Hizen swords were a domain enterprise: the Nabeshima sent Tadayoshi to study under Umetada Myōju around 1596, then built a licensed school around him. Nine generations carried its famously consistent konuka-hada work into the Meiji era.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchA beautifully dense, velvety konuka-hada jigane and a bright, vibrant ko-gunome hamon, by a master whose finest work is often mistaken for that of the founding 1st- and 3rd-generation Tadayoshi We are pleased to present a prestigious wakizashi by the 8th-generation Tadayoshi (八代忠吉) of Hizen Province, formally certified as Hozon Tōken (Preservation Sword) by the NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai). Exceptionally well polished and preserved in pristine health, this blade embodies the absolute essence of classic Hizen metallurgy. Ranked alongside the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations as one of the "Four Pillars" of the Tadayoshi lineage, the 8th generation produced masterpieces so refined they are frequently compared to those of the founding masters. On the smith — 8th-Generation Hizen Tadayoshi (八代忠吉) The Tadayoshi lineage served as the exclusive, official swordsmiths to the powerful Nabeshima clan of the Saga domain across nine generations. Among them, the 8th-generation Tadayoshi holds a uniquely revered status. Active during the Bakumatsu (late Edo) period, he played a crucial role in the technological modernization of the Saga domain, working on the manufacture of cannons and warships alongside his swordsmithing duties. Deeply trusted by the domain lord, he was frequently invited to perform live sword-forging demonstrations in the lord's presence. Considered one of the "Four Pillars" of the Hizen school — alongside the 1st generation, the 2nd generation (Ōmi Daijō), and the 3rd generation (Mutsu-no-kami) — his craftsmanship was so exceptionally honed that his finest works are often mistaken for those of the legendary 1st- or 3rd-generation Tadayoshi. Workmanship and condition Carefully polished and in superior condition, both the ji (surface steel) and ha (temper line) display outstanding health. The jigane features the signature konuka-hada (fine rice-bran grain) typical of the highest-quality Hizen swords, presenting a beautifully dense, uniform, and velvety surface texture. The hamon is a bright and vibrant ko-gunome (small irregular clove-shaped pattern) set within a wide, clear nioiguchi, enriched with active internal workings such as ashi and yō. Form A beautifully proportioned shinogi-zukuri wakizashi featuring a graceful sori (curvature) of 1.2 cm paired with an ample nagasa (edge length) of 45.9 cm. With a strong motohaba (33.6 mm) tapering gracefully to a sakihaba of 21.8 mm, the blade exhibits an elegant, balanced posture with an undeniable commanding presence in hand. The mounting (shirasaya) The blade is safely housed in a clean, high-grade traditional shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard), safeguarding the pristine steel and fine polish for long-term appreciation and display. A rare and remarkable opportunity to acquire an authenticated masterpiece by the legendary 8th-generation Hizen Tadayoshi. Featuring exquisite konuka-hada, a vibrant hamon, and official NBTHK Hozon certification, this piece is an exceptional centerpiece for any fine Japanese sword collection.
Offered by Tozando
4 on the market
As written by the shop
Shinto · Hizen · around 1830-1844
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 76%
4 pieces on the market now
Shinto · Hizen
105 pieces on the market now
The Hizen school began with a single domain commission. In Keicho 1 (1596) the Nabeshima of Hizen ordered Hashimoto Shinzaemon, the smith who would sign Tadayoshi, up to Kyoto with the carver Munenaga; there he entered the gate of Umetada Myoju and studied forging while Munenaga learned the chisel. The two returned to the province in Keicho 3 (1598), and Tadayoshi settled in the castle town below Saga, where under the domain's patronage the line grew into the dominant sword-making house of Kyushu. His own work runs from Keicho 5 (1600) to his death in Kan'ei 9 (1632); in Genna 10 (1624) he received the court title Musashi Daijo, changed his name to Tadahiro, and shifted his clan name from Minamoto to Fujiwara, so that the late Musashi Daijo blades are the founder under a second name. From him the house became a true generational institution: his son the second-generation Omi Daijo Tadahiro carried it forward as its most prolific hand, the third-generation Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi returned its highest finish, and a Tosa no Kami branch took the founder's signature when he set it aside. Around this main line grew a circle of disciples and collateral hands, the waki-Hizen or Soba-Hizen smiths, several of them, like Yoshiie and Hironori, working as daisaku substitute makers whose own signed pieces are therefore scarce. The school's signature is its steel. Over a ko-itame forged so tightly it shows no slackness, fine ji-nie gathers in minute particles until the surface takes on the rice-bran konuka-hada (also written komenuka-hada) that no other school produces, fine chikei entering throughout and the ji notably clear and bright.
