mecox

Scott, for some background to Tenshozan and more examples:

Kris and Jan, Moriyama san is correct, the tosho is: 一前 Ichizen 若井 徳市 Wakai Tokuichi, who was a Seki smith, and likely worked in an arsenal. Seki stamp on blade suggests around 1942. Looks to be born Meiji 40 (1907) February 1 (report print is not clear). He was from Kamo-gun, Sakaewa-mura and registered as a Seki smith in Showa 16 (1941) December 11, age around 34. Based on this there is a misread of one kanji in Sesko; this is very easy to do. "waka" has 2 strokes on top 若 ; "iwa" has 3 , like "yama" 岩.　Very little information available. Kamo is now a district to the east of Seki. 　　

A bit more info from Sesko: SUKEHISA (祐久), Keiō (慶応, 1865-1868), Bizen – “Bishū Osafune Sukehisa” (備州長船祐久), real name Yokoyama Hisagorō (横山久五郎, first name also reads Kyūgorō), adopted son in law of Yokoyama Sukenaga (祐永), he died on the 26th day of the seventh month Meiji two (明治, 1869)

I wonder if there is a Japanese sword collection/discussion group nearby to where you are in Illinois. Would be good to get some commentary and explanation. The museum surely would wish to have items identified and displayed correctly.

YUKINAGA (行長), Tenshō (天正, 1573-1592), Bungo – “Hōshū Takada-jū Yukinaga” (豊州高田住行長), “Fujiwara Yukinaga” (藤原行長)

Hi Christopher, are you saying that the items you are showing all remain in the state/condition in which they were donated? So its not seen correct to alter them?

and go to Tottori (Hoki) and visit the incredible sand dunes: https://www.Japan-guide.com/e/e8102.html

Chris, here is some more (from Sesko) also some comments for your records. YOSHIYUKI (吉幸), Bunkyū (文久, 1861-1864), Hōki – “Hōki no Kuni Fujiwara Yoshiyuki” (伯耆国藤原吉幸), “Hakushū Yonago-jū Shohōken Yoshiyuki” (伯州米子住曙峰軒吉幸), “Shohōken Yoshiyuki Un´han ni oite” (曙峰軒吉幸於雲藩), “Hakushū-jū Yoshiyuki” (伯州住吉幸), “Hōki no Kuni-jū Yoshiyuki” (伯耆国住吉幸), real name Shimizu Tōshirō (清水藤四郎), he was the son of a certain Yamazaki Hei´emon Yoshihiro (山崎平右衛門吉広) but was later adopted by Shimizu Masayoshi (清水正吉), he signed his name first with the characters (吉行) and used the gō Shohōken (曙峰軒), he came originally from the village of Osa (小佐) in Izumo province and worked for the Izumo fief (出雲藩), later he moved to Yonago (米子) in Hōki province and died on the 21st day of the ninth month Meiji 19 (明治, 1886) at the age of 75, we know blades from the Ansei era (安政, 1854-1860) to the ban on wearing swords in the year 1876, dense ko-itame mixed with mokume and fine ji-nie, the hamon is a gunome in ko-nie-deki, the bōshi is sugu with a ko-maru-kaeri, the yasurime are gyaku-sujikai with keshō, he chiselled his signature close to the mune of the tang, chūjō-saku. Your sword is a wakizashi in late Edo koshirae, the pieces are nice, and original but do not all match. Probably later rewrap tsuka in Japan. This sword not likely to have been taken to war. The blade is an unusual shape with grooves and tip in the style of a nagamaki. Habaki is copper with silver foil and grooved pattern. The pair of seppa are also silver foil over copper. Fuchi is shakudo with a water/lake scene with stork? and leaves (gold and shakudo). Cant see kashira. Menuki also shakudo and gold, with pair of wild boar. Tsuba is correct size for wakizashi, by Echizen Kinai school and has aoi leaf design, probably of Rokudai Takahashi generation (see Kinai downloads in NMB). Blade looks to be in good condition with medium width hamon of gunome-midare pattern. Need to measure length of edge (habaki to tip). Iit is a complete sword, but not all original en-suite fittings. More likely acquired in Japan end/after the war.

As noted by Moriyama san: Ishihara Masanao (page 24 in below)

I found another pic of women polishing (posted by Trystan). I note now that a number of these pics were posted back in Feb 2022 (apologies to the posters). The pic looks similar to the first Matsue one...... possibly same workshop? Pics have: similar style/texture, girls are same age, same headband and winter clothes. In pic A can see the low platform of pic B. Background is similar and can see it with adjusted contrast in photos. Together they show foundation polish on left and finish on right. In pic B wall banners are old writing with no hiragana. Large one is patriotic support for soldiers fighting. Smaller one at left has 5 duties to follow to support the war effort. Period is winter 1944 (so is that January or December?) and maybe Matsue high school girl volunteers.

