Hizen swords were a domain enterprise: the Nabeshima sent Tadayoshi to study under Umetada Myōju around 1596, then built a licensed school around him. Nine generations carried its famously consistent konuka-hada work into the Meiji era.
Weight: Blade only 489g It has arrived, it has arrived—a wakizashi passed down through an old family for generations as the work of the famous Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro, though it is mumei. There is likely no one who does not know the name of Tadahiro, as the works of Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro are that famous. Omi Daijo Tadahiro was the legitimate son of the famous first generation Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi, the official smith for the Saga Nabeshima Clan (375,000 koku). He received the title of Omi Daijo in the 18th year of Kan'ei, July (1640) (386 years ago). Because the Nabeshima Clan were tozama daimyo, they were extremely cautious toward the Edo Shogunate; to avoid political disadvantage, they presented Nabeshima-yaki ceramics and Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi swords to the Shogunate officials and powerful daimyo as tokens of friendship and diplomatic courtesy. Consequently, these works were required to have advanced production techniques and were subjected to strict quality control, resulting in all works being masterpieces. Furthermore, they strictly managed and supervised the smiths to ensure these techniques did not leak to other provinces. It was the Hizen swordsmiths, represented by Omi Daijo Tadahiro, who succeeded in manufacturing these world-class swords. This wakizashi exhibits a dynamic wakizashi sugata with a wide moto-mihaba and little difference between the moto and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a tight ko-itame hada appearing as nashiji hada, though perhaps it was left mumei because a portion of the kitae shows ohada. The hamon is a spirited suguha in nioi-deki with ko-nie, the traditional style of this lineage. The koshirae from the Edo period further adds splendor to this wakizashi passed down as Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro. On this occasion, the owners of the old family mentioned that while it is mumei, it has been passed down for generations as Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Tadahiro; however, as they have grown old, they asked us to pass it on at a low price to someone who will cherish it. Therefore, we are offering it at a special bargain price. It is highly recommended for those who wish to acquire a "wakizashi-like" wakizashi at an affordable price. Please enjoy it.
NihontoWatchmumei · Edo · nagasa 42.8cm · sori 0.9cm
Shinto · Hizen
131 pieces on the market now
The Hizen Tadayoshi school began with a single domain commission. In Keicho 1 (1596) the Nabeshima of Hizen ordered Hashimoto Shinzaemon, the smith who would sign Tadayoshi, up to Kyoto with the carver Munenaga; there he entered the gate of Umetada Myoju and studied forging while Munenaga learned the chisel. The two returned to the province in Keicho 3 (1598), and Tadayoshi settled in the castle town below Saga, where under the domain's patronage the line grew into the dominant sword-making house of Kyushu. His own work runs from Keicho 5 (1600) to his death in Kan'ei 9 (1632); in Genna 10 (1624) he received the court title Musashi Daijo, changed his name to Tadahiro, and shifted his clan name from Minamoto to Fujiwara, so that the late Musashi Daijo blades are the founder under a second name. From him the house became a true generational institution: his son the second-generation Omi Daijo Tadahiro carried it forward as its most prolific hand, the third-generation Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi returned its highest finish, and a Tosa no Kami branch took the founder's signature when he set it aside. Around this main line grew a circle of disciples and collateral hands, the waki-Hizen or Soba-Hizen smiths, several of them, like Yoshiie and Hironori, working as daisaku substitute makers whose own signed pieces are therefore scarce. The school's signature is its steel. Over a ko-itame forged so tightly it shows no slackness, fine ji-nie gathers in minute particles until the surface takes on the rice-bran konuka-hada (also written komenuka-hada) that no other school produces, fine chikei entering throughout and the ji notably clear and bright.
