Hizen Tadayoshi

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The fifth smith of the Tadayoshi line of Saga in Hizen, who worked for the Nabeshima domain. Born in 1696 as the son and heir of the fourth Tadayoshi, he died in 1775. While his father lived he signed Tadahiro (忠広), and blades made in his father's name (daimei) are attributed to him. On the fourth generation's death in 1747 he took the name Tadayoshi, and around 1750 he received the title Ōmi no Kami (近江守); from then on he signed 肥前国近江守忠吉 (Hizen no Kuni Ōmi no Kami Tadayoshi) and, late in life, also 近江守忠吉 (Ōmi no Kami Tadayoshi). He is known by that title and should not be confused with the second of the line, Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro (近江大掾忠広). His work keeps to the school style: a Yamashiro-tradition shape with shallow sori, high shinogi and thick kasane; a tightly packed konuka hada, the so-called Hizen-hada; a hamon that is nearly always chū-suguha in nie; and a komaru bōshi with a short kaeri. School tradition regards him as the last shintō Tadayoshi; with the sixth, the line passes into the shinshintō.