Hizen Yoshinobu horimono

[Ron STL]

In the Hizento Taikan thre is a section on horimono that, if I understand the contents correctly, shows various horimono examples. I think these or some at least are identified by the carver. On page 149 (identified as #11 example) shows a sword by Hizen Yoshinobu along with text on a Tadamasa. Can anyone comment on this entry and if by chance, Tadamasa did the carvings on Yoshinobu's works? It looks like the back of the nakago on the Yoshinobu example is signed by this Tadamasa. Not expecting a full translation of course, but maybe a little info on Tadamasa as a carver? Anything is better than nothing.

Ron STL

[Clive Sinclaire]

Ron

I am confused. In my copy of Hizen Taikan, page 149 is a photograph of a su-yari, the signature of which reads "Hizen Kuni Musashi Daijo Fujiwara Tadahiro" (shodai Tadayoshi) + a date not Yoshinobu. Hizen Taikan only deals with the mainline Tadayoshi / Tadahiro smiths and does not list waki-Hizen-to smiths.

However, there were skilled horimono-shi such as Munenaga (who Yoshiinobu was connected to) and Tadanaga who carved for other smiths. Tadamasa that you quote, signed variously as "Hizen Saga ju Fujiwara Tadamasa" as well as in the Junin manner. He seems to have used the personal name of "Genuemon" and 2 different characters for "Masa". He was a student of shodai Tadayoshi and worked around 1624. There was a second generation, circa Tenna era 1681.

Any use?

Clive Sinclaire

[Ron STL]

Clive - Thanks for the good information. I finally got around to checking Hizen Taikan and realized there are two sections to the taikan, both with seperate page numbers. The section I referred to was in the first section of the taikan. Take a look and you'll see what I was talking about earlier. Meanwhile, again, thanks for the info you gave out previously. All interesting stuff, for sure!

 

Maybe I should add that what brought this up, I purchased the Hizen Yoshinobu hirazukuri wakizashi that was illustrated in the 2012 DTI catalogue. The blade has beautiful horimono. From what I can tell, while the hori is detailed on the Juyo description, no mention is made about who was the carver...unless, as always...I'm just not finding it. Finding this section in Hizen Taikan was a start...maybe.

 

Ron STL