QUESTION RE HZEN TADAYOSHI GENDAITO/SHINSAKUTO

[Bazza]

I've been asked for an opinion on a katana in modern mounts - nicely lacquered ishime saya, jabaramaki tsukamaki and a plain but nice tsuba.  What is puzzling me is the tachi mei:

HIZEN KUNI JU NIN TADAYOSHI SAKU KORE

 

The mei is very elegantly inscribed.  In an attempt to identify the smith I've searched the internet and cannot come up with a matching mei.  Can anyone throw any light on it?  There is no date on the other side.  The nakago is quite clean and I'm fairly sure this has been made in the last few years and is not a WW2 re-mount.

 

Thanks,

BaZZa.

 

 

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Not later Shin Shinto Tadayoshi?

[vajo]

Looks like a Gendaito for me. Remember on Yoshitada RJT in the same style

[Bazza]

Not later Shin Shinto Tadayoshi?

John, thanks, but I'm very sure this is a recently made blade.  The hamon is odd with shadowy rises in gonome style looking like faint smoke and there is no hada to be seen at all.  I'm sure the lacking in hada is mainly due to a low level polish.  It isn't an "oily" because there is nice looking sunagashi in parts of the hamon.  And the brightness and yasurime of the tang is like no Shinshinto sword I have ever seen

 

Chris, thanks for your comment.  This could be a re-mounted RJT, but I'm hanging my hat on a more recent production.

 

By the way, I've found a useful technique is to plug the kanji into google and trawl through the Japanese websites.  Try it:

肥前國住人忠吉作之

There is a very nice naginata there and on one of the links I found this pertinent remark:

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From Aoi Art: Hizen Kuni Jyunin Tadayoshi Saku is 1st generation 

Tadayoshi and welcomed by sword expert which is old feeling 

sword like Shizu. You must understand Hizen Kuni Jyunin 

Tadayoshi Saku and without Saku  Hizen Kuni Jyunin Tadayoshi signature.

If the saku added the signature is first generation but if the saku is 

none, the blade is Tosa Kami Tadayoshi not first generation.  

This is very important.

Therefor this sword is first generation Tadayoshi.

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So it seems to me the sword I have in question is trying to be a Shodai Tadayoshi - a "homage", or to attract the unwary??

 

BaZZa.

 

EDIT:  Placing the "kore" inside the bottom of the SAKU instead of underneath it seems to be a "pointer" to a particular smith???

[Xander Chia]

Hi, I know the thread is dead but I just wanted to say that the mei says “吉忠/Yoshitada”, and not “忠吉/Tadayoshi” like Chris has mentioned.

[Bazza]

Xander, good pickup.  It's not the first time I've been dyslexic reading a Hizen TADA 'something' or 'something' TADA...  Thanks for setting the record straight even though its an old post.  Someone searching for YOSHITADA information will now pick up on a good reference signature.  Thanks.

 

BaZZa.