HISTORY PREVIEW
SCHOOL of
TADAYOSHI
(1598-1871)
SHODAI TADAYOSHI
1st Gen Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
1600+
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI TADAYOSHI
SAKU
KYUSHU HIZEN KUNI
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JU MINAMOTO TADAYOSHI SAKU
1615+
HI
TADAYOSHI
TADAYOSHI
SAKU
HISHU JU
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JU
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN TADAYOSHI
SAKU
TADAYOSHI UMETADA MYOJU (no)
DESHI
.......................... more listed in book
........................
18 Feb 1624
TADAHIRO
MUSASHI
DAIJO FUJIWARA
TADAHIRO
HIZEN KUNI JU MUSASHI DAIJO FUJIWARA TADAHIRO
Aug 1630+
HIZEN KUNI JU FUJIWARA TADAHIRO
Born. 1572 in Takagise, Saga,
Hizen
Died. 15 Aug
1632
Aged.
61
Name. Hashimoto Shinsaemonjo
Tadayoshi. [Musashi Daijo].
Father. Hashimoto
Michihiro
Hashimoto
Shinsaemonjo was born in Takagise-Cho, Saga,
Hizen in 1572 to Hashimoto Michihiro [Iki (no) Kami Michihiro], the son of
Kuranojo Morihiro. Both his father and grandfather served the Ryuzoji Takanobu
family, then Daimyo of Saga. His grandfather died in the battle of Shimabara
(not to be confused with the Shimabara revolt of 1637) in Higo Province
in Mar 1584 where Takanobu (1529-1584) also died at the hands of the Shimazu of
Satsuma. Both his father and mother died later that year of an illness leaving
the 13-year-old Shinsaemon an orphan. Iwata Takashi (NBTHK) says that Shinsaemon
then went to a neighbouring village of Nagase-Mura to study sword
smithing with a relative. It is thought that this relative was Iyo (no) Jo
Munetsugu (1584-1633), and it is interesting to note that Munetsugu’s house was
also on the old Nagasaki Highway in what was once Nagase-Mura and within yards
of where the Tadayoshi forge was originally set up. Suiken Fukunaga also says
that early in his career Tadayoshi went to the neighbouring Province of
Higo to become an apprentice of the Dotakuni School. This School was a later
offshoot of the Enju School, and was renowned for producing battle worthy swords
favoured by Kato Kiyomasa in his Korean campaigns. Around this time, foreign
trade through Nagasaki was in decline, but Lord Nabeshima Naoshige, ruler of
Hizen, was establishing a developing business empire in the thriving City of
Saga, so in 1596 he sent the 25 year old Shinsaemon to study under Umetada Myoju
in Kyoto. Umetada was an established and respected swordsmith who became the
founder of the Shinto sword. Accompanying Shinsaemon was his cousin, Munenaga
(who later became one of Hizen’s best horimonoshi), and whilst in Kyoto he met a
priest called Shuho. Shinsaemon was given the name ‘Tada’ by Umetada, and after
3 years of study in the year 1598, he graduated and returned to his new home of
Nagase-Mura. On his return Nabeshima Naoshige gave him a stipend of some 25 koku
and a full block of property known as the Nagase-Machi area just West of Saga
castle town. Here he gathered all the Nagase-Mura swordsmiths together and set
up the Hizento Kaji under the name Tadayoshi. The Hashimoto family at this time
numbered 16, and they had up to a further 60 deshi. Shuho became the Hashimoto
family priest and may have lived at ..............
...................continued in
"The School of
Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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SHODAI TADAHIRO MEI
PERIOD
After he
returned to Saga, the Shodai’s health deteriorated so much that he was unable to
work, and he relied heavily on Yoshinobu, Tosa (no) Kami and Masahiro
for help (although Masahiro would only have been 18 years old). Midareba becomes
more used and he developed the konuka-type of ji-gane. The Midareba is
said to be the deshi way of signing his swords. His yasurime also became
perfectly straight across about 1624, and in fact his whole style changed so
markedly that many leading scholars believed until recently that Tadayoshi
1st and Tadahiro 1st were different smiths. The sword
making business was now in its prime and I suspect that his illness could not
interfere with sword production. There are far more "Hizen Kuni Musashi Daijo
Fujiwara Tadahiro" mei blades than one man could ever make, so there must have
been many dai-saku and dai-mei at this time. Although some references state that
he could now read and write, even when he was healthy enough to work it would
still have been a great honour for a student to make and sign a blade for the
master. One problem, which has led to many arguments amongst sword scholars, is
that the Shodai varied his mei almost from day to day, sometimes chiseling
strokes ‘left to right’, sometimes the reverse, sometimes heavy strokes etc.
