A Shodai Masahiro Katana (肥前国河内大掾藤原正広)

Kawachi Daijô Masahiro is one of those figures who sits just outside the main spotlight of the Hizen school yet outshines almost everyone in it. He was the grandson of the grandmaster shodai Tadayoshi, founder of the entire Hizen tradition, and originally signed his blades as Masanaga – until the daimyô of Saga domain himself intervened. Nabeshima Katsushige was so struck by the young smith’s talent that in 1625, when Masahiro was just nineteen years old, he personally commanded him to change his name. And, well, so he did.

Masahiro was regularly called upon to serve as mentor and substitute smith for the main Tadayoshi lineage – and historical records suggest the Nabeshima clan held him in even higher favour than the main line itself. Masahiro held the title of Kawachi Daijô and the rankings of jôsaku (a superior smith) and wazamono (maker of sharp swords) which will soon be made readily apparent why. His son, by the way, nidai Masahiro held the title of Kawachi no Kami.

This long katana measures approximately 74.0cm in length, elegant curvature with a fine, tightly forged ko-mokume hada with the gift of a light utsuri . The hamon takes you on a genuine journey, a lively gunome chôji midare that clusters into jûka chôji at the midway point and opens into long ashi as it climbs toward the tip, accompanied throughout by thick nie, kinsuji, and textbook sunagashi. This is a hamon that rewards a slow look, revealing something new at every stage of the climb. Naturally the blade is accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate.

The koshirae is formal and classical, built around a black-toned palette unified by a shakudô ground and a dragon theme carried across every fitting. The tsuba, signed by Sen’eishi Kanenori, shows a captivating cloud dragon with its eyes locked, ready to strike. The fuchi-kashira, a signed work of Nara Toshimitsu, sixth generation head of the Nara school, depicts a glorious full moon resting beside Mount Fuji beneath a cloud dragon, a composition that recalls Hokusai’s own Dragon Crossing Mount Fuji. The menuki, also worked in shakudô as dragons, are left partly exposed beneath the hishimaki wrap so their carving can be fully appreciated. This sword’s earlier owner was Ôfuji Hiroshi, a passionate nihontô collector and researcher, with close ties to the NTHK-NPO sword organization. From blade to koshirae, this is an inspiring samurai sword built around a single, coherent idea, that the journey of life rewards being in the present.