Katana Hashimoto Tadahiro 2nd
Katana (Hizen-to) Hashimoto Tadahiro 2nd
Sword type
Traditional katana sword.
Sword master
One of Hizen's best blacksmiths Tadahiro 2nd. Hashimoto Heisakuro (Shinsaemon) was a famous gunsmith of the New Swords era, the son and receiver Tadayoshi (Tadahiro 1st). Blacksmith School Hizen Tadayoshi.
Sword creation time
1648 – 1652 Keian Era
Province: Hizen (Saga principality).
Blade
Blade: traditional form with a bo-hi (a fuller) on both sides
Length — 704 mm (2 shaku 3 sun 2,5 bu)\
Ranking:
Jojo Saku — "The highest level of work" (estimate by Fujishiro Yoshio, "Nihon Toko Jiten. Shinto-heng "p. 139, Toko Shinsen p. 73);
Yusaku — "Excellent level of work" (the highest mark of Shimizu Osamu, "Tosho Zenshu" p. 442);
Ō Wazamono — "Very high cutting performance" (estimate by Yamada Asauemon; mentioned in both "Kaiho Kenjaku" 1797 and "Kokon Kaji Biko" 1830, II volume, pp. 52, 53).
Signature — Omi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro from the land of Hizen/ Hizen no kuni ju Oumi no Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro.
Koshirae
The artistic mounting is a black lacquered scabbard with the painting of the celestial dragon (unryu maki-e dzaya uchigatana kosirae)
The tsuba with the signature: “Yanagawa Mitsuharu (kao)”
Mounting for the daily storage (Shirasaya)
Two-section wooden paulownia sword box (katana bako)
Documents
NBTHK Certificate for the sword
Status: Tokubetsu Hozon Token
Date of Certification: 2012
An expert record on a scabbard / sayagaki of one of the best-known Japanese experts of the 20th century — Dr. Sato Kanzan (Sato Kanichi, 1907-1978) from 1966.
The conclusion of a member of NBTHK and NTHK, an expert of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Guarantee letter.
Brief information:
In the eighth year of the Kanyei era (1631), the health of Hashishimoto Shinsaemonjo (Tadayoshi I, he took the name of Tadahiro in that time), deteriorated, and on August 15 of the following year he passed away. His son and receiver Hashimoto Shinsaemon, born in the 19th year Keyte (1614), took the name of his late father. His new name first appears in 1634 on the written evidence.
The new head of the school who became known as Tadahiro II gained a reputation as a skilled gunsmith and adequately represented the blacksmith tradition of Hidzen. He did not accept the dynastic name Tadayoshi and worked all his life as Tadahiro. From the family manuscript of Tadayoshi family, which was written in the seventeenth year of the Meiji era (1884), it is known that already at a relatively young age in the eighteenth year, Kan'ei (1641) Tadahiro II was awarded the title of "Oumi no Daijo."
The creative path of Tadahiro II covers a sufficiently large interval of time, the master lived a long life and died in the eightieth year of his life in the sixth year of Genroku (1693) on May twenty-seventh. “Tadahiro devoted sixty years to blacksmithing, leaving after itself many remarkable swords” (Kataoka Ginsaku, Nihonto Zuikan / Shinto-hen, 1977, p. 95).
The blacksmith had two sons, one of whom Hashimoto Shinsaburo (Tadayoshi III) became an outstanding forging master, and the other, Hashimoto Shinbe (Tadanaga), made a name for himself as a talented engraver. In the last years of his life, Tadahiro II taught his grandson Hashimoto Gensuke, who, after the death of his grandfather, took over the place of the head of the school as Tadayoshi IV.
The presented katana is a fine example of Japanese weapon art of the work of the high-class blacksmith of the renowned Tadayoshi dynasty of Hizen. The sword has a strong healthy body. Tadahiro II had few such powerful wide blades. A straight fuller in his works is rare. The forging (itame-hada) is of very high quality, the clay hardening (choji-ba asinaga) impresses with a variety of effects (yo, ji-nie, kinsuji, sunanagashi).
