互の目丁子(Gunome Choji)

What is Gunome Choji in Japanese Katana terminology?

Gunome Choji refers to a type of blade pattern (Hamon) in Japanese swords. It is a combination of ""互の目"" (Gunome), a pattern that resembles a series of round Go stones, and ""丁子"" (Choji), a pattern that resembles cloves. In ""互の目丁子"", the 'heads' of the 'nails' (choji) are rounded like an octopus's head and are arranged in a ""互の目"" (Gunome) style.

When the rounded part is large, it is called ""大互の目丁子"" (Oogunome Choji) or ""大互の目丁子乱れ"" (Oogunome Choji Midare).

""大互の目丁子"" has another name, ""兼房乱れ"" (Kenbou Midare). This name comes from the fact that ""大互の目丁子乱れ"" is often seen in the blade pattern (Hamon) of ""兼房"" (Kanehusa), a swordsmith who was active in Mino Province Seki (now Seki City, Gifu Prefecture). In addition to Kanehusa, ""互の目丁子"" can also be seen in the works of ""一乗"" (Ichijo), who was active in Bingo Province (now the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture).

The ""薙刀 銘 肥前国住近江大掾藤原忠広"" (Naginata, Inscription: Hizen Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro) is a naginata made by ""藤原忠広"" (Fujiwara Tadahiro), a swordsmith who was a retainer of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province (now Saga City, Saga Prefecture). This naginata is characterized by a deep ""互の目丁子乱れ"" blade pattern (Hamon), which is called ""肥前丁子"" (Hizen Choji).