Hizen Tadayoshi Katana

The sword smith Tadayoshi of Hizen province was born in 1574 as Hashimoto Shinzaemon, the son of a swordsmith of Nagase named Michihiro . On Michihiro's death the thirteen year old Shinzaemon was recognized as a valuable young man of good family by the Nabeshima daimyo of Hizen who allowanced him the substantial yearly income of 13 koku of rice. When he was twenty five in 1596 Nabeshima Katsushige arranged for him to go to Kyoto where he lived for three years studying sword making under the great master of the shinto era, Umetada Myoju. He duly returned from Kyoto together with a household of fifteen relatives and around sixty retainers, moving from his home at Nagase to live in the castle town of Saga, where lord Nabeshima was domiciled. He adopted the name Tadayoshi, using the character Tada from the name Umetada of his teacher in Kyoto. His great skill earned him the honorific title Musashi Daijo bestowed on him in Kyoto in 1624. He then took the name Tadahiro, and changed his clan name from Minamoto to Fujiwara. He made swords as a retainer of the Nabeshima clan and became famous throughout Japan during his lifetime.
Tadayoshi died in 1632 aged just sixty one.


This sword is a fine example of the highest art of the sword smith. The blade is sign from the first genaration with the 5 characters signature Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi. It has a Nagasa of 69 cm and a Sori of 1.6 cm. These blade is wide and thick with a deep sori and a longer kissaki, with a fine Hizen hada with ji-nie and chikei. The hamon is a middle suguha with a shallow notare and a smal gunome with ashi and jo, sunagashi and kinsuji.

The Koshira has a Pnönix Design. Tsuba, Fuchi Kashira and Menuki are made in shakudo.
The saya has a fine ishime hada with Myoga Mon from the Nabeshima family.

All in all a Top Pakage in ferfect condition.