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An
Appreciation of
HIZEN-TO
By
Clive Sinclaire
In
Japan, it is quite common for a collector of Japanese sword to concentrate on
swords from his own city or prefecture. This stems from a feeling of empathy
with these swords and local pride, as
well as restricting the vast collecting area to more manageable proportions. It
often enables these people to become very specialised in their own field.
None
are more passionate than the collectors of swords from Hizen province. They
feel, with some justification, that swords made in Hizen during the Tokugawa
period (1600-1868) are amongst the best ever made. They boast of the great
beauty and awesome cutting ability of Hizen swords. For these people, the swords
of Hizen (Hizen-to) and of the main line of smiths named Tadayoshi in
particular, are not inanimate art with antique interest, but the living
embodiment of Bushido and all that that entails. I spent some time there a few
years ago, meeting sword polishers and collectors, as well as practising kendo
in my teacher’s dojo. I gained an appreciation of Hizen-to and have made them
something of a speciality of my own ever since. This is greatly helped by the
wealth of information available (a member of the main swordmaking family was
instructed by the government to compile a history of the Hizen swordsmiths from
the old clan records in 1888, upon which much of the modern research is based)
During
the late 16th century and at the end of his life, Toyotomi Hideyoshi
invaded Korea and in this venture, was supported by the Nabeshima military
family. They were rewarded by being allocated the largest share of land in Hizen
province. Hizen province is situated to the north of the southernmost of
Japan’s main islands, Kyushu. It is surrounded on three sides by sea, bordered
by Chikuzen, Chikugo and Higo to the east and is one of the provinces closest to
the mainland of Korea.
Shortly
after their return from Korea, the domain was confirmed by the Tokugawa
government and Saga became the capital of Hizen province and the Nabeshima clan.
The Nabeshima clan soon became very powerful and rich, their wealth being based
on several thriving industries, including the famous Nabeshima pottery, which is
much sought after today. (it is said that potters brought back from Korea
started this and it may not be a coincidence, that both the manufacture of
pottery and of swords, relies on the skilled control of heat in furnaces).
However, arguably of more interest than their pottery, was their highly
successful manufacture and export of swords.
In
the early years of Tokugawa rule, independent swordsmiths went to the main
cities and castle towns to make and sell their wares to the samurai inhabitants.
The main centres were Osaka, the mercantile capital, Edo, the military and
administrative capital and Kyoto, the Imperial capital. The more fortunate
became fully retained swordsmiths of the samurai lords and were safely employed,
often for many generations on the feudal estates. For a powerful and important
clan such as the Nabeshima, their own swordsmiths were a necessity.
At
the beginning of the Tokugawa period (the Keicho period, 1596-1624), the
Nabeshima Daimyo retained a young swordsmith named Hashimoto Shinsaemon who was
born in 1572. Together with his two brothers, Hashimoto Shinsaemon had been
taught swordmaking from the age of 13, by one Munetsugu, a head priest of an
important local shrine, the Tenman-gu at Nagase. He was a highly skilled
swordmaker. The young Shinsaemon, who was from samurai lineage, had been
orphaned as a child and brought up by his grandfather who himself was killed in
battle. Before setting up his forge in Saga for the Lord Nabeshima, Shinsaemon
had previously studied under a great teacher in Kyoto named Umetada Mioju, who
was a genius metal worker making superb tsuba as well as making blades with
highly artistic carvings (Horimono) on them. Umetada granted the young smith the
use of the character TADA from his name and Shinsaemon became Tadayoshi.
This
was a time of renaissance in the history of the Japanese sword. It was the end
of the Sengoku Jidai (period of the country at war) and the beginning of the
Keicho period (1594) is recognised as the start of the so-called Shinto (New
Sword) period of Japanese sword manufacture. It was not now necessary for
swordsmiths to turn out large numbers of simply practical swords, as was
required during the Sengoku Jidai, and now they could take more time to produce
better quality blades emphasising the more artistic properties of the Japanese
sword. Tadayoshi produced many fine swords many of which were carved with
elaborate Horimono executed by a fellow student of Umetada Mioju, named Munenaga
.
1st
generation Tadayoshi
Tadayoshi
attracted many students and swords made by the Tadayoshi school were exported by
the Nabeshima clan all over Japan. The definitive Hizen-to may be described as
having a strong Sugata (form or shape) with a shallow but even curve, a
skilfully controlled Suguha Hamon (straight quench-line) which is comprised of
fine Nie (crystallised martensite) and which ends in a Ko-maru Boshi (small
circular quenching pattern in the point). Further, Nie are sprinkled all over
the Jihada (surface) producing a unique surface pattern known as Konuka-hada
(named after the white rice bran which Japanese women used to cosmetically
whiten their faces). Such swords had a reputation for being Saijo Wazamono
(supremely sharp) as well as being things of great beauty and as such brought
much credit both to Tadayoshi and the Nabeshima daimyo.
