You can never have enough references

[paulb]

Dear All,

Some time ago I wrote a paper for the Northern Token Soceity about a Hizen Tadayoshi blade I have had in my collection for 10 or more years. In summary it is a wakazashi niji mei Tadayoshi. It has two sets of papers, the first NBTHK white papers from 1979 which simply said it was Tadayoshi, The second set from 1969 by the famous polishe Hakusui that attributed to the sandai.

My problem was that the NBTHK appeared to attibute it to the Shodai, Hkusui the Sandai. Two character signatures are rare, for the 3rd generation as far as I am aware they are unknown. The workmanship however was much more in line with the Sandai than the Shodai.

After more than 9 years of occassional research, conversations with both Roger Robertshaw and Clive Sinclaire I came to the conclusion (without huge confidence) that this was the work of the shodai from around 1610-1615.

 

Yesterday I took delivery of the first 4 volumes of Juyo Zufu. While thumbing through the second volume there appeared an oshigata of a niji mei Tadayoshi katana. The hamon illustration looked very similar and the mei was almost identical (1 stroke in the Tada character was marginally shorter on the wakazashi). Equally important reviewing the write up (thank you for the help Markus) it described nijimei as rare, but also that the hada was zanguri (course pear skin).

This combination has more or less confirmed the original tentative conclusion that this is the work of Shodai Tadayoshi working around 1610-1612.

The point of sharing the above is that regardless of how many reference works we have, and I now have some 20 years worth, there is always something of value to find in other publications. Had I not found that I could have continued to scratch around for another 10 years without gain much. As it is I can now focus on another piece!

[Clive Sinclaire]

Congrats Paul, I am pleased that you are now convinced that it is shodai Tadayoshi. I think I said to you that I had seen a Tadayoshi with the 2 character signature once before, in Australia I believe. I was also told in Japan, that this indicated that the sword was probably made for the Nabeshima daimyo.

Regards

Clive Sinclaire

[paulb]

Thanks Clive and I much appreciated your input in helping reach this conclusion.

Best Regards

Paul

[Brian]

Paul,

Thanks for the article on this blade, and your research into it.

I have added the article to the articles section here, and would welcome everyone to have a read.

viewforum.php?f=17

 

Brian