Fujishiro argues that if he had used a regular professional carver, then surely
the strokes would have been consistent. I believe that he used his senior
students to sign hence the acute variations. We know that he used Masahiro to
sign for him, and there is a possible Yoshinobu dai-mei on page 92. Although I
have only ever seen one such acclaimed oshigata in Fujishiro’s work, the
Japanese textbooks regularly mention Yoshinobu as a
signatory.
When Tadayoshi
1st changed his Mei to Tadahiro, the Lord of the fief
reportedly gave a smith called Sadenjiro Masanaga (the son of Tadayoshi’s son in
law Yoshinobu, and who later became known as Masahiro) the title ‘Tadayoshi’.
The year was 1624, and he "took the Tadayoshi name" and reportedly made a sword
with the same name. This blade was so good that the Lord told him he should sign
his own name and he changed his art name to Masahiro (Shodai Masahiro). He
continued to work very closely with the Tadayoshi school even teaching Tadahiro
2nd. There are some oshigata with Masahiro signing dai-mei for the
Shodai (see Masahiro section, page 97), and he signed ‘Tadahiro’ for a little
over a year. I think that when it is said "Masahiro took the Tadayoshi name", it
means that he was allowed to sign dai-mei for Tadayoshi, which
after 1624 would be with a ‘Tadahiro’ mei, rather than actually signing with a
‘Tadayoshi’ mei. There are many errors in the limited English translations of
the Japanese references; some even saying that the Nidai signed dai-mei in 1624
(The Nidai would have been about 10 years old!). The Japanese references are
also not any clearer on the subject of dai-mei by Masahiro, Yoshinobu or Tosa,
presumably due to a lack of research. My view is that Masahiro signed dai-mei
for Shodai Tadahiro in 1624, and whilst it is quite possible that he made a
sword signed ‘Tadayoshi’, we have no oshigata of such a sword. We are also
getting into semantics over a ‘Tadayoshi’ mei compared with a ‘Tadahiro’ mei. At
the end of the day, Masahiro signed for the Shodai; a fact well
established.
From August 1630,
Shodai Tadahiro began signing custom order swords of exceptionally high
quality for high ranking people. The mei are called kenjo-mei, and
obviously indicate a valuable sword. An example is shown in oshigata D. Page 92.
He used the signature ‘Hizen Kuni .............
...................continued in
"The School of
Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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SHODAI
MASAHIRO
1st Gen Masahiro
Summary.
Signed: 1600+
HIZEN KUNI MASANAGA
1624-25*
HIZEN KUNI JU FUJIWARA TADAHIRO
[Dai-mei for Shodai Tadayoshi]
Nov
1625+
HIZEN KUNI SAGA JU
MASAHIRO
1628 (1641?)
HIZEN KUNI KAWACHI DAIJO FUJIWARA MASAHIRO
LATER
HIZEN KUNI KAWACHI no KAMI FUJIWARA
MASAHIRO
HIZEN KUNI KAWACHI no KAMI TOSHI
MASAHIRO
HIZEN JU MUSASHI no KAMI FUJIWARA MASAHIRO
Born.
1607 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 5 Feb
1665
Aged. 59
Name. Hashimoto
Sadenjiro
Father.
Hashimoto Shinsaemonjo Tadayoshi
Masahiro dai-mei
for
Shodai Tadahiro
The following work is
adapted from an article written by Barry Hennick for the Toronto
Token Kai in May 1993, and is reproduced below with his kind permission. Barry
is an avid collector and researcher of Hizen swords, and specializes in works by
Masahiro.
Tadayoshi
1st had a daughter, who married Yoshinobu the swordsmith, and
this couple went on to have a son called Masahiro
who was born in the year 1607 in Saga in Hizen Province (Yoshinobu was born in
1587 and lived until April 29, 1633). From this mainline of Hizen Tadayoshi
School swordsmiths, Masahiro went on to start his own line of smiths. References
state that Tadayoshi 1st was childless in his early stage of life
despite having a daughter [this author thinks childless should be read as
without a male heir], and he therefore adopted both Yoshinobu and Masahiro.