In
addition to the main Tadayoshi line, of which there were nine continuous
generations, collateral family lines such as Masahiro, Yukihiro and Tadakuni
were prolific, all working in and around Saga for both the Nabeshima clan and
their extended families. By the middle of the 17th century, the reputation of
swords from Hizen province was well respected throughout Japan and their export
contributed greatly to the prosperity of the Nabeshima Han. Unfortunately, this
fame led to many forgeries, the majority of which are in the Tadayoshi Goji Mei
(Tadayoshi's 5 character signature).
The
signatures of all Hizen swordsmiths are signed on the opposite side of the
nakago to most Japanese swords, that is to say, on the hakki-omote in the style
of tachi, so-called tachi-mei. This applies only to daito or long swords, whilst
wakizashi and tanto are signed in the conventional manner.
Tadayoshi signed his work in many different ways throughout his career, but the above Goji Mei is the most common. This form of signature was also used by the succeeding generations (except for the 2nd generation who never adopted the Tadayoshi name and was only ever called Tadahiro). When Tadayoshi retired as the head of the family in 1624, he was granted the title MUSASHI DAIJO and he
Shodai
Tadayoshi’s Goji mei – Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi
changed
his name to Tadahiro. In his last few years, his health deteriated but his many
students and family produced swords in his name. This meant that in some cases,
they made the sword and signed it with Tadayoshi’s signature. Known as Dai
Saku and Dai Mei, this is considered in Japan, as being the same as the
master’s work and not a forgery as we might consider it in the west. It does
demonstrate well, the close co-operation between the members of the extended
family, but makes judging authenticity of signatures a very difficult process.
The first Tadayoshi died in 1632 at the age of 61 and was succeeded by his
natural son who was only 19 years old at the time and who took his father’s
name of Tadahiro. Tadahiro was
being taught by several swordsmiths and one, in particular was teaching him at
the same time as substituting for his father. This swordsmith named Masahiro was
very influential, providing the clan with continuity at this difficult time. An
interesting story is told of this Masahiro and how he received his name.
Apparently, he was allowed to sign Tadayoshi’s swords, with the name Tadayoshi
although no examples exist to confirm this. The story goes that he made such a
sword which was a tachi in the Soshu style and this was presented to the Lord of
the clan. When he saw it the Lord is reputed to have said “This
is a very good sword and looks just like the work of Soshu Masahiro (a
famous 14th century swordsmith working in the Soshu tradition).
I think you should use the name Masahiro from this time on.) And so he did.
Several
of the collateral lines, whilst often producing blades with Suguha Hamon (which
incidentally is considered the most effective when cutting) were also skilled at
other styles, particularly Bizen-den. Indeed the Choji (clove shaped) hamon that
is characteristic of Bizen swords was adapted and slightly altered by Hizen
swordsmiths.
In
particular, a line of smiths named Yukihiro acknowledged this Bizen influence by
including the character ICHI in the inscriptions on their Nakago. This stood for
ICHIMONJI (number one) which the Yukihiro's sometimes also spelt out in their
inscriptions.
Nagasaki
is within Hizen province and this was the only centre of foreign influence
throughout the Tokugawa period, when the rest of the country was closed to
foreigners. Through Nagasaki, it appears that some import of foreign iron took
place and was used by some of swordsmiths throughout the country and it became
quite fashionable. This may be seen by inscriptions on Nakago such as Nambam
Tetsu Saku (made with Southern Barbarian iron – ie. foreign, iron). The first
generation Yukihiro, who was the first Tadayoshi’s grandson and brother of
Masahiro, often inscribed Oranda Kitae Saku on his swords, indicating that it
was “forged in the Dutch manner”. This swordsmith is known to have gone to
Nagasaki to study Dutch methods of making firearms and it is to this, that the
inscription refers. However, it has been suggested that this may have simply
been some kind of marketing or publicity gimmick, as it is difficult to
visualise Yukihiro learning any improved swordmaking technique in this manner.
It is also known that the 8th generation Tadayoshi (who died in 1853 and who is
rated as the 3rd most skilful Tadayoshi) experimented with foreign iron in sword
manufacture and undertook cannon production for coastal defences.
As
well as the mainline Tadayoshi family and the corollary family lines of Masahiro
and Yukihiro already mentioned, a fourth important branch was the Tadakuni line
of swordsmiths. The first generation of these was the second son of one of 1st
Tadayoshi’s younger brother, Hirosada (by a different mother). Born in 1604,
Tadakuni was retained as the fief smith by the Ogi family, a branch of the main
Nabeshima family, and was granted the title Harima (no) Kami in 1634.
He lived a long and productive life and died in 1691 at the age of 87.
It
may be seen from the foregoing, that the swordsmiths of Hizen were closely tied
by both family and clan obligations. Although this may have been true with other
schools in the shinto period, the scale and complexity of the relationships in
the extended Hashimoto family are exceptional. Although the mainline Tadayoshi
seemed to have had more restrictions placed on their working styles by the clan
authorities, and the branch families had greater flexibility, certain
characteristics seem common to all.
That
is to say that the quality and make up of the hamon was similar even when its
overall shape was quite different (all in ko-nie). The boshi was nearly always
formed by smooth line parallel to the curve on the point and with a small
rounded turn-back (ko-maru). Mostly the branch families produced 3 different
qualities of work, being top-class maybe for presentation to a clan elder, very
good for gifts and presentations and average for the clan’s export business.
