Reading A Wakizashi Saya

[mareo1912]

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to kindly ask you for some help with the writing on a saya I got, on which my poor Japanese skills lost.

Every bit and every idea helps, thank you very much in advance!

 

Best regards,

Marco

 

[Shugyosha]

肥前国住遠江守藤原兼広 (兼広 一 代) 作

Hizen kuni ju Totomi Kami Fujiwara Kane Hiro (Kane Hiro ichi dai) saku

 

刃長一尺七寸六分 八厘

Hachō (length of cutting edge) one shaku seven sun six bu eight rin

 

時代 享保の頃

Jidai Kyōhō (1716 to 1736) no goro: around the Kyōhō period.

 

Sorry some of the characters have come out with underlining which I can't remove.

 

A couple of issues: the Totomi [no] kami title was given to the second generation of this line whose period of work is significantly earlier according to Markus Sesko:

 

KANEHIRO (兼広), 2nd gen., Jōkyō (貞享, 1684-1688), Hizen – “Hizen no Kuni-jū Tōtomi no Kami Fujiwara Kanehiro” (肥前国住遠江守藤原兼広), he also signed with the supplement “hyōtan-tetsu o motte tsukuru” (以瓢箪鉄造, “made by using hyōtan-tetsu,” hyōtan-tetsu was another term for nanban-tetsu), real name Hashimoto Heijibei (橋本平次兵衛), he signed in early years with Kanewaka (兼若), son of the 1st gen. Kanehiro, his younger brother Hashimoto Sō´emon (橋本相右衛門) succeeded as 2nd gen. Hirosada (広貞), dense ko-itame which appears as konuka-hada, suguha, gunome-midare, notare, chūjō-saku

 

There was an Omi (近江) [no] kami working in the period referenced on the sayagak but signing Echizen Kuni etc:

 

KANEHIRO (兼広), Kyōhō (享保, 1716-1736), Echizen – “Echizen no Kuni Shimosaka Kanehiro” (越前国下坂兼広), after receiving the honorary title Ōmi no Kami, he changed the characters of his name Kanehiro to (包広), see also “KANEHIRO (包広)”

 

Now it's possible that I've made an error but I would be taking the sayagaki (and the corresponding signature on the blade if there is one) with a pound or two of salt as it is not likely that the two would be confused by someone who knew what they were doing either in terms of language (confusing Echizen with Hizen and Omi with Totomi) or with regard to Nihonto.

[Jean]

John,

 

Nidai and not shodai from the kanji you have written

[mareo1912]

Thank you very much for the answers, they helped me a lot! From the blade it should be the later Kanehiro 2nd Generation. Though I won't get salty with it, due to the low price for which I got the blade. Thanks again and nice weekend,

 

Marco