Because Masahiro’s mother was the daughter of Tadayoshi 1st and
Yoshinobu was the son-in-law of Tadayoshi 1st, Tadayoshi was in fact
Masahiro’s biological grandfather on his mother’s side, legally on his father’s
side, and also his stepfather. Fujishiro gives Masahiro a Jo saku rating,
Yoshinobu a Jo saku rating, and Tadayoshi a Saijo saku rating – which is good
genetics by any standard. Tadayoshi 1st probably adopted Yoshinobu
and later Masahiro with a view to them carrying on the Tadayoshi school, but
unfortunately for Masahiro, Tadayoshi remarried and had a son - Tadahiro 2 (Omi
Daijo), who later went on to take over the family business. It would also appear
from references that Tadayoshi went on to have several other sons [see Tadayoshi
lineage chart page 27].
Both Tadayoshi 1st and
Yoshinobu taught Masahiro, and like Tadayoshi, Masahiro was favored
by Nabeshima (who was the Daimyo residing in the Castle town of Saga, and
incidentally, the 11th largest family). Nabeshima gave Masahiro the
"Hiro" character to his name and he also gave him a stipend of 20 koku of rice,
which could support 20 people. Masahiro could therefore support up to 20
followers, workers and students..........
Masahiro
dai-mei
...................continued in
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Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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TOSA (no)
KAMI
Summary. Signed:
1624+
HIZEN KUNI FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN TADAYOSHI
SAKU
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
Circa 1624 +
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN FUJIWARA MINAMOTO
TADAYOSHI
1628+
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN TOSA (no) KAMI
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN TOSA (no) KAMI FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN TOSA (no) KAMI FUYJIWARA TADAYOSHI SAKU
Born.
Unknown
Died.
Shortly after Tadayoshi 1st (Circa 1632-4?)
Aged.
Unknown
Name.
Hashimoto Tosa [Tosa (no) Kami].
Father
Unknown.
Very little
is known about Tosa (no) Kami, but we do know that when Tadayoshi
1st changed his name to Tadahiro in 1624 there could have been a
problem with no-one signing "Tadayoshi". Yoshinobu was the senior son of
Tadayoshi 1st, albeit adopted, and perhaps he should have received
the title "Tadayoshi" because Tadahiro 2nd was too young. We know
that he didn’t as there are blades signed Yoshinobu dated circa 1636, and this
also means that he was not the same person as Tosa. There must therefore have
been a family member senior to the known sons of Tadayoshi 1st, who
may even have been a brother of Tadayoshi 1st, and who signed
Tadayoshi from around 1625. Fujishiro’s Dictionary of Japanese Swords reportedly
says that Tosa (no) Kami was known as the "younger Tadayoshi brother". There is
a possibility of Sadenjiro Masanaga signing ‘Tadayoshi’ for a short period in
1624 before he changed his name to Masahiro, so we are talking roughly the year
1625 onwards. There is a theory that Tadayoshi 1st became very ill
around the time that he changed his name to Tadahiro, and he relied very heavily
on a student called Tosa. As a reward, the theory says that he gave this student
the Tadayoshi name, and Tosa then signed his own blades. If you look at the
"Tada" character on page 92, oshigata K. on the mei "Hizen Kuni Ju Musashi Daijo
Fujiwara Tadahiro" (Tadayoshi 1st), it may be that of Tosa, which
could indicate that Tosa signed dai-mei ‘Tadahiro’. There is also one reference
that says the Shodai signed Tosa’s first sword for him! At this time, the
Hashimoto family had around 60 deshi working for them and, as we already know,
they were honoured with the family name of Hashimoto. Whilst it is possible that
Tosa could have been ‘just’ a deshi, it is more likely that he was indeed an
original high ranking family member for him to have been given the name
Tadayoshi and to have signed pledges, because he effectively blocked Yoshinobu
and Nidai Tadahiro from using the art name ‘Tadayoshi’. According to Nagayama,
Echizen Yasutsugu taught Tosa, which implies that Tadayoshi 1st may
not have taught him. However, according to Hizento Hitsukei, Munetsugu taught
both Tosa and the Shodai Tadayoshi and it is postulated that they were brothers.
Tosa (no) Kami generally used the name "Fujiwara", whilst Tadayoshi
1st used "Minamoto". When Tadayoshi 1st changed his name
to Tadahiro he then started using "Fujiwara". This may also indicate that Tosa
was not only working prior to 1624 when Tadayoshi 1st changed to
Tadahiro, but that Tosa may have signed Tadayoshi blades prior to 1624. Tosa did
not apparently confine himself solely to the use of "Fujiwara": There are
wakizashi that are signed "Hizen Kuni Junin Fujiwara Minamoto Tadayoshi"! (See
page 103, oshigata A). Although it is thought that Tosa was high level family,
we may never know who he really was since fires have destroyed most of the
Tadayoshi family records over the years. All we are left with yet again are
theories and works of art, but it appears that he may well have been an older
brother of the Shodai. There is certainly much discussion and speculation on
this subject!
Tadayoshi 10th, known
as Kinichi, wrote some of the family history and he theorized
that Tosa received the title Tosa (no) Jo in 1624 and must therefore have been
working for years prior to this date. However the title does not appear until
around 1628, which is probably a .............................
...................continued in
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Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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NIDAI
TADAHIRO
2nd Gen
Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
1633+
HIZEN KUNI
TADAHIRO
HISHU JU TADAHIRO
SAKU
HIZEN KUNI JU FUJIWARA
TADAHIRO
HIZEN KUNI JU HASHIMOTO TAIRA
SAKU
HIZEN KUNI SAGA JUNIN SHINSAEMONJO TADAHIRO
SAKU
20 Jul 1641
TADAHIRO
OMI DAIJO
TADAHIRO
OMI DAIJO FUJIWARA
TADAHIRO
HIZEN KUNI JU OMI DAIJO
TADAHIRO
HISHU JU OMI DAIJO FUJIWARA
TADAHIRO
............................. more listed in
book................................
Born.
1614 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 27 May
1693
Aged. 80
Name. Hashimoto
Heisakuro later changed to Hashimoto Shinsaemon. [Omi Daijo Tadahiro].
Father Hashimoto
Shinsaemonjo (Tadayoshi 1st).
Hashimoto Heisakuro (Shinsaemon) (Tadahiro 2nd) was
born in Saga, Hizen in 1614 to a 42 year old Hashimoto Shinsaemonjo
Tadayoshi (1st. gen.). Tadayoshi 1st had earlier adopted Yoshinobu, so the
arrival of Tadahiro 2nd later in life provided a much welcomed blood heir to the
Tadayoshi lineage. It is reported that being illegitimate, Tadahiro 2nd was
raised in the company of women and was therefore a quiet, thoughtful person who
later became dedicated to sword smithing. (It is interesting to note that Iwata
Takashi, in his articles on the Hizen Schools published by the NBTHK, says that
the Nidai was legitimate. This is contrary to all my other research.) It is said
that when Tadayoshi received the title Musashi Daijo on 18 Feb 1624, Tadahiro
joined his fathers forge at the age of 10 years old. Tadayoshi 1st, Masahiro
1st, and Yoshinobu all taught the young Tadahiro, and he took over the Tadayoshi
School at the age of 19 when his father died in 1632, although it is postulated
that Masahiro as senior smith, effectively ran the school for a short time.
Tadahiro reportedly made no swords in the year that followed his fathers death;
maybe he grieved the passing of his father. At this time, he also changed his
family name from Hashimoto Heisakuro to Hashimoto Shinsaemon. His new name first
appears in 1634 on a document (pledge) by the Hashimoto family stating
................................
...................continued in
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Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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SANDAI
TADAYOSHI
3rd Gen
Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
1660
TADAYOSHI
27 Oct 1660
MUTSU DAIJO
TADAYOSHI
MUTSU DAIJO FUJIWARA TADAYOSHI
16 Aug 1661
MUTSU (no) KAMI FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
........................ more listed in book
................................
1663 +
DO KUNI JUNIN MUTSU (no) KAMI
TADAYOSHI
Circa 1673
HIZEN KUNI TADAYOSHI
Born.
1637 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 2 Jan
1686
Aged. 50
Name. Hashimoto
Shinsaburo [Mutsu (no) Kami Tadayoshi]
Father Omi Daijo
Tadahiro (2nd Gen. Tadayoshi)
Hashimoto
Shinsaburo was born in 1637 to Omi Daijo Tadahiro, however he died at
the relatively young age of 50 years on 2 Jan 1686. Although he was the rightful
heir to the Tadayoshi School, his father outlived him by some 7 years, and he
therefore never became true head of The School, although he was to become known
as Sandai Tadayoshi (3rd gen.). His father the Nidai, Shodai Masahiro
and other sensei taught him well, for it is said that he made the finest jitetsu
of all the Tadayoshi, and reportedly destroyed blades that he was
not satisfied with. His work is rated along with Tadayoshi 1st as
Saijo-O-Wazamono (supreme sharpness), and he must have had a close relationship
with Masahiro 1st, because he also forged gassaku with him as well as
his father the Nidai. Due to his relatively short working life (1660-1686), and
his attention to the finest detail, his individual works are rare and valuable.
He made most of the outstanding dai-saku-mei works for his father. There are
therefore many gimei 3rd gen. swords in existence and one should be
very careful.
Sandai
Tadayoshi first signed "Tadayoshi" around 1660, received the title
Mutsu Daijo on 27 Oct 1660 and then signed "Mutsu Daijo Tadayoshi", and "Mutsu
Daijo Fujiwara Tadayoshi". The use of Fujiwara is rare. So good was his
ability that less than a year after he began signing Mutsu Daijo he received the
title Mutsu (no) Kami on 16 Aug 1661. Most of his own blades were therefore
signed using "Mutsu (no) Kami" and are easily recognizable, so he subsequently
became known as "Mutsu (no) Kami Tadayoshi". He later signed Goji mei "Hizen
Kuni Tadayoshi", and some of these swords have been mistaken for works by the
Shodai. Dated swords are especially rare which make it somewhat difficult to
accurately date his mei. I have only ever seen one "Mutsu Daijo Fujiwara
Tadayoshi" oshigata.
His mei show significant
variations in the chisel strokes as detailed below and overleaf,
especially in the character for "Mutsu". Since he was renowned for
attention to detail, and most of his works are undated, one can only assume that
these significant and deliberate ‘secret’ chisel stokes were his personal way of
dating blades.......................
...................continued in
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Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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YONDAI TADAYOSHI
4th Gen Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
1686
HIZEN KUNI
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI JUNIN
TADAYOSHI
10 Mar 1700
HIZEN KUNI OMI DAIJO FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
........................... more listed in book
...............................
OMI DAIJO FUJIWARA TADAYOSHI
Born.
1668 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 5 Sep 1747
Aged. 80
Name.
Hashimoto Shinsaemon later Shinsaburo [Omi Daijo Tadayoshi]
Father Mutsu(no) Kami Tadayoshi (3rd Gen.
Tadayoshi)
The 4th
gen. Tadayoshi was born to Mutsu (no) Kami in 1668 and he became
known as Omi Daijo Tadayoshi, working from circa 1686 until his death in 1747.
He had two sons; one was born in 1696 and went on to become the 5th Tadayoshi
and was subsequently known as Omi (no) Kami Tadayoshi, and the other son was
called Hashimoto Genyuemonjo. According to Hizento Hitsukei, the 4th
gen. was originally called Minamoto (no) Suke, and later changed his name to his
father’s name Shinsaburo (presumably upon the death of his father in 1686). The
‘(no) Suke’ character used in the reference book can also be read as ‘Jo’, and
Minamoto as ‘Gen’, so he may have been known as Minamoto Jo, or Genjo, although
I suspect it was in title form. Some references also say that he was originally
named Shinsaemon, which is more plausible.
Very little is
known about the Yondai (4th gen.), but it is said that he
may have signed dai-mei for his grandfather in the latter’s old age. We know
that Mutsu (no) Kami died in 1686, so I would presume that any dai-mei were
after this period, and up to the death of Omi Daijo Tadahiro on 27 May 1693,
however I have not seen a single, definitive Yondai dai-mei. Another theory says
that he never signed Tadahiro at all, and this would account for the lack of
oshigata in his hand bearing the name Tadahiro. So, at the end of the day, he
may have signed a few blades ‘Tadahiro’ during a relatively short and
turbulent period in the history of the Tadayoshi School, but there are few, if
any recognized works. Whilst the obvious dai-mei on page 112. Oshigata C. is
most probably by Masahiro, it is quite possible that it is a dai-mei by Yondai
Tadayoshi. Take a look at Oshigata C. on page 131, which is from my collection,
and note the similarities.
