説明

Antique Japanese Sword Daisho attributed to the 5th gen Tadayoshi & Saneyuki with NTHK Kanteisho Certificate 【Description】 ■Katana attributed to 5th gen Tadayoshi This blade was attributed to a work of the 5th generation Hizenkoku Tadayoshi (五代肥前国忠吉) during the Houreki era (1751-1764: the mid-Edo period), according to NTHK’s appraisal in this April. Hizenkoku is the name of the province located in Today’s Saga prefecture. The 5th-gen Tadayoshi was born as the son of the 4th-gen Tadayoshi in the 9th year of the Genroku era (1696). Being surrounded by skilled swordsmiths from a very early age, he started to be engaged in sword-forging from the first year of the Kyoho era (1716). He first signed as Tadahiro (忠廣) when his father was alive. However, he started to take over his father’s name and sign Tadayoshi after the 4th-gen died in 1747. The swordsmith name Tadayoshi lasted nine generations from the Azuchi Momoyama-Edo period (1572-1868). During the Edo period, they served the Nabeshima clan, who ruled the Saga domain where Hizen province was located. The first gen Tadayoshi school The first-gen Tadayoshi was born and raised in the Saga domain. In 1596, under the domain’s order, he went to Kyoto to learn the sword-forging technique from Umetada Myojyu(埋忠明寿), one of the greatest swordsmiths in the early Edo period. He improved his craftsmanship and returned to the Saga domain two years later (1598). The first head of the Nabeshima clan, Nabeshima Katsushige, appreciated the work of the first-gen Tadayoshi very muc h. Then, Katsushige appointed him as his Okakaekaji, a swordsmith who exclusively forged swords for a specific domain or clan. And Tadayoshi started to stay near Saga castle, which is the headquarter of the Nabeshima clan. And, he founded Hizen Tadayoshi school, which trained more than 100 swordsmiths during the Edo period. 5th gen Tadayoshi is one of them. Hizen Domain The swordsmiths in the Hizen province worked under the auspices of the Nabeshima clan such as Yoshikane. They could produce beautiful Jigane-patterned blades, also known as Hizen To, using and mixing carbon steel made in western countries. Hizen Koku had been flourishing by international trading. The geographic location of this domain made it possible to have easy access to western carbon steel. ■Wakizashi This blade was attributed to a work of Fujiwara Takada Saneyuki (藤原高田実行) during the Genroku era (1680-1709: the mid-Edo period), according to NTHK’s appraisal this April. Takada school was founded by Takada Tomoyuki in Takada village, Ohita prefecture, during the Nanbokucho period. (1334-1338 A.D). Tomoyuki went to Bizen province(today’s Okayama prefecture) to master the sword-forging techniques of BIZEN and came back to the village and trained his apprentices. That is how Takada school started. Those who forged swords in Takada village before the Edo period are called Taira Takada and Fujiwara Takada during the Edo period. This blade is categorized as a Taira Takada sword. The swordsmith name Saneyuki lasted six generations, and it is said that the first-gen Saneyuki was the son of Tomoyuki. During Sengoku Period(the warring state period: from late 15 C to late 16 C), the Takada school forged many swords for feudal lords on Kyushu island. It is said that the reputation of the blades forged by Takada school was close to MINO or BIZEN swords, two of which are the most famous sword forging places. This highly skilled sword forging technique was passed down to later generations in the Edo period. Generally speaking, Kyushu island was prosperous in sword-making because of the long trading history with Asian countries. To gain an advantage in trading, many feudal lords on this island fought against each other. Takada school was able to receive many orders as the demand increased among those lords. The material of Japanese swords(high-quality iron sand and charcoal) was abundant in the mount Sobo Katamuki, located near Takada village. We believe Takada scho