The orthodox temper laid upon it is a chu-suguha or hiro-suguha, sometimes tinged with a shallow notare and ko-gunome, the nioiguchi deep with finely clustered ko-nie and tightened to a bright clarity, the boshi running straight to a quiet ko-maru. The founder aimed this suguha toward the Rai school yet departed from it, his nioiguchi tighter and his forging carrying more vigor; the third generation refined it to what the published sources call the strongest and most precise hand of the first three generations. Against that calm register the house also worked a showier one, the Hizen choji-midare mixing gunome, long ashi, kinsuji and sunagashi, ordered clove the founder himself had not attempted but the second generation made his own. The branches pushed further from the suguha standard: Tadakuni of the Ogi domain ran sunagashi more conspicuously than any other Hizen hand and reached toward old Ichimonji in his o-choji; Masahiro and Yukihiro favored a flamboyant long-ashi choji over the calm main line; and the Iyo no Jo Munetsugu line worked apart in the Soshu-den, building a midareba on notare with a pointed togariba and a jihada that tends to stand and tone slightly blackish. A collector seeks Hizen-to first for that steel, and reads it the same way the appraiser does: a bright suguha lying over a clear, tight konuka-hada identifies the school before the signature is consulted, and the quiet ko-maru boshi on the ura-signed tang confirms the main-line practice. Generation and branch are then told within that frame, the third generation's powerful sugata recalling not his father but his grandfather, the waki-Hizen hands set apart by their irregular temper, their sujikai file marks and a sashi-ura signature, the Munetsugu line by its Soshu togari. The main line, made in real numbers across so long a span, reaches the market more readily than any Kamakura master, so a papered example is within reach of a patient collector, while the founder's own work and the finest konuka-suguha of the third generation come to open hands only from time to time. Provenance runs back through the house the school served, blades recorded to Nabeshima Katsushige and Nabeshima Naomoto and passing onward to the Owari Tokugawa, the Satake and the Imperial families; documentary inscriptions sharpen the picture further, a Myoju soemei attesting the founder's discipleship, Umetada carving adding flowers to brocade on his late blades, and the gold-inlaid cutting tests of Yamano Kanjuro and Yamano Ka'emon, rare on Hizen work, naming the edge as well as the hand. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tadayoshi忠吉 | 1596-1632 | 123 |
| Tadayoshi忠吉 | 1662-1681 | 58 |
| Tadahiro忠廣 | 1624-1693 | 169 |
| Masahiro正廣 | 1624-1655 | 32 |
| Tadakuni忠國 | 1648-1652 | 32 |
Hizen swords were a domain enterprise: the Nabeshima sent Tadayoshi to study under Umetada Myōju around 1596, then built a licensed school around him. Nine generations carried its famously consistent konuka-hada work into the Meiji era.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
Weight: Blade only 489g It has arrived, it has arrived—a wakizashi passed down through an old family for generations as the work of the famous Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro, though it is mumei. There is likely no one who does not know the name of Tadahiro, as the works of Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro are that famous. Omi Daijo Tadahiro was the legitimate son of the famous first generation Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi, the official smith for the Saga Nabeshima Clan (375,000 koku). He received the title of Omi Daijo in the 18th year of Kan'ei, July (1640) (386 years ago). Because the Nabeshima Clan were tozama daimyo, they were extremely cautious toward the Edo Shogunate; to avoid political disadvantage, they presented Nabeshima-yaki ceramics and Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi swords to the Shogunate officials and powerful daimyo as tokens of friendship and diplomatic courtesy. Consequently, these works were required to have advanced production techniques and were subjected to strict quality control, resulting in all works being masterpieces. Furthermore, they strictly managed and supervised the smiths to ensure these techniques did not leak to other provinces. It was the Hizen swordsmiths, represented by Omi Daijo Tadahiro, who succeeded in manufacturing these world-class swords. This wakizashi exhibits a dynamic wakizashi sugata with a wide moto-mihaba and little difference between the moto and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a tight ko-itame hada appearing as nashiji hada, though perhaps it was left mumei because a portion of the kitae shows ohada. The hamon is a spirited suguha in nioi-deki with ko-nie, the traditional style of this lineage. The koshirae from the Edo period further adds splendor to this wakizashi passed down as Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro. On this occasion, the owners of the old family mentioned that while it is mumei, it has been passed down for generations as Hizen no Kuni Ju Omi Daijo Tadahiro; however, as they have grown old, they asked us to pass it on at a low price to someone who will cherish it. Therefore, we are offering it at a special bargain price. It is highly recommended for those who wish to acquire a "wakizashi-like" wakizashi at an affordable price. Please enjoy it.