The
2nd generation Tadahiro, who lived to be over 80 years old, produced many swords
throughout his long and productive lifetime. He is credited with perfecting the
classical Hizen-to in terms of Suguha Hamon and Konuka-hada. This is almost
perfection in the Japanese sword, being strong in shape and forging, clean and
effective in the Hamon and presenting a work of art, which has great practical
potential. Whilst the first generation Tadayoshi experimented with several
different old styles, swords such as the above by Tadahiro were greatly inspired
by the Yamashiro tradition of the Kamakura period, especially the Rai group of
swordsmiths. The fame of these Hizen swords spread throughout Japan and the
coffers of the Nabeshima swelled even more full.
Tadahiro,
who had gained the title Omi Daijo in 1641, died at the age of 80 in 1693.
During his later years, it is known that he was assisted, in much the same way
as was his father, by other clan smiths, including the 2nd generation
Masahiro whose own father had helped out when Tadahiro was a young man.
Tadahiro, in spite of being the first Tadayoshi’s son, had never
inherited the Tadayoshi name and had always been named Tadahiro. This was the
name that most future generations would have whilst waiting to become the head
of the family, at which time they would change their name to Tadayoshi.
The
3rd generation, therefore, became Tadayoshi when he succeeded to the
head of the Hashimoto family before his father’s death. In fact, 2nd
Tadahiro outlived his son (3rd Tadayoshi) who died in 1686 at the age
of 50. There are a number of works extant bearing both father and son’s
signatures on co-operative works. This Tadayoshi, who received the title Mutsu
(no) Kami in 1661, is rated as second only to the 1st generation in
terms of skill. Especially appreciated is his fine forging.
A
gassaku work by 2nd gen Tadahiro and his son the 3rd
Tadayoshi.
Omi
Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro and Hizen Kuni Mutsu (no) Kami Tadayoshi
The
Nabeshima clan had always been antagonistic to the ruling Tokugawa clan, having
been on the loosing side at the definitive battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Also,
their great distance from Edo tended to encourage their rather conservative
attitude and they were termed Tozama or outer daimyo. At the end of the Togugawa
period (mid 19th century) this manifested itself in their support of
the Imperial cause against the shogunate and they played an active role in the
restoration of the Emperor Meiji to direct rule.
As
part of the drive to modernisation, swords were banned to civilians in 1871.
Also in this year the death occurred of the current Nabeshima daimyo and it may
have been these circumstances that persuaded the 9th generation
Tadayoshi to give up making swords. Further legislation in 1876, banned the
wearing of swords to all but the modern army and this brought an abrupt end to
swordmaking to all but a few stalwarts who saved the art. The 9th
generation Tadayoshi was unable to continue and the 10th generation
never produced any swords whatsoever.
Although
Hizen-to were produced for over 260 years (from 1594 to 1876-ish) unlike many
sword production centres over this period Hizen-to, comparatively speaking,
maintained a very high standard and tended not to be affected by the passing
fashions of the time, but rather maintained their integrity. Of course, there
were certain generations and individuals who were not as good as others, it
would be impossible for all to be great artists, but generally speaking a
samurai could feel confident with a Hizen-to at his side.
Incidentally,
my own collection has now been “rationalised”. Whilst in the flush of youth
and with too much disposable income, I would acquire almost any sword from
Hizen, even those made by some of the more obscure swordsmiths. I think this
quite often happens and is better termed as “accumulating” rather than
serious collecting.
Now
I have only seven, but they are all very good and have all been authenticated by
the Japanese authorities. They include swords by the 1st generation of the four
main Hashimoto branches, that is to say 1st Tadayoshi (with Musashi
Daijo signature) 1st Masahiro (with Kawachi Daijo title), 1st
Yukihiro (with Dewa no Kami title) and two 1st Tadakuni (with Harima
Daijo titles). In addition I have a beautiful 9th generation
Tadayoshi (with Goji-mei – 5 character signature) which shows as much quality
as the earlier examples. Actually, it is thought that many of the 9th
generation’s swords may have been confused with those of the 8th
generation whose reputation may have benefited unfairly from this.
Finally,
I have a pretty little tanto which is complete with its koshirae. From the
workmanship, it is obviously a later Hizen-to, but it has the mei of the 2nd
generation Tadahiro (Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro). It seems that in the
shinshinto times (1780-1870) the sword business may not have been quite so good
for the Nabeshima. Consequently some swords made at this time in the Hizen
forges, had earlier famous signatures inscribed on their Nakago. Unlike the Dai
Saku and Dai Mei of earlier times, even though they are well made and are real
Hizen-to, the motivation was for profit and they are, therefore, classified as
gimei (false signatures) and fakes. It easy to be fooled by such things, as I
was when I bought it!
An
example of shodai Tadayoshi’s “junin” mei
Hizen
Kuni Junin Tadayoshi Saku
An
example of shodai Tadayoshi’s rare “Minamoto” mei on a sword with
fantastic horimono.
Hizen
Kuni Junin Minamoto Tadayoshi
The
full mei of the nidai Tadahiro
Hizen
Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro