Very rare and believed to be signed by Hizenkoku JyuMusashi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro (肥前国住武蔵大掾藤原忠広) inFeb, 8th year of the Kan-Ei era (1631: the early Edo period). This maker’s namewas used by the first-gen Tadayoshi in his career.  Hizenkoku is the province’s name in today’sSaga prefecture on Kyushu island. The first-gen Tadayoshi is considered one ofthe most renowned swordsmiths during the early Edo period. Also, the maker’sname, Tadayoshi, lasted many generations throughout the Edo period.

I purchased this at auction several years ago and it wasexported to me as a collector. It has gone through some light cleaning, but the pieces are all original.

He was born in the third year of the Genki era (1572: LateMuromachi period) as the son of Hashimoto Michihiro. Tadayoshi’s birthname wasHashimoto Shinzaemon. It is said that Hashimoto family had Samurai lineage andserved Ryuzoji Daimyo (feudal lord) as a retainer for generations on Kyushuisland. However, in 1584, his grandfather Morihiro and Father Michihiro werekilled in a war called Okinawa-te no Tatakai, where Ryuzoji clan fought againstShimazu clan. Therefore, Hashimoto family couldn’t keep serving the clan andstatus of Samurai because Tadayoshi, the head of the family, was just 13 yearsold.

The whole family turned the new leaf. Tadayoshi wassupported by Dotanuki Zenbei, who was related to Tadayoshi and had served KatoKiyomasa, a legendary warlord during Sengoku Jidai (Warring state period). Itis said that he learned sword-forging techniques from Zenbei for about 13years.

In 1596, under the domain’s order, he went to Kyoto tolearn the sword-forging techniques from Umetada Myojyu(埋忠明寿), oneof the greatest swordsmiths in the early Edo period. Tadayoshi improved hiscraftsmanship and returned to the Saga domain three years later (1598). Thefirst head of the Nabeshima clan, Nabeshima Katsushige, appreciated the work ofthe first-gen Tadayoshi very much. Then, Katsushige appointed him as hisOkakaekaji, a swordsmith who exclusively forged swords for a specific domain orclan. And Tadayoshi started to stay near Saga castle, which was the headquarterof the Nabeshima clan. Then, he founded his school, which trained more than 100swordsmiths during the Edo period. His outstanding skills were passed to thegenerations of Tadayoshi and among apprentices.