A HIZEN TADAYOSHI WAKIZASHI

HIZEN: TADAYOSHI

Details

A HIZEN TADAYOSHI WAKIZASHI
MOMOYAMA PERIOD (CIRCA 1600), SIGNED HI TADAYOSHI (TADAYOSHI I)

Configuration (sugata): outside (omote): hira-zukuri; inside (ura): shobu-zukuri; tri-bevelled back (mitsu-mune); length (nagasa): 1 shaku, 2 sun, 9 bu (39.2 cm); curvature (sori): rather strong (0.6cm.); carving (horimono): inside (ura): a celestial dragon without ken; outside (omote): banner (hata-hoko).
Forging pattern (jihada): very densely packed small wood grain (ko-itame) with tiny, bright, subsurface lines (chikei) and with a scattering of nie within the ji.
Tempering pattern (hamon): very shallow swells (notare)
and with a shadowy tempering resembling hotsure hanging like a shredded curtain from the mune in the omote monouchi.
Point (boshi): small rounded (ko-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): tapering, ubu and with the shinogi extending through; file marks (yasurime): kiri-yasuri; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); signature (tachi-mei): Hi Tadayoshi; ura: Horimono Fujiwara Munenaga.

Shirasaya with attestation by Sato Kanzan.

Silk storage bag.

Accompanied by a tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 9146, Showa 38 (1963); and a koshu tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 5113, Showa 50 (1975), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.

Literature

Homma Junji, "Kanto Nichi-nichi-sho," Token Bijutsu, no. 187, p. 38.

Lot Essay

In his statement of appreciation of the blade, Homma notes, "The omote blade has a hata-hoko, and the ura side has a nobori-Rru. This blade is made by Tadayoshi I, who was a favorite student of Umetada Myoju, and the horimono is done by Munenaga, who was also Myoju's favorite student; therefore, all the works appearing on the blade are indeed much alike the teacher. The mei, Hi Tadayoshi, is rare. It seems though that this type of mei style would have been the work of the late Keicho era."

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