The 4th gen.
Tadayoshi first signed "Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi" and "Hizen Kuni Junin
Tadayoshi". He can therefore be confused with
all the goji-mei smiths, and in signing ‘Junin’ he can be confused with the
Shodai and Tosa (no) Kami. If you consult the tables on pages 23 & 24, you
will see that only the 4th gen. signed "Hizen Kuni Junin Tadayoshi"
without the addition of "Saku". Page 55 also shows oshigata from these 3 smiths
to ensure no further errors in identification. A point worthy of note is that it
appears the 4th gen. sometimes copied the Shodai in the ‘half
crescent’ way he chiseled the top stroke in "Ju", which can sometimes also lead
to confusion (see the following page). Remember, unlike the Shodai, he did not
use "Saku". The slope in the kanji "Nin" is ..........
...................continued in
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Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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GODAI TADAYOSHI
5th Gen Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
Circa 1716 - 5 Sep 1747
HIZEN KUNI
TADAHIRO
5 Sep 1747 +
HIZEN KUNI
TADAYOSHI
1750 +
HIZEN KUNI OMI (no) KAMI
TADAYOSHI
OMI (no) KAMI TADAYOSHI
Born. 1696 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 15 Jun 1775
Aged. 80
Name.
Hashimoto Shinsaemon [Omi (no) Kami Tadayoshi]
Father Omi Daijo Tadayoshi (4th Gen.
Tadayoshi)
The 5th
gen. Tadayoshi was born to Omi Daijo Tadayoshi (4th gen.) in 1696
and he later became known as ‘Omi (no) Kami Tadayoshi’, working from circa 1716
(when he would have been 20 years old) until his death in 1775. He signed "Hizen
Kuni Tadahiro" whilst his father was alive until 1747, and there appears to be
two distinct ways he chiseled ‘Hiro’ in this mei as discussed on the following
page. Again, little is known about the 5th gen. Tadayoshi, but he
reportedly signed dai-mei for his aging father the 4th gen. The
oshigata on page 131 show the mei "Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadayoshi" and "Hizen Kuni
Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadayoshi". Only the 4th gen. signed using ‘Omi
Daijo Tadayoshi’, but the handwriting is that of the Godai.
The Godai took
over The School upon the death of his father in 1747, whereupon he signed
"Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi". He received the title ‘Omi (no) Kami’ in 1750 after
which he began signing "Hizen Kuni Omi (no) Kami Tadayoshi" and "Omi (no) Kami
Tadayoshi". He is the first of the later Tadayoshi smiths to sign ‘Omi (no)
Kami’ Tadayoshi, hence his colloquial name.
Signatures by the
4th, 5th and possibly 7th generations are very
distinct in that they are the only mei with
.......................
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ROKUDAI TADAYOSHI
6th Gen Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
Circa 1755 -
1775?
HIZEN KUNI TADAHIRO
15 Jun 1775+
HIZEN KUNI TADAYOSHI
24 Jun 1790
OMI (no) KAMI
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI OMI (no) KAMI
TADAYOSHI
HIZEN KUNI OMI (no) KAMI FUJIWARA TADAYOSH
Born. 1736 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 28 Dec 1815
Aged. 80
Name.
Hashimoto Shinsaemon (after 15 Jun 1775) [Omi (no) Kami
Tadayoshi]
Father
Hashimoto Shinsaemon (5th Gen. Tadayoshi)
The
6th gen. Tadayoshi was born in 1736 to a 41 year old 5th
gen. Tadayoshi, however there is some mystery surrounding this smith, as is
becoming the case with many of the masters. Tadayoshi 5th as we know
had 2 sons, the youngest becoming the 6th gen. Tadayoshi. This latter
son only took the name ‘Shinsaemon’ together with the title ‘Tadayoshi’ after
the death of the 5th gen. on 15 Jun 1775, and it is not known what
his previous name was. He was 40 years old when his father died and there is no
evidence (according to Kinichi in Hizento Taikan) that he ever signed
‘Tadahiro’. As we know, ‘Tadahiro’ is given to the next direct line
descendant whilst the father is still alive, which would have meant that
the eldest son Hikoju would have received the title, and he died in 1755. So,
any ‘Tadahiro’ mei made during the mid-period of life of the 5th gen.
after he himself changed his name to Tadayoshi (1747 to 1755) must be by Hikoju.
