Two more old books.

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hello all,

 

These are the two latest finds from my local second-hand book shop and I'd be very happy if any of the members could shed some light on what exactly they are.

 

The first, which I think is by (or about) one of the Honami family, is in a slip case and measures 22cm x 16cm. It is dated 1958 and has a fold-out section at the rear showing (I am guessing) all the major Honami signatures.

 

The spine of the slipcase (identical to that of the book and easier to scan):

 

The front cover:

 

The back cover:

 

A handwritten dedication on the first page (I can make out "sensei" but nothing else):

 

The second, measuring 35cm x 23cm, has been professionally re-bound at some time in the past 30 years but the book itself is dated 1944. It appears to be about important koto blades extant at that time (no - I haven't spotted the Honjo Masamune yet) and comprises of 67 pages of hand drawn oshigata printed on a yellowed, "pulp"-like paper stock (which possibly suggests that this was originally in a magazine format).

 

The title page:

 

Two sample pages of the contents:

 

 

Over to the kanji and book experts - any insights will be most gratefully received.

 

Many Thanks,

Simon

 

PS: I used Imageshack again (it's the only one I've mastered) so please beware of the irritating pop-ups!

[John A Stuart]

Hi Simon, I can't help with your request, but if you don't mind could you photograph that fold out of signatures and post or e-mail. Does the book have seals and kao as well? I think a lot of us might need that info. John

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi John,

 

Sorry - I should have actually said "kao" rather than "signature" in the first place.

(Brain cells not working yet I'm afraid).

 

I'd be happy to photograph and mail them but, at the moment, I only have access to a very basic scanner and my primary concern is obviously not to damage the books or break their spines.

 

As a taster, however, here is a (very bad) scan of some of the kao.

 

 

All the best,

Simon

[John A Stuart]

Thanks Simon, Yes. some of the books I have can only be photographed. Scanning will cause damage. I have bought a scan pen but have yet to have success. Recently I have tried to photograph sections of the Minoto Taikan and using my OCR program convert the pic to an editable format for translation. It is not as easy for Asian characters and am having a hard time with recognition. A photo is the only safe way for your book. Nice book to have, for sure. John

[Nobody]

Hi,

Based on a brief search;

 

The second book is “Koto Josaku Meikan (å¤åˆ€ä¸Šä½œéŠ˜é‘‘)â€. Its first edition was published in 1941 and its reprints seem to have been published at least in 1943 and 1944. Its original source is the material collected by Hasegawa Chuemon (é•·è°·å·å¿ å³è¡›é–€; reading?) who was a famous appraiser in Keicho era.

 

Ref.

http://www.nihontou-minosekikaji.com/book/229.html

http://database.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/kouzan/touken.pdf

[Nobody]

The first book is “Nihonto no Okite to Tokucho (日本刀ã®æŽŸã¨ç‰¹å¾´) by Honami Koson (本阿弥光éœ). It is one of well known books. Its first edition was published in 1955 and its reprint is still available.

 

FYI: http://www.sanmei.com/shop_e/en-us/dept_24.html

[Guido]

Hasegawa Chuemon (é•·è°·å·å¿ å³è¡›é–€; reading?)

"Tadaemon" would be an alternative, but your reading is correct: his full name was Hasegawa Chuemon Naotsugu.

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Thank you gentlemen

 

Moriyama-san, I wonder if I could also bother you for your expert opinion on the inscription written in “Nihonto no Okite to Tokucho"?

 

My wife has taken a look at it but, as I mentioned before, could only spot the title "sensei".

 

Your help would, once more, be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

Simon

[Nobody]

I really cannot read sosho. My readings below are only my guess with 30 % confidence.

 

謹呈 (kintei) - presentation

考盤先生 (Kohan (Koban?) sensei)

鴻水波 (reading?) – an art name of the presenter?

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Thank you once again Moriyama-san - your 30% of confidence is worth 100% of most other peoples!

[John A Stuart]

Thanks for pointing out the Nihonto no Okite to Tokucho Simon and where I might get a copy Koichi san. I now have one. John