Help with tanto mei

[Tigerinbamboo]

I am contemplating buying this lovely little tanto, and hoping to get some insight from the experts here.  I was hoping to start with translating the mei.  Any assistance and advice greatly appreciated. 

 

 

[Stephen]

Nice looking tanto Kat

 

Minamoto kazumoto saku

 

If wrong ill be corrected soon.

[Bugyotsuji]

Maybe Minamoto Ichiyuki, or Kazu-kore/Kazu-yuki saku 源一之作 ...?

[Ed]

I couldn't find a smith listed under any of the combinations, IchiYuki, Ichikore, Kazuyuki, KazuKore, using the characters seen on your blade.

 

The koshirae is decent, but the blade doesn't look like much from what I can see.

[Stephen]

Ichiichi?

Kazuichi?

Going by Yumotos book kanji for one.

Still think its moto as seen in same book.

[Bugyotsuji]

There are sometimes confusions between the two, exemplified for me by the reading today of the name of Motosuke (Yukisuke), Lord Ikeda Tsuneoki's son.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B1%A0%E7%94%B0%E5%85%83%E5%8A%A9

 

池田 元助（いけだ もとすけ）は、戦国時代から安土桃山時代にかけての武将。池田恒興の長男で輝政の兄。諱は之助（ゆきすけ）ともいう

[Tigerinbamboo]

Stephen, Piers and Ed, thank you for the suggestions.  Now my head is spinning more than ever.  It seems like an undecipherable mei would be less likely to be gimei? I'll try and get some better photos of the hamon and hada...

[Bugyotsuji]

Kathleen, Confucius say, "that which spins will slow down." 

No need to worry, head spinning is part of the job here. You are heading in the right direction, and things will settle down in due course, even if you do not in the meantime find one perfect answer. We all enjoy the chase, wherever it may lead!

[Ed]

I went back again and tried the moto character the Stephen suggested and did find one, KAZUMOTO (一元), Tenpō (天保, 1830-1844)

 

However, I could find no oshigata or examples to verify the characters used or the stroke nuances.  That means there was at least one listed smith who signed Kazumoto, the bad news is that there is no way to verify if it is the same smith.

 

It would be like the other combinations pointed out earlier, there are smiths who used the name but they used different characters than the ones used on your blade.

 

Unless someone can locate an additional example or documentation of a smith who signed exactly as yours, I don't think you will find much more information.  Shinsa would be a crap shoot as it may or may not yield additional information. 

[Surfson]

Could be Kazusada, and there is an Ikeda maker by that name.  I haven't searched for an example.  KAZ45 in Hawley's

[Bugyotsuji]

Showed this to my sword teacher today and he said 'Kazukore', and that both the koshirae (Toppei style) and the blade look Bakumatsu to him. He added that many smiths were Meikan-moré, or missed from the lists, so nothing unusual in that.

[Tigerinbamboo]

Bugyotsuji, by Jove, I think you've got it! ????

[Bugyotsuji]

Actually, thinking back on it, I am now sure that he said Kazukore (although the Kanji 之 is still the same as for yuki). It's tiredness. Apologies. I have gone back and altered it. If you like I can double-check with him tomorrow as we will be making a trip to see swords in Fukuyama.