NihontoWatchmumei · Edo · nagasa 42.8cm · sori 0.9cm
Shinto · Hizen
131 pieces on the market now
The Hizen Tadayoshi school began with a single domain commission. In Keicho 1 (1596) the Nabeshima of Hizen ordered Hashimoto Shinzaemon, the smith who would sign Tadayoshi, up to Kyoto with the carver Munenaga; there he entered the gate of Umetada Myoju and studied forging while Munenaga learned the chisel. The two returned to the province in Keicho 3 (1598), and Tadayoshi settled in the castle town below Saga, where under the domain's patronage the line grew into the dominant sword-making house of Kyushu. His own work runs from Keicho 5 (1600) to his death in Kan'ei 9 (1632); in Genna 10 (1624) he received the court title Musashi Daijo, changed his name to Tadahiro, and shifted his clan name from Minamoto to Fujiwara, so that the late Musashi Daijo blades are the founder under a second name. From him the house became a true generational institution: his son the second-generation Omi Daijo Tadahiro carried it forward as its most prolific hand, the third-generation Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi returned its highest finish, and a Tosa no Kami branch took the founder's signature when he set it aside. Around this main line grew a circle of disciples and collateral hands, the waki-Hizen or Soba-Hizen smiths, several of them, like Yoshiie and Hironori, working as daisaku substitute makers whose own signed pieces are therefore scarce. The school's signature is its steel. Over a ko-itame forged so tightly it shows no slackness, fine ji-nie gathers in minute particles until the surface takes on the rice-bran konuka-hada (also written komenuka-hada) that no other school produces, fine chikei entering throughout and the ji notably clear and bright.
The orthodox temper laid upon it is a chu-suguha or hiro-suguha, sometimes tinged with a shallow notare and ko-gunome, the nioiguchi deep with finely clustered ko-nie and tightened to a bright clarity, the boshi running straight to a quiet ko-maru. The founder aimed this suguha toward the Rai school yet departed from it, his nioiguchi tighter and his forging carrying more vigor; the third generation refined it to what the published sources call the strongest and most precise hand of the first three generations. Against that calm register the house also worked a showier one, the Hizen choji-midare mixing gunome, long ashi, kinsuji and sunagashi, ordered clove the founder himself had not attempted but the second generation made his own. The branches pushed further from the suguha standard: Tadakuni of the Ogi domain ran sunagashi more conspicuously than any other Hizen hand and reached toward old Ichimonji in his o-choji; Masahiro and Yukihiro favored a flamboyant long-ashi choji over the calm main line; and the Iyo no Jo Munetsugu line worked apart in the Soshu-den, building a midareba on notare with a pointed togariba and a jihada that tends to stand and tone slightly blackish. A collector seeks Hizen-to first for that steel, and reads it the same way the appraiser does: a bright suguha lying over a clear, tight konuka-hada identifies the school before the signature is consulted, and the quiet ko-maru boshi on the ura-signed tang confirms the main-line practice. Generation and branch are then told within that frame, the third generation's powerful sugata recalling not his father but his grandfather, the waki-Hizen hands set apart by their irregular temper, their sujikai file marks and a sashi-ura signature, the Munetsugu line by its Soshu togari. The main line, made in real numbers across so long a span, reaches the market more readily than any Kamakura master, so a papered example is within reach of a patient collector, while the founder's own work and the finest konuka-suguha of the third generation come to open hands only from time to time. Provenance runs back through the house the school served, blades recorded to Nabeshima Katsushige and Nabeshima Naomoto and passing onward to the Owari Tokugawa, the Satake and the Imperial families; documentary inscriptions sharpen the picture further, a Myoju soemei attesting the founder's discipleship, Umetada carving adding flowers to brocade on his late blades, and the gold-inlaid cutting tests of Yamano Kanjuro and Yamano Ka'emon, rare on Hizen work, naming the edge as well as the hand. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tadayoshi忠吉 | 1596-1632 | 123 |
| Tadayoshi忠吉 | 1662-1681 | 58 |
| Tadahiro忠廣 | 1624-1693 | 169 |
| Masahiro正廣 | 1624-1655 | 32 |
| Tadakuni忠國 | 1648-1652 | 32 |
Hizen swords were a domain enterprise: the Nabeshima sent Tadayoshi to study under Umetada Myōju around 1596, then built a licensed school around him. Nine generations carried its famously consistent konuka-hada work into the Meiji era.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
