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Overview·Dated Works·Designations·Provenance·Blade Forms·Signatures·School
OverviewDated WorksDesignationsProvenanceBlade FormsSignaturesSchool
  1. Schools
  2. Nitta-sho
  3. Chikayori

Nitta-sho Chikayori

親依

Jūyō
Vol. 31, No. 106 · Tachi

Nitta-sho Chikayori

親依

4 ranked works

ProvinceBizenEraShowa (1312–1317)PeriodKamakuraSchoolNitta-shoTraditionBizen-denFujishiroJo sakuToko Taikan900(top 10%)TypeSwordsmithCodeCHI194
1Jūyō Bunkazai
1Jūyō Bijutsuhin
2Jūyō Tōken

Overview

Chikayori was a swordsmith who resided at Nitta-sho in Province during the late period. He is documented alongside Noritsugu as one of the smiths active in that estate, though works by Noritsugu are exceedingly rare while extant examples by Chikayori are encountered from time to time. Surviving dated works bear era names including Bunpo, Gen'o, and Gentoku, establishing his period of production with clarity. The Gen'o 2 (1320) example carries the title Uemon-no-jo, indicating a degree of official standing. In skill, smiths of the Nitta-sho lineage — along with related groups such as Karakawa and Haji — are regarded as somewhat inferior when compared with works of the period, yet their rarity lends them considerable documentary significance.

Chikayori's characteristic workmanship centers on a slender with and pronounced , yielding an elegant archaic profile. The is typically with a tendency toward standing grain (), and attaches; a faint frequently appears. The in most examples is a quiet in with a somewhat subdued and the introduction of small . A minority of works depart from this restrained manner, displaying a more flamboyant character with mixed with and the tempering of on the reverse — demonstrating a broader range of capability than the typical production might suggest.

Chikayori's importance rests on his position as the principal documented smith of the Nitta-sho tradition within , a lineage distinct from the dominant mainstream. His dated inscriptions provide fixed chronological reference points for late workmanship, and blades retaining their original with crisp, clearly cut signatures are of particular value for the study of this provincial school. Works exhibiting both his characteristic restrained style and his occasional bolder manner together constitute essential material for understanding the full scope of swordsmithing activity in beyond the mainstream.

Dated Works

Years he was demonstrably active, proven by signed-and-dated blades

Active period
1332Editorial estimate: 1312–1332
1 of 3 designated works carry a date
  1. 1332
    元徳四年Juyo Bijutsuhin vol. 4, item 564

Designations

Kokuhō—
Jūyō Bunkazai1
Jūyō Bijutsuhin1
Gyobutsu—
Tokubetsu Jūyō—
Jūyō Tōken2

Elite Standing

0.00 across 4 designated works

Top 100% among smiths

Provenance

1 documented provenance across certified works by Chikayori

Provenance Standing

0 works held in elite collections across 1 documented provenances

Top 48% among smiths

Raw score: 2.00 / 10

Blade Forms

Distribution across 4 ranked works

Signatures

Signature types across 4 ranked works

Currently Available

Nitta-sho School

Other artisans of the Nitta-sho school

  1. 1.Noritsugu則次2designated
  2. 2.Yasunori保則1designated
  3. 3.Ujiyori氏依2designated

Chikayori

Chikayori(親依) was a Japanese swordsmith of the Nitta-sho school in Bizen province, active during the Showa (1312-1317) period.

The work follows the Bizen-den tradition.

Designated works by Chikayori include 1 Jūyō Bunkazai (Important Cultural Property), 2 Jūyō.