Description

It has arrived, it has arrived! I was truly moved when I first held and inspected this piece. Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi is a grand champion (*ozumo*) of *Keicho Shinto*, so famous that there is no one in the sword world who does not know the name. From the 10th year of Showa through the Showa 30s, the famous *rokkyoku* storyteller Hirosawa Torazo performed the "Jirocho Sangokushi" series. In it, Mori no Ishimatsu goes to Sanuki’s Konpira-sama to dedicate a sword by Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi as a proxy for Shimizu no Jirocho. On the boat, when he asks who the number one boss of the Tokaido is, he is told it is Shimizu no Jirocho, followed by Omasa and Komasa. Then, realizing they forgot, they say Mori no Ishimatsu is the strongest of all. Overjoyed, he says the famous lines, "Brother, eat some sushi," "Eat some sushi!" This *rokkyoku* became a massive hit, and the popularity of Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi's swords skyrocketed, becoming a nationwide sensation that remains famous to this day. As a postscript, because Konpira-sama did not actually possess a sword by Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi at that time, and because it became so famous, a search was conducted nationwide for a genuine Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi; one was successfully found and is now enshrined at Konpira-sama. The swordsmith Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi went to Kyoto in the 1st year of Keicho (1596) (430 years ago) at the age of 25 by order of the Saga Nabeshima Clan to study under Umetada Myoju. He returned home in the 3rd year of Keicho as a clan smith for the Saga Nabeshima, becoming an ultra-famous smith who established the foundation of the Tadayoshi lineage that lasted for nine generations. Based on the *mei-buri* (style of signature), this sword is a work from his peak period around the 17th year of Keicho (1612) (414 years ago) when Tadayoshi was 41 years old. The *sugata* of this sword shows the characteristics of *Keicho Shinto*, with a difference between the *moto-mihaba* and *saki-mihaba*, shallow *sori*, and a slightly extended *kissaki*. The *jigane* features a tightly packed *ko-itame hada* with a flowing tendency (*nagare-gokoro*), well-covered in *ji-nie* with prominent *chikei*. The *horimono* is magnificent, with the characters "Kasuga" engraved on the *omote* and "Hachiman" on the *ura*. The *hamon* is in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*, a *suguha* style mixed with shallow *notare* and *gunome*, featuring *ko-ashi* and abundant *nie*, making the *ha* wonderfully clear and vibrant (*saeru*). On this occasion, an elderly connoisseur (*sukisha*) told me, "I have grown old, so please pass this Shodai Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi sword, which I have cherished until now, to someone who will continue to treasure it." We have received it for sale; please enjoy this rare and precious masterpiece by the Shodai Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi, affectionately and respectfully referred to as "Goji Tadayoshi" (Five-Character Tadayoshi).