Mutsu-no-Kami Tadayoshi (3rd Gen.)

Mutsu-no-Kami Tadayoshi, the third generation (Mutsu-no-Kami Tadayoshi sandai), was a mid-Edo period swordsmith of the third generation of the Hizen Tadayoshi school, a prestigious line of Hizen blades. In Manji 3 (1660) he received the title Mutsu Daijō, and in Kanbun 1 (1661) he was promoted to Mutsu-no-Kami. His real name was Hashimoto Shinzaburō. His father was Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro (Tadahiro II).

Career and Lineage

He was born as the eldest son of the second Ōmi Daijō Tadahiro (Tadahiro II), with the first Hizen Tadayoshi (later Musashi Daijō Tadahiro), the founder of Hizen blades, as his forebear. He died in the 1st month of Jōkyō 3 (1686) at the age of 50, before his father, the second Tadahiro, who died in Genroku 6 (1693).

Style

The jigane shows clear, finely detailed ko-itame, known as nashiji-hada, a feature peculiar to Hizen blades, and is filled with ji-nie, giving a bright jigane. His hamon favours suguha, and his style is said to be the closest to that of the first generation. He also skilfully executed chōji-ba. Compared with the abundant extant works of the second generation, his output is small, but the quality of each piece is high.

Evaluation

He is ranked among the Shintō Saijō-saku and Saijō Ō-wazamono, the highest evaluations, and is recognised as having outstanding technical skill even among Hizen smiths. Among the generations of Tadayoshi he has a reputation as the second-best master after the first, and despite his short period of sword-making he is highly valued as an excellent smith.