"ICHIMONJI SCHOOL" KAMAKURA PERIOD.

IT IS A VERY INTERESTING FACT THAT "ICHIMONJI", THE MOST FAMOUS SCHOOL OF SWORD MAKING DURING THE KAMAKURA PERIOD ( 70 % OF TODAY'S NATIONAL TREASURE SWORDS, ARE FROM THIS PERIOD ), ACTUALLY HAD ITS "GRASS ROOTS BEGINNINGS AT SEA"! HAD THERE NEVER BEEN A BATTLE OF "DEN-NO-URA" IT IS ALMOST CERTAIN THAT THE "ICHIMONJI SCHOOL" WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN! THE MAJORITY OF "ICHIMONJI" MAKERS WERE FROM BIZEN.

"BIZEN", IS THE ONLY PROVINCE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED CONTINUOUS SWORD PRODUCTION FROM THE "HEIAN PERIOD", TO THE "SHIN-SHINTO" PERIOD. THUS EXPERIENCED SWORD SMITHS OF THE HIGH LEVELS, WERE ABUNDANT. THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF SWORD MAKING, BIZEN PROVINCE WAS DOMINATE. BIZEN PROVINCE. POSSESSED ALL OF THE NECESSARY ELEMENTS, AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL SWORD MAKING. "BIZEN TETSU" ( IRON ) WAS EXCEPTIONAL PURITY, AND OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. HIGH GRADE SAND IS ALSO AVAILABLE, AS IT IS CLOSE TO THE SEA. THE WATER SUPPLY FROM THE "ASAHI GAWA", AND "YOSHII GAWA" RIVERS WAS VERY PURE. THE SOIL PRODUCES FINE WOOD, FROM WHICH SOME OF THE "HIGHEST GRADE CHARCOAL" EVER SEEN IS PRODUCED, EVEN TO THIS DAY! THE OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTOR, IS THE SUPPLY ROUTE, THE "SANYODO HIGHWAY" PASSES DIRECTLY THROUGH BIZEN. IN SUMMARY, THE CONDITIONS IN BIZEN WERE ABSOLUTY IDEAL, FOR "SWORD MAKING". "BIZEN", IS CREDITED WITH THE HIGHEST SWORD PRODUCTION STATISTICS, IN THE HISTORY OF JAPAN. "BIZEN OSAFUNE", THE CITY OF SWORD SMITH'S. AT ONE TIME "80 %" OF THE RESIDENTS OF "OSAFUNE" WERE SWORD SMITHS. WITH SO MANY SWORD SMITHS LIVING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, THE SHARING OF ADVANCEMENTS, THOUGHTS, AND TECHNOLOGY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR A VAST NUMBER OF IMPROVEMENTS, AND INNOVATIONS IN THE ART OF SWORD MAKING. THIS GAVE THE OSAFUNE SCHOOL, A  TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE IN AN AGE OF LESS THAN IDEAL NATIONWIDE COMMUNICATION.


"KYUSHU", HOMELAND OF THE "GENJI - HEIKE" SEA WAR.

THE GREAT SEA BATTLE, AT "DEN-NO-URA", WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST SEA BATTLES IN HISTORY. THE "GENJI" (MINAMOTO CLAN) , WITH A COMPLEMENT OF "850" BATTLE SHIPS, AND THE "HEIKE" (TAIRA CLAN), WITH ONLY "500", ( APROX. "1,350" TOTAL SHIPS! THE SPANISH ARMADA, CONSISTED OF ONLY "130" ) FACED OFF IN THE INLAND SEA NEAR KYUSHU, AT DEN-NO-URA, ON APRIL, 24, 1185 AD., THE WEAPONS OF CHOOSE WERE "BOW'S, AND ARROW'S. TO SHORTEN A LONG STORY, THE HEIKE HAD THE ADVANTAGE ( EVEN THOUGH GREATLY OUT NUMBERED ) AND WERE WINNING, DUE TO THERE SUPERIOR SEAMANSHIP. WHEN A TURNCOAT, HEIKE GENERAL BETRAYED THEM BY DISCLOSING TO THE MINAMOTO (GENJI) WHICH SHIP CARRIED THE YOUNG ( 7 YEAR OLD ) "EMPEROR ANTOKU". THE GENJI THEN TOOK COMMAND OF THE IMPERIAL SHIP, AND THE BATTLE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY LOST BY THE "TAIRA".
THE YOUNG ( ONLY "5" YEARS OF AGE ) DEFEATED EMPEROR "ANTOKU" WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMIT "SEPPUKU" , BY DROWNING. HIS MATERNAL GRAND MOTHER THE " LADY Ii ", PRAYED WITH THE CHILD, AFTER WHICH THEN LEAPT TO THERE DEATH IN THE SEA!
THE REMAINDER OF THE MAIN LINE "HEIKE SAMURAI" FOUGHT TO THE END, AND PARISHED IN THE SEA! ABOUT THIS TIME A "MYSTIC EVENT" IS THOUGHT TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE. A "CRAB" (INDIGENOUS TO THE AREA) TOOK ON BACK MARKINGS THAT LOOK LIKE THE FACE OF A "SAMURAI WARRIOR". IT IS BELIEVED BY MANY THAT THE SPRIT'S OF THE DEFEATED HEIKE WARRIORS, ROAM THE SEA, IN THE FORM OF THE "THE HEIKE CRAB" (NAMED AFTER THEM). TO THIS DAY THE "HEIKE CRAB" IS NOT EATEN, AND IS TOSSED BACK INTO THE SEA WHEN CAUGHT. THESE EVENTS ARE, COMMEMORATED TO THIS DAY ON, APRIL 24 th. OF EVERY YEAR.
MANY OF THE TAIRA TOOK REFUGE ON "KYUSHU", BRINGING WITH THEM THE CULTURE OF THE MAINLAND. THE "GENJI - HEIKE" WAR WAS INSTRUMENTAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BLADES OF THE "KYUSHU KAJI" (SWORD MAKERS). THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING SWORDS, WE HAVE EVER HAD!

