Technical: SUGATA - KOSHIZORI. Wide and strong with deep curve.  
                    Medium BIZEN-like KISSAKI. Some NAGAMAKI.
             HADA - Fine KO-MOKUME, ITAME-MASA mix. O-HADA 
                    possible. 
            HAMON - CHOJI, CHOJI-MIDARE, FUTATSU (doubled) CHOJI 
                    in NIOI with ASHI. Some SAKA-CHOJI. 
                    YAKIBA-radiant CHOJI-UTSURI (reflections 
                    of the HAMON).
            BOSHI - Usually MIDARE with short or no KAERI.
           NAKAGO - Long and tapering. KURIJIRI. SUJIKAI.  
                    Signatures are mostly two-characters.

KATAYAMA ICHIMONJI 
________________                             ________
FUKUOKA NORIFUSA(1st) Founder TEI-O 1222     SANEMORI SHO-JI 1199
   |____________ __________ _________ _________ __________ _____ 
___|____     ___|____   ___|____  ___|___   ___|_____  ___|____ |
NORIFUSA(2)  NORIYUKI   YASUNORI  IYEYASU   SANETOSHI  YORIZANE |
  - KEN-CHO 1249 -       - TEI-O 1222 -      - BUN-RYAKU 1234 - |
     ______ ______________________ _________ ____________ ______|
    |   ___|___                ___|____  ___|____    ____|____ 
    |   YASUIYE KEN-CHO 1249   NORITAKA  YUKIZANE    YOSHISUYE 
    |   ___|____                - KAN-GEN 1243 -    KO-CHO 1261
    |   KANEYASU BUN-PO 1317                               
    |__________________________             _________ _______    
____|____                   ___|___         NOBUTSUGU YASUIYE    
NORITSUNE RYAKU-NIN 1238    TOKINAO          - KO-AN 1278 -      
    |__________             SHO-KYU 1219  _________            
____|___     __|_____                     SANETSUNE KA-GEN 1303
NORIZANE     YASUNORI KEN-JI 1275 
KO-CHO 1261  __|_____             
             YASUHIRO TOKU-JI 1306
________                   _______   
KUNINOBU GEN-TOKU 1329     HIROIYE KEM-MU 1334  
_______                      _________ _________ _______ ________
YASUIYE RYAKU-O 1338         SHIGESUYE SHIGENAGA ARITADA KUNINORI
   |______________________              - EN-BUN 1356 -       
___|_____              ___|___               ________             
TOSHIYUKI TEI-JI 1362  ARIHIRO EI-TOKU 1381  SANEKAGE TEI-WA 1345 
___|____              ________               ___|_____           
YUKIYASU O-EI 1394    SUKEHIRO EI-TOKU 1381  KAGESHIGE O-EI 1394  

_________            
HIROTSUNE TEI-JI 1362

_________________________          
OSUMI SAEMONnoJO SUKEHIRA BUN-WA 1352
____________________|____  
SENOO OSABEInoJO SANEYUKI O-AN 1368
(f: NORITAKA - MANJUSHO) 

_______________________________
BIZEN SHOCHU ICHIMONJI YOSHIUJI 1324
     __________|                
____|____   ___|____            
YOSHIFUSA   YOSHIIYE (IYEHISA) TEI-JI 1362
 O-AN 1368  ___|_____ 
            YOSHIFUSA EI-KYO 1429
            ___|___      
            IYEHISA KAN-SHO 1460


________                          ________             
IYETSUGU (YOSHIFUSA) O-AN 1368    SANESADA(1) O-AN 1368    
___|____                          ___|____    
IYETSUGU SHI-TOKU 1384            SANESADA(2) O-EI 1394
___|____                          ______
IYETSUGU O-EI 1394                UEHIRO EI-WA 1375   
___|____                 
IYETSUGU KYO-TOKU 1452  
___|____                
IYETSUGU MEI-O 1492     
___|____                 
IYETSUGU TAI-EI 1521    

