UK Sword Register No.
92
Type: Shinshinto
wakizashi
Nagasa: 44.3cm
Moto-haba: 2.9cm
Saki-haba: 2.1cm
Sugata: Shinogi-zukuri with tori-zori and extended chu-kissaki with pronounced sori on the fukura.
Jihada:
Predominantly ko-itame hada with some ko-mokume and ji-nie.
Hamon: Chu-suguha
in nie-deki, ending over the habaki-moto. The boshi is wide on both sides with
ko-maru and kaeri. Here is a slight notare on the boshi on the ura.
Nakago: Ubu with
one mekugi-ana, slightly sujikai yasurime. Kuri-jiri which is ha-agari and well
signed on the omote: HIZEN KUNI TADAYOSHI.
This
wakizashi has a good shape and appears to have a strong zori. The fukura on the
kissaki is long and at an acute angle to the rest of the blade, contributing to
and emphasising the sharp appearance of the blade. The suguha hamon is in
nie-deki and is characteristic of Hizen-to and the nie along the habuchi are
well ordered and attractive, as one might expect from a mainline smith of the
school. Unexpectedly the jihada is predominantly ko-itame and, even with the
ji-nie, has only a passing resemblance to the “konuka-hada” associated with
the school. The Hizen goji-mei is very well and deeply carved. The depth of the
boshi is wider than normal and overall, these slight differences make this a
rather individualistic piece.
The
sword has been attributed to the hachidai or eighth generation Tadayoshi who was
active in the Ansei period and was representative of Hizen smiths in the
shinshinto era. He born in 1801 and was the adopted son of the seventh
generation. Originally named Hashimoto Shunichiro he became Hashimoto
Shinsaemon. He is rated be some sources as the finest mainline smith after the
first and third generations of Tadayoshi. Working closely alongside him was
Hizen Tadayuki who was appointed as his guardian and in his later days his son,
the ninth generation Tadayoshi. Both of these latter talented swordsmiths
provided close assistance to Tadayoshi and a number of swords attributed to the
eighth generation, may well be dai-mei and dai-saku by these two smiths. Around
1850, Tadayoshi was ordered to learn how to forge cannon, reflecting the
troubled times in the Bakamatsu and in 1851 he had the honour of forging a sword
in the presence of the ruling Nabeshima daimyo. The hachidai Tadayoshi died on
29th May 1859.
He
is rated as josaku by Fujishiro and this sword was awarded Hozon by the NBTHK.
Clive Sinclaire
Bexley, October 2008