Dohi Shinryo

[Toryu2020]

Looking for oshigata of late generation Dohi Shinryo smiths from Hizen - 5th, 6th, or 7th generation.

Thanks,

-t

[Jacques D.]

If i'm  not wrong there are not as many generations

[cisco-san]

Hi,

 

as I am not at home at the moment I have only my online files available, therefore I don´t know if it helps, but in Markus book I found only 4 generations (even Hawley shows 7 generations?!) and I found Oshigata from 1st gen only:

 

SHINRŌ (真了), 1st gen., Enpō (延宝, 1673-1681), Hizen – “Doi Shinryō” (土肥真了), “Hishū Hirado-jū Masashige” (肥州平戸住正重), “Hizen Hirado-jū Fujiwara Msashige” (肥前平戸住藤原正重), real name Doi Sakuzaemon (土肥作左衛門), the family name Doi is in some sources also quoted with the reading Dohi, he was the son and heir of Hizen Hirado´s (平戸) Doi Masanori (正則), he signed first with Masashige (正重) but moved in the eighth year of Enpō (1680) to Ōsaka to study under Inoue Shinkai (井上真改), thereupon he took the name Shinryō, he returned to Hirado in the second year of Tenna (天和, 1682), he adopted Shinkai´s nie-laden, slightly undulating notare with a wide nioiguchi but also hardened a suguha mixed with ko-midare, the bōshi is sugu with a kaeri which runs back long at the mune, chūjō-saku – It is said that the see picture right shows the 5th gen. Shinryō but of whom no blades are known.

 

SHINRŌ (真了), 2nd gen., Kyōhō (享保, 1716-1736), Hizen – “Doi Shinryō” (土肥真了), real name Doi Sakunosuke (土肥作之丞), he was born in the first year of Enpō (延宝, 1673), his year of death is unknown but there exists a blade dated “a day in the second month of Genroku 14 (元禄, 1701)” and the information “made at the age of 29,” he worked in the style of his father but relative few works are extant by him, wazamono, chū-saku

 

SHINRŌ (真了), 3rd gen., Hōreki (宝暦, 1751-1764), Hizen – “Doi Shinryō” (土肥真了), “Hizen no Kuni Hirado-jū Doi Shinryō saku” (肥前国平戸住土肥真了作), real name Doi Jūsuke (土肥重助, the first name also reads Shigesuke), hardly any blades are known by him because the demand for swords had strongly decreased at this time

 

SHINRŌ (真了), 4th gen., Kyōhō (享保, 1716-1736), Hizen – “Doi Shinryō” (土肥真了), real name Doi Dairoku (土肥大六), no blades are extant by him

 

 

Shinryo1 1.gen.pdf

Shinryo2 1.gen.pdf

[Toryu2020]

Thanks Klaus

I have Hizen no Katana to Tsuba as well as Markus' books - I am hoping someone has encountered the later generations outside of these.

-t

[BIG]

Hi, almost impossible...

 

here is a 6. generation shinshinto tanto http://www.motorcycle-memories.com/store/Japanese-Samurai-Sword-Katana-Tanto-With-Original-19th-Century-Koshirae-_231282029986.html

 

Best Regards

[Bazza]

The Hizento Handbook by Eguchi Soshin (translated by Gordon Robson, 1997) has the full 7 generations of Doi Shinryo listed on pages 166 - 168, with page 167 showing a number of 7th gen. oshigata.  Knowing that extracts can be used for research purposes I have attached scans of page 166 and page 167. Page 168 is noteworthy only for a short additional reference to the 7th generation, viz. "Shinotsu.  First signature of the 7th generation Doi Shinryo."

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.

 

PS - I have a couple more snippets of information that I'll follow up on.

 

 

[Toryu2020]

thanks Peter very helpful

and leave it to the old Bazza himself to point out a source I have but had not thought to look in

cheers!

-t

[Brian]

Well done Bazza, this will be a great resource for the next guy searching.

[Bazza]

But wait, there's more (as a famous Australian TV cutlery commercial goes) ...

 

The Osaka Shinto Zufu has an oshigata of the shodai Doi Shinryo.  My copy is out on loan so I can only submit the images I have without noting the page numbers.  I wondered what a Hizen smith was doing in Osaka until I read Eguchi's book - "... He returned to Hizen from Osaka during Tenna (c. 1681) and became a smith to the Matsuura family."

 

For more on the Matsuura family I beg you all to read the following book:

"Samurai William - The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan", Giles Milton (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 2002).  A most fascinating book indeed.

 

Best regards,

 

BaZZa.

 

 

 

 

[Bazza]

And still more ...

 

A friend of mine has a massive ko-wakizashi signed DOI SHINRYO.  It has been polished and submitted to NBTHK Shinsa where it was declined a paper.  The story was that the NBTHK didn't know enough about the group to paper it, but more likely they didn't think it had the requisite quality compared to say the Tadayoshi smiths.  It is no doubt a genuine work from the Doi Shinryo line, but the generation is not known.  The nagasa is 37.2 cm and mihaba 4.2 cm.  I don't have a measure of the kasane, but it is thick.  The blade came in an unusual koshirae of all iron fittings in gomoku zogan.  The person from whom it was acquired commented that it probably was worn by a Sumo wrestler!!  Here are some images.

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.

 

PS - there may yet be a little more to come ...

 

 

 

[Bazza]

And here is the last snippet unless I find more.  I know these two blades are of the shodai and therefore of no interest to the OP, but I have included them for completeness to assist any general search for the Doi Shinryo group of Hirado.

 

Regards,

BaZZa.