_________              ________          
YUKITOSHI O-EI 1394    TAMEKIYO O-EI 1394
 (t: SUKEHISA)                           
_______ _________ ______ _______ ________
YASUIYE YASUTSURA MUNETO YUKIIYE SANENORI
             - O-EI 1394 -               

 

NORIFUSA(1) TEI-O: KATAYAMA Founder. A son of ICHIMONJI
        YOSHIFUSA, from SUKEFUSA line. TAKATSU UMANOSUKE.
        Traveled from BIZEN in the footsteps of BIZEN-style AOE
        Founder, NORITAKA. YOSHIFUSA-style brilliant "Flower-
        petal" CHOJI-MIDARE with ASHI is seen as his mark and his
        origin. It has therefore been confidently surmised 
        ICHIMONJI NORIFUSA moved the short distance to BITCHU 
        KATAYAMA from BIZEN FUKUOKA. Special characteristics of 
        his swords are strong UTSURI and CHOJI-MIDARE that leans.
        Note: Only two-character signatures are early. His two-
        character MEI, NORIFUSA, may be encountered on the works
        of other generations, however few swords are in the old 
        style, prior to SHO-AN 1299 (the limits of the second 
        NORIFUSA).  see Norifusa 
Tokubetsu Juyo Norifusa

KOKUHO NORIFUSA

NAGASA: 77.3cm 
SORI: 3.2cm

Gift for the 5th TOKUGAWA SHOGUN, 
TSUNAYOSHI on the birth of his son, the 
future 6th SHOGUN, TOKUGAWA IYENOBU.
It remained a TOKUGAWA possession for 
many years.

SHINOGI-TSUKURI, IHORI-MUNE, deeply-curved IKUBI TACHI of the emerging 
middle period. Full BO-HI resolves in KAKU-DOME, mid-way in the SURIAGE 
NAKAGO. 

Perfectly knit KO-ITAME HADA of the highest excellence has JI-NIE and 
standing MIDARE-UTSURI. 

SAKA figures make an entrance on his transition-period O-CHOJI MIDARE BA 
of JUKA and high-rising DAIBO in deep NIOI and fine KO-NIE - showing the 
balanced dynamics typical of the SHO-KYU / RYAKU-NIN BIZEN masterworks. 
ASHI and YO fall and exemplify.

MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI finds TOGARI head with brushed KO-NIE HAKIKAKE and 
KINSUJI defining. 

SURIAGE NAKAGO has two MEKUGI-ANA and is signed at the bottom: 

Norifusa

SANETOSHI BUN-RYAKU (t: NORIFUSA): Son-in-law of BIZEN NORIMUNE.
        KO-ICHIMONJI School. TAKATSU UMANOSUKE. Traveled to 
        KATAYAMA and said to have been adopted by NORIFUSA. Work
        is similar to KO-BIZEN. ITAME of MOKUME showing JI-NIE.
        KO-CHOJI MIDARE and CHOJI-MIDARE BA in KO-NIE. 

BUNKAZAI SANETOSHI 

NAGASA: 80.45cm 
SORI: 2.7cm 

The signature shows he was from BIZEN. 

Fine ITAME HADA has beautiful, flowery MIDARE-UTSURI.

GUNOME-CHOJI mix shows DAIBO and some JUKA rising from a bed of KO-CHOJI 
KO-GUNOME where small TOGARI is seen at the tops. A generally tight NIOI 
draws ASHI and YO throughout. 

NIE MIDARE-KOMI BOSHI finds TOGARI head. 

UBU NAKAGO has three MEKUGI-ANA and is signed in the upper:

TACHI-URA: 

BIZEN no KUNI OSAFUNE

TACHI-OMOTE: 

SANETOSHI TSUKURU

YORIZANE BUN-RYAKU (f: NORIFUSA): KO-ITAME of MOKUME HADA where
        CHIJI-MEN "Bunched-thread" displays JI-NIE appearing as
        dappled UTSURI. KO-NIE DEKI SUGU KO-MIDARE with ASHI.
        O-CHOJI MIDARE has also been listed, but may not have 
        been his forte. A large CHOJI pattern found to be 
        genuine would be an important interest to scholarship.