberg 1/7/03

Bizen Norimitsu was a sword smith from the Bizen Osafune School. His full name was Goroemon (no) Jo Norimitsu. He was the fourth generation of the line of Bizen smiths who signed Norimitsu. His father was the third generation whose name was Sukezaemon. He is also known as the first generation of the line of Norimitsu smiths who worked from the Eikyo Era forward. Of these smiths Goroemon (no) Jo is commonly referred to as the most able of the Eikyo smiths and there are some excellent works remaining that were made by him. He was known to have made many special order blades.

Norimitsu left a blade that was signed Bunmei Kyunen Nanajuissai (made in Bunmei 9 at age 72 years). This is an invaluable sword in that it tells us that he was born in the year 1400 and worked until at least 1477. He left many dated works showing that he was active from the latter years of the Oei Era (1394-1428) well into the Bunmei Era (1469-1486). This was a time of great transition for the development of the Japanese sword.

The Oei Era saw the beginning of a transition from the oversized blades of the Nanbokucho Era to the smaller, one-handed ko-dachi and sun-nobi (extended length) tanto that were to become very popular at the beginning of the Muromachi Era. He made many sunzumari katana (slightly shorter than average) and mu-zori sun-nobi tanto.

SUGATA: His long swords had koshi-zori that was generally shallow and graceful. Those graceful swords tended to be short and have fumbari at the machi tapering toward the kissaki. He also made some long blades with the shape a little stronger. In either case the kasane will be thick but there will be little hira-niku. The majority of his works are wakizashi and sun-nobi tanto. The tanto will be mu-zori and hira-zukuri. They will resemble the work of Yasumitsu.

JITETSU: The grain will be a very fine mokume hada and there will be ji-utsuri. As is typical of swords made in this time period, the utsuri will occasionally be midare-utsuri, but in most cases it will be the more typical bo-utsuri.

HAMON: When the yakiba is midare, it will be wide and the pattern of the midare will be like wide valleys. When it is suguba, it will be narrower. In either case there will be little activity within the hamon and the nioi-deki will be narrow (nioi-shimi). There will, however, be areas of nie within the hamon.

BOSHI: Generally made in midarekomi with little kaeri.

HORIMONO: The blades whose shape is strong will have carvings such as bo-hi, bo-hi with soe-hi, bo-hi with tsure-hi, futatsuji-hi. Those blades whose shape is more graceful will have similar carvings. The bottom of the carvings will be marudome, kakudome ending at the machi or kakinagashi into the nakago. The designs will be the same in wakizashi and in hira-zukuri ko-wakizashi ( sun-nobi tanto).

NAKAGO: The nakago will be short and stubby. The tip will be a broad kurijiri and a little ha-agair. The file marks will be Kiri. The mei will generally be long and the blades are often dated.

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