Hiroyoshi?

[RichardP]

Hello All—

I purchased a mumei katana from aoi some months ago.  It had kicho papers to Takada Munekage, and so I asked to have the sword submitted to shinsa for modern papers before it left Japan.

It passed, and aoi just sent me this description:

This sword has been certified as Hozon under the name 'Dōsao Morihiro.' Dōsao Morihiro is the earlier name (mae-mei) of Hakushū Hiroga.

I understand the alternate name of Hakushu Hiroga to be Hiko Hiroyoshi, and found these possibilities:

https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?order=field_smith_start_era_value&sort=asc&type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=廣賀
 

None of the Hiroyoshi smiths listed above provide an alternate name of Dosao Morihiro, however.  I did find one Morihiro connected with Hiko, but there is no suggestion that he later went on to take a new Hiroyoshi name.

If anyone could give me some guidance I’d be very appreciative.

 

Thanks All!

[Rivkin]

I would be more interested in the blade's style. Is it Soshu with strong nie deki hamon but coarse and featureless jigane or something else? From this a specific view of which side of this family it is, may become apparent.

[RichardP]

Sorry, meant to include pics of the sword:

 

[RichardP]

[RichardP]

[Rivkin]

It is a decent blade, but I would also say Takada Munekage. I would even consider it more or less a typical work.

For Hiroyoshi I've never seen their work in this style, but I heard the early ones (first generations) or actually shinto generations can look like this. 

[RichardP]

1 hour ago, Rivkin said:

It is a decent blade, but I would also say Takada Munekage. I would even consider it more or less a typical work.

For Hiroyoshi I've never seen their work in this style, but I heard the early ones (first generations) or actually shinto generations can look like this. 

Thanks— yeah, I just assumed it was going to come back Bungo Takada.

 

I’m not finding “Dōsao Morihiro”anywhere, and aoi seems to be stating that’s the actual attribution.

Markus Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan has a few more details about the Tensho-era Hoki Morihiro,

 

“…real name Shichirō’emon, he also signed with the honorary titles Uemon no Jō and Saemon no Jō, a theory says that this was the early signature of Shichirōzaemon Hiroyoshi, chūjō-saku.”

 

This is the only pairing I can find of “Morihiro” and “Hiroyoshi.”

 

[Rivkin]

Probably that's the guy.

Very often such judgements come down to a specific senior shinsa team member seeing an actual blade signed this way (Dosao Morihiro) and now introducing this attribution to mumei examples. I do not think this attribution has been used before, or at least it was used exceptionally seldom.

Because it is based on knowing something exceptionally rare, it is hard to comment, understand (how similar is the work? what are the key kantei factors?) or relate...

 

Unfortunately all Horiyoshi I've seen were Soshu styled, some had very coarse and simplistic jigane, though I heard there are some with tight itame.

I only heard about Bizen styled Horiyoshi, as is the case here.

[RichardP]

Thanks for the insight, Kirill.

I’ve written back to aoi, politely asking if they believe this is the smith indicated.  Will share the answer if I receive one.

[Nobody]

5 hours ago, RichardP said:

.......................................

 

I’m not finding “Dōsao Morihiro”anywhere, and aoi seems to be stating that’s the actual attribution.

Markus Sesko’s Swordsmiths of Japan has a few more details about the Tensho-era Hoki Morihiro,

 

......................................................................................

 

 

"道祖尾 守廣 " usually reads Sainoo Morihiro.

[RichardP]

Thank you, Moriyama-san!