Old Sayagaki Sadayoshi Katana

[Sly]

Hi all.

 

I was sent the pictures of an old sayagaki going with a sword which will be at auction in a few days. Before I may bid on this blade I will be greatfull to have any information related to the translation of this sayagaki.

 

The only thing I know is that the sword is attributed to sadayoshi.

 

Sly

[SteveM]

First picture is 定吉 Sadayoshi

 

Middle picture...can you post a better picture? Looks Chinese. Well, they are all Chinese characters, but the middle inscription looks to be Chinese in meaning, but I can't make it out. 能念呈羅 something... Looks like a note describing who/why it was presented.

 

Last picture 竹村駐箚隊長  Takemura chūsatsu taichō. The name of the owner (or the person to whom it was presented. Captain Takemura. (Chūsatsu is a term that comes from the Mancurian occupation, I think. I think it just means "in residence" or something like that. 

[John A Stuart]

Maybe something like, 竹村 'Zhu-cun, Zhu village' or Takemura if a place in Japan,  駐 'stationed in' 箚 'communications' 隊長 'captain. John

[Sly]

Steve, John,

 

Thanks a lot for your help ! I was sent the pictures by the auction house, so I don't have better pictures, sorry.

 

If I understand well, this is not a sayagaki describing the blade, but a sayagaki describing an offering to someone, probably from a Japanese officer during Mandchourian occupation.

[John A Stuart]

The only reference to Zhu-cun is this; "Du Jianhui, Zhu cun lu: Zhongguo beifang xiangcun kaocha baogao [Recording My Residence in a Village: An Investigation Report of the Rural Life in North China], (Kaifeng: Henan University Press, 2009, 2010, and 2011) (forthcoming, China Review International)" If it is in Henan, it makes sense as it was occupied by the Japanese, 1938-1945. So, perhaps not Manchukuo, but, Henan. There is probably dozens of Bamboo villages. John

[SteveM]

I'm pretty sure Takemura is the right reading, and it's the name of the captain. 

Together, 竹村駐箚隊長 is just something like Takemura, Captain of Occupationary Forces, or Takemura, Captain-in-residence.