HISAMICHI (久道), 1st gen., Enpō (延宝, 1673-1681), Yamashiro – “Ōmi no Daijō Minamoto Hisamichi” (近江大掾源久道), “Ōmi no Kami Minamoto Hisamichi” (近江守源久道), “Ōmi no Kami Hisamichi” (近江守久道), real name Hori Tarōbei (堀太郎兵衛), he is also listed with the first name Rokurōbei (六郎兵衛). He was born in the third year of Kan´ei (寛永, 1626) as the younger brother of a certain Hori Kanzaemon (堀勘左衛門) in Nomura (野村) in the Yasu district (野洲郡) of Ōmi province. He went to Kyōto and became there a student of the 2nd gen. Iga no Kami Kinmichi (伊賀守金道), being eventually allowed to use the family name Mishina (三品) and receiving successively the honorary titles Ōmi no Daijō and Ōmi no Kami. He also got the permission to carve a chrysanthemum on his tang. Hisamichi died in the first year of Shōtoku (正徳, 1711) at the age of 85. We know date signatures from the fifth year of Kanbun (寛文, 1665) to the end of the Genroku era (元禄, 1688-1704). From the Genroku era onwards, he made joint works with his son, the 2nd gen. Hisamichi. With his master Kinmichi, he was counted as one of the so-called Kyō go-kaji (京五鍛冶), the “Five Outstanding Kyōto Masters,” who entertained relationship to the Imperial court. The others were Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi (丹波守吉道), Ōmi no Kami Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (近江守一竿子忠綱) and Shinano no Kami Minamoto Nobuyoshi (信濃守源信吉). Hisamichi took over the style of Kinmichi and hardened an anglar and sometimes yahazu-like gunome, a gunome with suguha sections between the gunome elements, or a tōran-like notare tobiyaki. ryō-wazamono – The genealogy of the Mishina family notes that the 1st gen. Hisamichi was the fifth son or student of Kanemichi (兼道) and that he received the honorary title Ōmi no Kami on the twelfth day of the ninth month Keichō two (慶長, 1597) and that the 2nd gen. received this title on the 16th day of the seventh month Genna eight (元和, 1622). However, there are no blades known by these earlier first two generations and thus Tarōbei Hisamichi is nowadays counted as actual 1st generation of the lineage. jō-saku