Kantei
Whole katana blade, with an engraving of a sword and vajra near the tang, on a black background.

Lineage of Saga, in Hizen · from the end of the Momoyama to the beginning of Meiji

Hizen Tadayoshi (肥前忠吉)

The Saga swordsmiths in the service of the Nabeshima: nine generations, from the first Tadayoshi to the cannons of the Bakumatsu

Hizen Tadayoshi (肥前忠吉) is the name of the lineage of swordsmiths that worked in Saga, in Hizen province, in the service of the Nabeshima throughout the Edo period. It was founded by the first Tadayoshi, who according to the Japanese Wikipedia trained in Kyoto with Umetada Myōju. Its nine generations signed Tadayoshi or Tadahiro, and their blades, the Hizen-tō (肥前刀), are those of the clean suguha on a steel of extremely fine grain, the konuka-hada (小糠肌).

Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase

9
Generations
1624
Title of Musashi Daijō
1600 (Keichō 5)
Dated katana in the Tokyo National Museum
Saijō ō-wazamono
Cutting grade of the first generation
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Hizen Tadayoshi. The founder signed Tadayoshi and, from 1624, Tadahiro; the second and the seventh generations signed only Tadahiro AT
Kanji and reading
肥前忠吉 (Hizen Tadayoshi); 忠広 (Tadahiro), also written 忠廣 (Tadahiro) AT
Period
From the end of the Momoyama period to the beginning of Meiji: the founder lived from 1572 to 1632, and the ninth from 1832 to 1880 AT
Province
Hizen (肥前, Hizen), in Saga (佐賀, Saga), the castle town of the Nabeshima AT
School
Its own: the Hizen-tō (肥前刀, Hizen-tō), a name given in modern times to the blades of the lineage AT
Master
The founder’s was Umetada Myōju (埋忠明寿), in Kyoto, from 1596, according to the Japanese Wikipedia. A katana of 1629 in the Tokyo National Museum bears the engraving “此忠広埋忠明寿弟子” (kono Tadahiro Umetada Myōju deshi: “this Tadahiro, pupil of Umetada Myōju”). AT
Title
Musashi Daijō (武蔵大掾), the founder, in 1624; Ōmi Daijō (近江大掾), the second generation in 1641 and the fourth in 1700; Mutsu Daijō (陸奥大掾) in 1660 and Mutsu no Kami (陸奥守) in 1661, the third; Ōmi no Kami (近江守), the fifth in 1750 and the sixth in 1790 AT
Generations
Nine, from 1572 to 1880, according to the Japanese Wikipedia, which cites Saga prefecture AT
Cutting rank
In the 『懐宝剣尺』 (Kaihō Kenjaku), of 1797, the first and the third are 最上大業物 (saijō ō-wazamono), the highest grade; the second generation, 大業物 (ō-wazamono), and the fourth, 業物 (wazamono) AT
Documented fact and tradition
Documented: dated blades in museums from 1600, the inscription of 1629 that names Umetada Myōju and a katana of 1630 that is a cultural property of Saga prefecture. Tradition: the sword of Sakamoto Ryōma that ended up in the hands of Okada Izō, and Tamiya Shigemasa’s commission in 1619. AT

In short

The founder was born in 1572 into a family of vassals of the Ryūzōji. According to the Japanese Wikipedia, he became a swordsmith when his father and grandfather died at the battle of Okitanawate, in 1584, and in 1596 the Nabeshima sent him to Kyoto to learn with Umetada Myōju. On his return he opened a forge in Saga and the Nabeshima gave him a hereditary stipend.

His house forged for the Nabeshima for nine generations. The second, Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro, was the longest-lived and the most prolific; the third, Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi, the one with the scarcest work; the eighth directed the Saga cannon foundry in 1850.

There are blades of the lineage in the Tokyo and Kyūshū National Museums, and a katana of 1629 is an Important Art Object. The fame of their cutting and their beauty brought many forgeries, above all of the first generation’s five-character signature.

Sections

  1. One name, several generations Life and times The founder, his time in Kyoto, the Nabeshima and the nine generations.
  2. Kantei keys Work and style Konuka-hada, suguha, bōshi, nakago and signatures, and how the generations are told apart.
  3. In museums, shrines and lists Famous works The documented works, their designations and his place in the cutting list.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted and the image credits.