Any ‘Tadahiro’ mei from the death of the eldest son to the death of the Godai
(1755 – 1775) must be by the younger son Shinsaemon (6th gen.
Tadayoshi). In 1755, the 6th gen. would have been 19 years old, and
therefore old enough to forge blades, although maybe not yet competent in the
eyes of his father. It is interesting to note that we again have significantly
conflicting evidence with Kinichi saying that there was no proof that the
6th gen. ever signed Tadahiro, and a study of the chronology which
indicates the possibility of Tadahiro mei swords by either the 6th
gen. or his elder brother. Nihonto Kantei Hitsukei, Fujishiro and Toko Soran all
state that he first signed ‘Tadahiro’, and there is one rare oshigata reportedly
by the 6th gen. dated August 1774 that has a Tadahiro mei shown on
the next page. Once again there is a distinct lack of dated research material.
Hizento Hitsukei says that both
the 6th gen. Masahiro and the 5th gen. Yukihiro were
6th gen. Tadayoshi Mon (‘Mon’ as in ‘Monjin’ basically means
worked and studied at the Tadayoshi forges). When the 5th gen.
Masahiro (1713-1768) died in 1768, the 6th gen. Masahiro (1751-1809)
would have been around 16 years old, and the 6th gen. Tadayoshi
(1736-1815) around 32, so it is quite possible that the latter ‘adopted’ the
young Masahiro in some way. Similarly the 5th gen. Yukihiro
(1751-1809) would have been about the same age when his father died. I think the
fact that both Masahiro 6th and Yukihiro 5th were
Tadayoshi 6th mon demonstrates the close working and family
relationships present between the different, but closely located schools at this
time. I would not be surprised if they pooled their resources to some extent,
much like company mergers today, especially in hard times.
Unfortunately demand for swords was not great
during the 6th gen. working life as head of the Tadayoshi Kaji.
Kinichi theorizes that it was unlikely that the 6th gen. made any
swords of his own until after the death of the Godai, ..............
...................continued in
"The School of
Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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NANADAI TADAYOSHI
7th Gen
Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
1814
HIZEN KUNI
TADAHIRO
DO SOKU HASHIMOTO TADASAEMONJO
TADAHIRO
1815
HIZEN KUNI TADAYOSHI ???
OMI
DAIJO TADAYOSHI (Appointed)
Born. 1770 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 28 Feb 1816
Aged. 46
Name. Hashimoto Heisuke, later Hashimoto Tadasaemon.
Posthumously appointed "Omi Daijo".
Father Hashimoto Shinsaemon (6th Gen. Tadayoshi)
Hashimoto Heisuke was born in
1770 to a 34 year old 6th gen. Tadayoshi,
however it is thought
that he was very sick throughout his life, even to the extent that he may
never have actually forged any swords due to the distinct lack of
oshigata attributed to the 7th gen. One theory says that he may have
been given the title "7th gen. Tadahiro" purely for appearances in
the business of sword making, with the School deshi actually making and signing
the blades on his behalf. I think that this may account for many of the
19-Century gimei.
The Nanadai (or Shichidai or 7th
gen.) Tadayoshi became head of the Kaji after his father died in late Dec 1815,
however the 7th gen. died in Feb 1816 just two months after his
father’s death. There is one recognized yardstick oshigata from a gassaku with
his father the 6th gen. This was made in August 1814 and it reads
"Hizen Kuni Omi (no) Kami Tadayoshi" on the prime side (Tadayoshi
6th) and "Do Soku Hashimoto Tadasaemonjo Tadahiro" (or ‘same breath’,
Hashimoto Tadasaemonjo, 7th gen.) on the reverse. This blade is a
gassaku, so we do not know how much the 7th gen. actually assisted in
its construction, or indeed if he even signed his own name. Also shown is a
Tadahiro goji-mei which has striking similarities to the gassaku, but also has
some significant differences. There is one other oshigata that I have seen from
Nihonto Kantei Hitsukei, which is reportedly by the 7th gen. and
signed "Hizen Kuni Tadayoshi". This is interesting because if the
7th actually made any blades at all on his own it is unlikely that he
had time to make and sign goji-mei Tadayoshi in the short time after his father
died. Also, the 7th gen. would not have signed Tadayoshi goji-mei
whilst his father was still alive, unless as dai-mei for him and then surely he
would have used the full title ‘Omi (no) Kami’ Tadayoshi. I therefore suspect
that this Tadayoshi goji-mei is gimei. ...............
