Help Translating Inscription.

[TheJeweler]

Thank you for any help translating will be greatly appreciated. Converted to a black and white image with high contrast to help.

 

Again, thank you.

[Stephen]

MASAKIYO (正清), Kyōhō (享保, 1716-1736), Satsuma – “Kiyomitsu” (清盈), “Kiyomitsu [single-leaf aoi crest] aratameru Mondo no Shō Fujiwara Masakiyo saimei” (清盈・改主水正藤原正清再銘, “Kiyomitsu – once again signed by Mondo no Shō Fujiwara Masakiyo after the change of name”), “Sasshū-jū Kageyoshi saku” (薩州住景吉作) “Sasshū-jū Fujiwara Masakiyo” (薩州住藤原正清), “Sasshū-jū Masakiyo” (薩州住正清), “[single-leaf aoi crest] Mondo no Shō Fujiwara Masakiyo” (主水正藤原正清), “[single-leaf aoi crest] Sasshū-jū Mondo no Shō Fujiwara Masakiyo” (薩州住主水正藤原正清), real name Miyahara Kiyo´emon (宮原清右衛門, the first name can also read Sei´emon), he also bore the first name Kakudayū (覚太夫), he studied under Maruta Sōzaemon Masafusa (丸太惣左衛門正房), in early years he signed with Kageyoshi (景吉) and Kiyomitsu (清盈), some sources list his early name also as Yoshikage (吉景), in the first month of Kyōhō six (1721), the eighth Tokugawa-shōgun Yoshimune (徳川吉宗, 1684-1751) invited the best smiths of the country to a sword forging contest to his Edo residence, the winners were besides of this Masakiyo Ippei Yasuyo (安代), Nobukuni Shigekane (信国重包) from Chikuzen, and the 4th generation Nanki Shigekuni (南紀重国), all of them were granted with the permission to engrave a single leaf of the Tokugawa aoi crest to their tangs, especially outstanding in this contest were Masakiyo an Yasuyo who enjoyed subsequently a veritableprogram consisting of recommendations and orders, the honorary title Mondo no Shō (主水正) was granted to him on the 13th day of the seventh month of the same year (1721), he died on the sixth day of the sixth month Kyōhō 15 (1730) at the age of 61, he already focused on the Sōshū masters in his early years but the interpretations do not show the later typical ara-nie and mura-nie, the jigane is an excellently forged itame or ō-itame with ji-nie and chikei, masama appears in the shinogi-ji, the hamon is a gunome-midare, notare mixed with gunome or a notare-midare in nie-deki, in addition many sunagashi, kinsuji and ara-nie and/or mura-nie appear, also the Satsuma-typical imozuru can be seen, the yasurime are katte-sagari and later kiri, that means the angle of the file strokes gets more shallow over the years, in early years he signed with a rather irregular mei, regarding works of his later years, we are facing many daimei of Masachika (正近) or Masamori (正盛), however, there exists the accepted theory that the daimei of Masachika are executed larger than that of Masamori, jōjō-saku

MASAKIYO (正清), Kyōhō (享保, 1716-1736), Nagato – “Chōshū-jū Masakiyo” (長州住正清), real name Tamai Hei´emon (玉井平右衛門), according to tradition the son of the 3rd gen. Niō Masakiyo (方清)

MASAKIYO (正清), Bunka (文化, 1804-1818), Nagato – “Edo ni oite Chōshū Fuchū-jū Niō Masakiyo kore o tsukuru” (於江戸長州府中住二王正清造之, “made by Niō Masakiyo from Nagato´s Fuchū in Edo”), real name Tamai Yōkichi (玉井用吉), son of the Tenmei-era (天明, 1781-1789) Kiyotada (清忠)

MASAKIYO (正清), Tenpō (天保, 1830-1844), Nagato – “Niō Masakiyo” (二王正清), “Chōfu-shin Tamai Masakiyo kore o tsukuru” (長府臣玉井正清造之), real name Tamai Hei´emon (玉井平右衛門)

 

MASAKIYO (正清), Kaei (嘉永, 1848-1854), Sado – “Masakiyo saku” (正清作), real name Saitō Masakiyo (斎藤正清)

MASAKIYO (正清), Kaei (嘉永, 1848-1854), Settsu – “Hatakeyama Hidesaburō Minamoto Masakiyo” (畠山秀三郎源正清), real name Hatakeyama Hidesaburō (畠山秀三郎)

MASAKIYO (正清), Genji (元治, 1864-1865), Settsu – “Hatakeyama Hikojūrō Masakiyo” (畠山彦十郎正清), real name Hatakeyama Hikojūrō (畠山彦十郎), son of Hatakeyama Masamitsu (正光)

MASAKIYO (正清), active period unknown (shintō), Hizen – “Hizen no Kuni-jū Masakiyo” (肥前国住正清)

MASAKIYO (正清), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989

 

 

 

your home work is to fig out which one......enjoy

 

 

[Mark]

Stephen has it, good job. Mondo (no) sho Masakiyo.  very famous smith. Hos swords are worth $10-50,000 and more

[TheJeweler]

Lol....thank you.

[TheJeweler]

Unfortunately I now need help translating the translation. The first three characters 主水正 seem to match "Masakiyo an Yasuyo who enjoyed subsequently a veritable program consisting of recommendations and orders, the honorary title Mondo no Shō (主水正) was granted to him on the 13th day of the seventh month of the same year (1721)," as stated on page 320 of Index of Japanese Swordsmiths A-M. I haven't found a reference for the fourth symbol, . Does the last symbol..?

 

Wait. "Stephen has it, good job. Mondo (no) sho Masakiyo. very famous smith. Hos swords are worth $10-50,000 and more

 

Like This

Mark Jones

nixe@bright.net"

 

Question answered? It is an exquisite sword. I will post more images of it later.

 

Thank you.

Francis L.

[Bazza]

Also engraved a single aoi leaf on his swords.  IMHO the mei looks very dodgy indeed.  I once had such a sword with the aoi leaf that was clearly a WW2 knockoff (I hesitate to use the word utsushi!!).

 

BaZZa.

[Bugyotsuji]

Francis, most Japanese cannot read Mondo, which was written　主水, then add 正 'sho' and you're there.

It's missing Fujiwara 藤原

But the last two are Masakiyo 正清

[Jean]

One of the most copied/fake signature. Had a tanto bearing his gimei (fake signature), nice one. BTW, he had a single leaf Aoi crest engraved above his signature.