Translation help ! 4 kanjis to find !

[Frederik M]

Dear all,

After weeks of research, I have finally nearly traduced all the kanjis of my blades ;o)

Nevertheless, I cannot find 4 kanjis on 3 blades !!

For the first mei, I read KANE XXX KORE SAKU

For the second mei (koto blade), well I must admit I have no clue (I would say, the first kanji looks a bit like NOBU or SADA and the second one like SEN or RYO)

For the third mei, I read XXX HIDE (I would say, the missing kanji looks a bit like NORI)

Any help is welcome.

Thank you very much for your time

[Wim V]

I am not a specialist but here is my best guess:

 

兼辰之作

Kanetoki kore (wo) saku

 

The second one starts with Sane 真, but I can't identify the second character.

 

And the third mei, like you said is something-Hide 秀, but unfortunately the first kanji is again too difficult for me.

 

Good luck

[GregD]

KikuHide

Greg

[Wim V]

nice one Greg, that seems right to me

 

So the third mei is 菊秀 (Kikuhide)

 

Not that difficult after all, I should have been able to find this one. :? Which shows I am still a beginner in the study of kanji.

 

Now the only remaining question is the Sane-xxx

[outlier48]

Hi all - just curious if anyone has found a reference to a smith using the mei 菊秀? I found the mei interessting but could not find a reference to it - admittedly I have a very limited amount of reference materials. Is it possible to see pics of these blades?

 

Charlie Brashear

[Nobody]

At least there was a Kikuhide as one of WWII sword smiths in Seki.

[outlier48]

Moriyama-san - Thank you very much!

 

Charlie Brashear

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

I'm unsure but maybe the character after Sane 真 is Masa 了

[Nobody]

Hi,

 

I'm unsure but maybe the character after Sane 真 is Masa 了

I am still unsure but you may be right. It could read Shinryo.

Ref. http://www.finesword.co.jp/sale/touken/ ... yo/553.htm

[Grey Doffin]

Yes, definitely Shinryo. I find only 4 character signatures (Dohi Shinryo) in my references. If this signature is 2 character it may be gimei.

Grey

[george trotter]

Hi all,

I agree the Sane is probably read as "Shin". I saw the mystery second character in a mei in recent times, it was a WWII gunto mei? (on ebay?) and its reading was given...I didn't pay a lot of attention though... but SEEM to remember that I think the only one it could be is listed on the Seki Kaji list as "Kaneji" (if I knew how to insert kanji I would do so) but look up this smith, he is 178th down. I suppose he could be read different ways but as my books are in storage I'll have to ask you guys to check it out for Charlie. If this is the correct kanji, I suppose the mei would be "Shinji"...or?

Regards,

George.

[Frederik M]

thank you so much for your help

[george trotter]

Hi again,

further to my post above, I have remembered what the ebay? site said the reading of the mystery kanji was..."mori". It was on a WWII Seki gunto signed Kanemori...look up Hawley KAN 1532 and also page 212 in Kapp and Yoshihara "Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1968-present". He is listed in K&Y as an officially registered Seki Tosho in 1944. Although the same smith, he is (incorrectly?) listed as "Kaneji" in the Jinsoo Kim lists of Seki Kaji Tosho linked above in Rich Stein's site. This Kanemori's "mori" is definitely the same written style as your mystery kanji. I suppose therefore your mei reads Sanemori (no listing in Hawley) or...as the others have already said, Shinryo...however, I (respectfully) don't think "ryo" looks like the same written character as this "mori", so maybe someone can post a mei of Shinryo so we can compare it? A nice little mystery.

George.

[Nobody]

...however, I (respectfully) don't think "ryo" looks like the same written character as this "mori", so maybe someone can post a mei of Shinryo so we can compare it? A nice little mystery.

Did you not read my previous post in which a link to an example of Shiryo’s mei was presented?

[george trotter]

Hi Moriyama san,

Oh yes, I see it now...I did miss it...gomen. the mei you post is quite different. I think the character Ryo written there on your post is different from the one written on the original post mei. I think it is something else...and the only kanji I have seen written the same as that one on the original post is "mori" as used in the Seki Gunto mei Kanemori. Just my opinion based on observation.

regards,

George.