The Genpei or Gempei War (源平合戦、寿永・治承の乱) (1180-1185) was a war of ancient Japan, fought between the Taira and Minamoto clans. The Genpei War resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and establishment of Minamoto Yoritomo as shogun of Japan in 1192. The name "Genpei" comes from Genji and Heike, alternate readings of the kanji characters 'Minamoto' and 'Taira' respectively.

The Genpei Wars were the culmination of a decades-long conflict between the two clans over dominance of the Imperial court, and thus, by extension, control of Japan. In the Hogen Rebellion and Heiji Rebellion of earlier decades, the Minamoto attempted to regain control from the Taira, and failed. The Taira then began a series of executions, intended to eliminate their rivals once and for all. Finally, in 1180, the Genpei Wars themselves began, as Minamoto no Yorimasa supported a different claimant for the Imperial throne than the Taira nominee. The ensuing battle took place just outside Kyoto and is called the first Battle of Uji. The war ended five years later, with a decisive Minamoto victory in the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura.

 

Go-Toba took the throne at the age of three, after his brother, Emperor Antoku, himself only five, was forced to abdicate during the Genpei War. His grandfather ex-Emperor Emperor Go-Shirakawa reigned as cloistered emperor. Shortly after Go-Toba took the throne, in 1192 Go-Shirakawa died and the first shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo. This meant that the emperor became a figurehead with little or no real power. In 1198, the shōgun forced Go-Toba, who was still in his teens, to abdicate. Two of Go-Toba's sons succeeded him on the throne, but they were each in turn also forced to abdicate. Go-Toba reigned as cloistered Emperor from 1198 till 1221 during reigns of three emperors, but his power was more limited than former cloistered Emperors in the Heian era. In 1221, the shōgun installed Go-Toba's three-year-old grandson, Emperor Chūkyō, as emperor, but Go-Toba chose to stage a rebellion in an attempt to reclaim the throne and overthrow the Kamakura shogunate. This is known as the Jōkyū War after the era in which it occurred. Samurai around Kyōto who were against the Shogunate supported him but most of samurai, particularly in Kantō supported the Shogunate with encouragement of Hōjō Masako, the widow of Yoritomo. She persuaded samurai gathering in Kamakura that if they would not support the Shogunate, then the contemporary status and privileges that samurai had attained would be lost, and the court and kuge would regain their power and influence. Go-Toba's rebellion was defeated and Chūkyō was replaced as emperor by Go-Horikawa, a nephew of Go-Toba.

Go-Toba was a great lover of swords, and over the course of several years summoned the most talented sword smiths in the land to his court where they were given honorary titles and invited to teach the emperor their craft. He became a respectable sword smith himself, and it was his patronage and encouragement of this art that gave birth to Japan's 'Golden Age' of sword smithing. His contribution to the art is still held in such high esteem, that even today a tradition is maintained in sword literature that he is the first sword smith to be discussed.
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His greatest contribution to literature is the Shinkokinshū (The New Anthology of Ancient and Modern Waka). He ordered its creation and took part in the working group as an editor. He revived the Office of Waka (和歌所) and made it the headquarters of this edition. He held many utakai (waka parties) and utaawase (waka competitions).

After the rebellion Go-Toba was exiled to the Oki Islands. He died and was buried there. Later a part of his body was buried in Ohara, Kyōto.

* 70 % OF ALL THE "NATIONAL TREASURE" SWORDS WE HAVE TODAY, WERE PRODUCED DURING THE "KAMAKURA" PERIOD ( 1186 ~ 1332 AD. )