...................continued in
"The School of
Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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HACHIDAI TADAYOSHI
8th Gen Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
1820 +
HIZEN
KUNI
TADAYOSHI
1837
+
SHINSAEMONJO FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
HASHIMOTO SHINSAEMONJO
TADAYOSHI
HASHIMOTO SHINSAEMONJO TADAYOSHI SAKU
HIZEN KUNI SHINSAEMONJO FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
............................... more listed in book ........................
Early
period Dai-mei
Later period 8th gen.
for the young 8th gen.
Genuine by 8th gen.
Circa 1816-1812
Circa 1837 +
Born.
1801 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 26 May 1859
Aged. 59
Name. Hashimoto Shunichiro , later Hashimoto Shinsaemon,
finally Kura (no) Jo.
Father Yoshikawa Yohei Michiro (Husband of Hashimoto Baisen Kimimisai [daughter
of 6th gen Tadayoshi].
Hashimoto
Shunichiro (8th gen. Tadayoshi) was born in 1801 as the
2nd son of Yoshikawa Yohei Michihiro and Hashimoto Baisen Kimimisai
(the daughter of the 6th gen. Tadayoshi). Because the 7th
gen. had no legitimate children (probably due to his poor health) there was no
legitimate direct line male heir to the Tadayoshi forges and therefore
Shunichiro was adopted by the 7th gen. to later take over The School.
If you look at the family tree on page 27 and go back as far as Tadayoshi
5th, you will see that there was only a limited confirmed blood line
of males for quite some time. He was adopted as the only legitimate bloodline
male relative available, albeit slightly indirect. According to Hizento
Taikan the 8th gen. "followed his adopted father at a young age";
this implies that the 7th adopted the 8th at a young age,
rather than the 8th being appointed after the death of the
7th. Shunichiro later changed his name to Hashimoto Shinsaemon,
probably at the time that he took over the Tadayoshi School, but I do not know
when he changed his name to Kura (no) Jo.
Unfortunately the 6th
and 7th gen. Tadayoshi both died within a few months of each
other whilst the 8th gen. was only 16 years old. A swordsmith
called Hashimoto Kazusuke Tadayuki, who was presumably living and working in the
Tadayoshi forges at this time, was appointed his guardian and teacher. This was
probably the 6th gen. Tadayuki who was 7th gen. Yukihiro
family, although not the same as the 7th gen. Yukihiro swordsmith. So
again the Yukihiro line played an important role in the survival of The
Tadayoshi School. Tadayuki ostensibly took control of the Tadayoshi School from
1816 until the 8th was old enough to run everything. I guess that the
8th gen. would have been competent by the age of 20 (circa 1821), but
history tells us that Tadayuki worked closely with Tadayoshi 8th
until ..................
...................continued in
"The School of
Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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KYUDAI TADAYOSHI
9th Gen
Tadayoshi
Summary. Signed:
Circa 1851 -1859
DO-MEI
HYAKUTARO FUJIWARA
TADAYOSHI
1859
+
HIZEN KUNI
TADAYOSHI
FUJIWARA TADAYOSHI
SAKU
............................... more listed in book ........................
Born.
1832 in Saga, Hizen
Died. 27 Dec 1880
Aged. 49
Name. Hashimoto Hyakutaro (later Hashimoto
Shunpei)
Father Hashimoto Shinsaemonjo (8th gen Tadayoshi)
Well, this one you will have to
wait until the book is released to find out
about this smith. And a lot more
about the history of the other smiths, their
interraction with all the other
Hizen smiths, their signatures,
and the abundant dai-mei, dai-saku mei and
gassaku.
And also why this magnificant
school of swordsmiths followed in the footsteps of the
samuri......
... in the way of
death.
...................continued in
"The School of
Tadayoshi, Saga, Hizen, Japan,1598 - 1871"
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