The orthodox temper laid upon it is a chu-suguha or hiro-suguha, sometimes tinged with a shallow notare and ko-gunome, the nioiguchi deep with finely clustered ko-nie and tightened to a bright clarity, the boshi running straight to a quiet ko-maru. The founder aimed this suguha toward the Rai school yet departed from it, his nioiguchi tighter and his forging carrying more vigor; the third generation refined it to what the published sources call the strongest and most precise hand of the first three generations. Against that calm register the house also worked a showier one, the Hizen choji-midare mixing gunome, long ashi, kinsuji and sunagashi, a manner the published sources already find more often in the founder's late Musashi Daijo work than in his Tadayoshi years, and one the second generation made his own. The branches pushed further from the suguha standard: Tadakuni of the Ogi domain ran sunagashi more conspicuously than any other Hizen hand and reached toward old Ichimonji in his o-choji; Masahiro and Yukihiro favored a flamboyant long-ashi choji over the calm main line; and the Iyo no Jo Munetsugu line worked apart in the Soshu-den, building a midareba on notare with a pointed togariba and a jihada that tends to stand and tone slightly blackish. A collector seeks Hizen-to first for that steel, and reads it the same way the appraiser does: a bright suguha lying over a clear, tight konuka-hada identifies the school before the signature is consulted, and the quiet ko-maru boshi on the ura-signed tang confirms the main-line practice. Generation and branch are then told within that frame, the third generation's powerful sugata recalling not his father but his grandfather, the waki-Hizen hands set apart by their irregular temper, their sujikai file marks and a sashi-ura signature, the Munetsugu line by its Soshu togari. The main line, made in real numbers across so long a span, reaches the market more readily than any Kamakura master, so a papered example is within reach of a patient collector, while the founder's own work and the finest konuka-suguha of the third generation come to open hands only from time to time. Provenance runs back through the house the school served, blades recorded to Nabeshima Katsushige and Nabeshima Naomoto and passing onward to the Owari Tokugawa, the Satake and the Imperial families; documentary inscriptions sharpen the picture further, a Myoju soemei attesting the founder's discipleship, Umetada carving adding flowers to brocade on his late blades, and the gold-inlaid cutting tests of Yamano Kanjuro and Yamano Ka'emon, rare on Hizen work, naming the edge as well as the hand. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tadayoshi忠吉 | 1596-1632 | 155 |
| Tadayoshi忠吉 | 1660-1686 | 61 |
| Tadahiro忠廣 | 1633-1693 | 133 |
| Masahiro正廣 | 1624-1655 | 30 |
| Tadakuni忠國 | 1648-1652 | 32 |
Hizen: a domain enterprise
Hizen swords were a domain enterprise: the Nabeshima sent Tadayoshi to study under Umetada Myōju around 1596, then built a licensed school around him. Nine generations carried its famously consistent konuka-hada work into the Meiji era.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteAs a general rule, returns/exchanges are not accepted on Japanese sword orders unless damaged upon delivery. Other items: returns/exchanges accepted within 7 days of delivery. Cancellation for personal reasons incurs a 30% restocking fee (70% refunded). Return shipping must be prepaid and insured by the buyer; shipping/handling fees are non-refundable. Contact katana@tozando.co.jp to initiate a return.
¥790,000
Certificate reading — 銘 肥前国忠吉