Fukuoka-Ichimonji is the school of sword-making that followed on from the Old Bizen school of the Heian era, and flourished during the early to mid Kamakura era. The name resulted from many members of the school living in the Bizen area of Fukuoka, and their convention of engraving the letter Ichi (一 “one”) on the swords they produced. This convention is said to have started from the retired Emperor Gotoba’s compliment that their products were the number one in the nation. The characteristic of the Fukuoka-Ichimonji school is that, unlike the tempered edges of Old Bizen swords with their narrow blades and grain-like marks, it favored a wide edge with fine spreading patterns, as gorgeous as flowers, overlapping the cutting blade.