Kantei

Hizen · shintō · early Edo

Kawachi Daijō Masahiro (河内大掾正広)

The first Masahiro of Hizen, of the family of the Tadayoshi of Saga: his showy nie temper, his dates, his title and his rank in the Yamada cutting list

Kawachi Daijō Masahiro (河内大掾正広) is the first of the Hizen Masahiro: he worked in Saga at the beginning of the Edo period, and the record of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York gives his dates as 1607 to 1665. According to the NBTHK, he was of the family of the first Tadayoshi and, with his younger brother Yukihiro, one of the two swordsmiths who represent the Hizen side branches; his midare temper with coarse nie is the showiest of them.

1607–1665
Dates
Kawachi Daijō, in 1628
Title
Wazamono
Cutting rank
Hizen
Province
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Masahiro (正広, also written 正廣), first generation of the Hizen Masahiro HD
Kanji and reading
河内大掾正広 (Kawachi Daijō Masahiro) HD
Period
Shintō, early Edo period; from 1607 to 1665 according to the record of the Metropolitan Museum HD
Province
Hizen (肥前, Hizen), in Saga: he signs 肥前国佐賀住 (Hizen no kuni Saga jū) HD
School
The Hizen swordsmiths, the school of the Tadayoshi of Saga AT
Master
The first Tadayoshi, according to Japanese Wikipedia, which calls him his grandson and pupil; according to the NBTHK, he was the son of Yoshinobu, adopted son of the first Tadayoshi AT
Title
河内大掾 (Kawachi Daijō), in 1628 (Kan'ei 5) according to the Tokyo National Museum HD
Generations
He is the first; the second signed with the title Kawachi no Kami (河内守) HD
Cutting rank
業物 (wazamono), the fourth of four grades, in the 懐宝剣尺 (Kaihō Kenjaku) of 1797 AT
Documented fact and tradition
His dates, his title and his style are given by the Tokyo National Museum, the Metropolitan Museum and the NBTHK. His kinship with the first Tadayoshi is told by Japanese Wikipedia and by the NBTHK, each in its own way. AT

In short

What we know. That he signed in Saga, that he took the title of Kawachi Daijō and that there are blades of his in the Tokyo National Museum and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, one of them dated 1653. And that the Yamada cutting list places him among the wazamono.

How we know it. From the records of the two museums and from five issues of the NBTHK Sword Journal that study his blades. The kinship and the cutting rank are given by Japanese Wikipedia.

What we do not know. None of the sources consulted tells his life in detail, and the date of the title does not fit with a katana of 1639 signed without it. No blade of his with a national designation has been found.

Sections

  1. Saga · the family of the Tadayoshi Life and times His place in the family of the Tadayoshi, his dates, his title and the generation that followed him.
  2. Midare of coarse nie · kinsuji and sunagashi Work and style The kantei keys given by the NBTHK and how to tell him from the second generation and from the other Hizen swordsmiths.
  3. Wazamono · blades in museums Famous works His rank in the cutting list, the blades in the Tokyo and New York museums and those the NBTHK has studied.
  4. Bibliography and credits Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their link where possible.