Need Help Translating First Nihonto

[Piranha258]

Hi All,

 

Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been interested in Nihonto for almost 2 years now, but I've only recently become financially capable of purchasing one!

 

Anyways, it arrived earlier today and I'm excited to get to learn more about it.

 

Any help at all would be appreciated!

 

[ChrisW]

Welcome to NMB! Before anyone else gets to you, be sure to put your signature up so people know how to address you!

 

 

Also, if you want more input from the guys here. Make sure to orient the picture so the blade's point is towards the sky so the mei (signature) is more readable! Also, more pictures of the blade couldn't hurt. The more information, the easier it is to identify.

[Shugyosha]

Hi,

 

It's Tanba Kami Terukado. Here's the entry from Markus Sesko's eJapanese swordsmiths:

 

"TERUKADO (照門), Manji (万治, 1658-1661), Mino – “Kanekado” (兼門), “Zenjō Fujiwara Kanekado” (善定藤原兼門), “Tanba no Daijō Fujiwara Terukado” (丹波大掾藤原照門), “Tanba no Kami Fujiwara Terukado” (丹波守藤原照門), “Tanba no Kami Terukado” (丹波守照門), “Nōshū Seki no jū Tanba no Kami Fujiwara Terukado saku” (濃州関之住濃州丹波守藤原照門作), “Nōshū Tanba no Kami Fujiwara Terukado” (濃州丹波守藤原照門), real name Mitsui Sō´emon (三井惣右衛門), he is also listed with the first name Sōkurō (宗九郎), Zenjō school, he signed first with Kanekado (兼門), after receiving the honorary title Tanba no Kami (丹波守) in the second year of Manji (1659) he changed his name to Terukado (照門), when the Ujifusa lineage (氏房) moved to Nagoya (名古屋) in Owari province, the local honorary title Seki-kaji-tōryō (関鍛冶頭領, lit. “master of all Seki smiths”) was transferred to the lineage of Kanekado, his successors did not continue the name Terukado but returned to Kanekado, dense ko-itame with fine ji-nie mixed with masame and masame along the shinogi-ji, suguha-hotsure or ō-gunome-midare mixed with angular hako-midare in nie-deki with a wide nioiguchi, interpretations in midare begin with a sugu-yakidashi, during his early years – i.e. around Manji – he applied thick and prominent sujikai-yasurime, they become finer over the years and appear as katte-sagari in his later years, first he applied a distinctive iriyamagata-jiri which becomes later a ha-agari kurijiri, he also worked in Ise´s Kuwana (桑名) and in Edo and also worked with nanban-tetsu, chūjō-saku".

 

Welcome to the forum and best regards,

John

[Jacques D.]

Mei engraving style and yasurime don't match....

[nickm]

Congratulations on your 1st sword whether it be gimei or not. I recently was able to really begin collecting myself and understand how much more fun it is now that you are able to hold something rather than just look at pictures!