Saga Castle

Connection to Swords

The greatest legacy of Saga Castle in sword culture is embodied in two pillars: Hizen blades and Hagakure. The founder of Hizen swords, first-generation Tadayoshi (Hashimoto Shinzaemon), began forging in Hizen in the early Keichō era and was highly favored as the official smith of the Nabeshima domain. First-generation Tadayoshi's characteristic style combined itame jihada mixed with masame grain—called "Hizen jitetsu" (Hizen steel)—with small gunome and ko-midare hamon displaying subtle nie, and was evaluated as the most consistently excellent group of swordsmiths throughout the Edo period. Second-generation Tadayoshi (Tadahiro) further refined the techniques and established Hizen swords' nationwide renown. The distinctive beauty of the "ko-nukahada"—the finely-packed grain pattern—characteristic of Hizen blades was highly valued by sword connoisseurs in Kamigata and Edo. The Nabeshima domain continuously patronized the Tadayoshi lineage as official smiths through the end of the Edo period, preserving the quality of Hizen swords. Today, Hizen blades are displayed in institutions such as the Chikōkan and Saga Prefectural Museum, where their technical mastery can be directly appreciated. Hagakure, meanwhile, engages in profound discussion about when the sword should be drawn and when it should not, repeatedly emphasizing that for the samurai, the sword is not merely a weapon but a symbol of the soul. The Hagakure principle that "the sword is part of the samurai's body" exerted enormous influence on all of Edo-period sword culture and became one of the philosophical foundations of the modern aesthetic toward swords as both artwork and spiritual symbol. The Nabeshima family's treasured swords remain housed in considerable numbers in the Chikōkan (Saga City), where outstanding examples of Hizen excellence can be appreciated.