@Bruce Pennington @Kiipu Bruce That’s a very interesting post of the extract of memoir of a school student. I note that you, Kiipu and Morita san have discussed it June/Sept 2019. As I understand it it’s a 1980 book published in Tokyo, and refers to Shinkyo No.2 Middle School. Did that student do volunteer work in Manchuria (seems unlikely late in the war?) or possibly worked on Mantetsu in Kanagawa? A rough translation of your post follows….. the memory of a student in Manchuria. There is info on swords made there and polished by the student. It includes sword ID nos……but maybe you have all that in your records? Firstly I am not sure if this is by girl or boy. It reports work over recent 6 months in the Nanman Army Arsenal (southern Manchuria?) which included military swords. “Swords I polished were…….” Mantetsu tan tsukuru kore (Showa kou saru haru: year of Monkey, 1944, spring). Katakana “se” セ: 2596, 2767, 1251, 1225, 1293. “su” ス: 18, 273. Koanan-issei (presumably Koa isshin Mantetsu) (Showa otsu tori haru: year of rooster, 1945, spring) Hiragana い: 67, 90, 213, 289, 449. The student’s comments are: two days before graduation I left to join the Kai Miho Kaigunn Koukutai (navy airforce?) as a trainee pilot. The train departed Shin Kyoeki station (is this in Tokyo?) on Showa 20 (1945) March 22. It appears he/she would be the 16th enrolment in Kaigun Koushu as a trainee pilot. A comment is this is repeating what was done by the 3rd enrolment 30 years before (1915?). Dont know if Ive got this correct or not, but it looks a very interesting aspect.

Bruce, not specific it was just a general post for interest.

Interesting photo from 1944 at Shimane Sword Corp, Matsue, Shimane in NW Honshu. (banner: Shimane Token Kabushiki Gaisha). Looks to be 14 young women polishing, perhaps all with the same grade of stone. A male supervisor at left. Do not know if related but the Hitachi Steel Works that produced sword iron with Yasuki iron sands was in the same region. [photo from Facebook page of Yoshihiko Usuki, togishi of Koto-ku, Tokyo] Later comments from Japan suggest they are high school girls.

Shawn, you got some good info above, your sword: 関住兼松一則作 - Seki-jū Kanematsu Kazunori saku Here is a bit more: KAZUNORI (一則), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Kazunori” (一則), real name Kanematsu Kazuichi (兼松一市), born June 10th 1894, he worked as guntō smith. He registered as a Seki swordsmith in Showa 14 (1939) October 26, which was early on, and he was age about 45. He died early in December 9th 1944 (age 50), posthumous Buddhist name Zendō Myōtoku (善導妙徳) Another example: bottom stamp is about being made by kobuse method with core steel.

Russ, some background to Asano Kanezane

So presumably they have mounted at least 11 swords this way??

John, fairly sure the 2nd character is a number: 四 (using simplified form) 　 shi (4) 　and 　十一　 ju ichi (11). "Sara" has longer bottom stroke 皿　　　Basically they are assembly numbers.

Looks like: MIA (宮) NUMBER (4, 11) YO (ヨ) Maybe "Mia" is location / name of shrine / shop ?

Ryan, could be the following, however your mei and cutting is quite different. However he could have had a student in Kokura Arsenal?: TADATAKA (忠孝), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Saga – “Hizen no Kuni Tadataka” (肥前国 忠孝), “Hizen no Kuni Hakuryūshi Tadataka” (肥前国白龍子忠孝), real name Inoue Yoshiaki (井上慶昭), born November 2nd 1904, he studied from 1935 under his father Inoue Kanzaburō Kunikane (井上勘三郎国包) and in 1941 also under Taguchi Masatsugu (田口正次) from the school of Horii Toshihide (堀井俊秀), gō Hakuryūshi (白龍子), from 1943 he worked as rikugun jumei-tōshō for the Kokura Arsenal (小倉陸軍工廠). But the fittings on yours look a bit suspicious, especially tsuba. There is more on Hizen Tadataka here:

Thank you Dr Richard Stein for a long term commitment to Nihonto and associated. An intelligent, generous teacher and gentleman. Appreciated and remembered.

James and thanks Moriyama san. Here is a bit more on him. YOSHICHIKA (義近), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Yoshichika” (義近), real name Hatakeyama Kōichi (畠山弘一), he was a Seki-based guntō smith. He was born Taisho 8 (1919) August 21, and registered as a Seki tosho in Showa 15 (1940) June 25 at age 20. He was living at Seki Nagasumi-cho.

That is really difficult to read !

@Bruce Pennington oh boy I got that wrong in my Toki paper p. 36. That is the Noshu ju Sukenobu 濃州住助信 you were looking for. I included it in the Toki family 濃州住亮信 by error. Thanks for finding (probably working at midnight!). However, I still could not find 助信 and not in Seki tosho regn.

As Ray noted Noshu ju Sukenobu saku zore with Sho stamp. He is not in Seki registration lists. There is another Sukenobu with family name Toki, but has different "suke".

Appears to be 大豪 Daigō with a variation of a Seki stamp? and a rather late date of 昭和十九年秋 1944 aki (autumn) which puts it Sept-Nov 1944. He is not in the Seki registration lists, and I cant find other info. Does this suggest he works in an arsenal or commercial workshop? I note the tsuba is a variation of the typical pattern.