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Hamon : Elegant ko-nie deki chu suguha of the Hizen tradition. The luminous nioi guchi is tigthly packed with ko nie and there is inazuma.
Boshi : Classic ko maru boshi of the Hizen tradition. There is ko-nie hataraki and an elegant kaeri.
Kitae : Konuka hada of the Hizen tradtion. The jigane is remarkably clear. There is a great deal of ji nie and there are chikei.
Sugata: Mainline Hizen katana have a sugata that is different than the Kanbun shape we see in most works from this time. The sori is more graceful and it is torii zori with an elegant even taper as we see in this katana. The suguha hamon compliments this sugata perfectly. The control of the smith in making this suguha and tightly forged konuka hada combined with the elegance and grace of the sugata are the factors that draw so many to a deep admiration of Hizen-to.
About this sword : This is a superb and rare katana by the 4th generation Hizen Tadayoshi. He is commonly referred to as "Omi daijo" or "Yondai" (4th generation) Tadayoshi. He is a highly regarded mainline Hizen smith. Ranked Jo Saku by Fujishiro, 4,000,000 yen in the Toko Taikan and valued at 70 points by Hawley. Yondai Tadayoshi was the son of Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi. He was born in 1668 . His father, Mutsu no kami Tadayoshi, died in 1686. Because of his young age at the time of his fathers passing, he apprenticed under his grandfather, the nidai Tadahiro. Tadahrio lived a long life, passing at the age of 80 in 1693. It is said that this is one of the reasons that works signed by the Yondai Tadayoshi are so rare. Because it was the Yondai's main responsibility to make blades under Tadahiro for so many years, we now can admire the beauty of Yondai's sword as almost equivalent with those of Omi Daijo Tadahiro. Once we reach Genroku times, the peace across the land led to less demand for swords. This is another contributing factor to the rarity of his work. Among the mainline Hizen masters, the Yondai is one of the most difficult to find. He received his title of "Omi daijo" on the 10th of March in the year 1700. In 1711, he made a naginata as a present for the Korean government. It is also known that he had a interesting, aggressive martial character having killed his wife with a sword because of infidelity. He passed away on the 9th of September in 1747. This katana bears the "Omi daijo" title so we know that it was made between 1700 and 1747. Considering the strength of the mei, this sword is most likely a work closer to 1700.
This katana received a Tokubetsu Hozon paper from the NBTHK. This deserves some special attention. As a rule, Edo period blade must have a signed and ubu nakago to pass the Tokubetsu Hozon level. This katana has ubu machi but the nakago was shortened to fit to the Cavalry Officers Kyu-Gunto koshirae. This receiving a Tokubetsu Hozon paper says a lot about the high quality of this sword and the importance of the Yondai mei.
This sword was completely restored in Japan. The polish was done by Mr Shinozaki. He is a Mukansa polisher. We can not say enough about the quality of this polish. The jigane is so clear and the hadori is just right. The nie is glistening and bright. The geometry of the blade is complete perfection. Its nice to see blades in good polish but work of this level will really take one's breath away. It has a new top quality deluxe double gold foil habaki and a fine shirasaya. A tsunagi was made for the koshirae as well. The original gold washed habaki was also preserved with the koshirae. The restoration of this blade cost over $5000.00 and took several years to complete.
This katana comes with a very rare regulation 1886 pattern Cavalry Officers koshirae. To fit to this koshirae, the original Nakago had to be shortened in the late 1800s . The partially decorated back strap indicates that this was the sword of a Lieutenant or Captain. Overall, the mounts show honest wear but are in excellent condition. There was once a family Mon on the back strap too. One can still see the spot it was removed from. This was done at the end of WW II when this sword was surrendered to the Allied forces. Because of this koshirae, we have some certain insight into the history of this blade. Its really amazing to think about its origins and use in 18th century Japan by a traditional Samurai and then becoming the blade of a Cavalry Officer in the time of the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars and most probably being used in WWII as well.
Overall this is a truly exemplary work by the Yondai Tadayoshi, text book Hizen workmanship, top level Japanese restoration, Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a fine 1886 Cavalry koshirae. A precious sword indeed.
Price: $14,500
