Jump to content

mecox

Gold Tier
  • Posts

    630
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    5

Everything posted by mecox

  1. Tim, any chance you could post a pic of the seppa and tsuba laid out. keen to see detail. thanks mal
  2. Tim, you have a kaigunto naval katana. Looks to be overall in good condition. Mekugi: is it plastic or horn. Maybe the aluminium seppa are not original (the one next to saya looks small?) Can you show a pic of the registration paper (Torokusho) as it has info on it. The smith is “Munenaga” (宗命), real name Seibu Takeo (西部 武夫), (Seibu can also be read as Nishibu). He was from Seki in Gifu Prefecture born Meiji 34 (1901) October 1. He registered as a Seki smith Showa 16 (1941) November 19 (age 40). He was a guntō smith, probably in an arsenal, and the blade has a Seki stamp. (I guess no date on other side of nakago). This type of blade is called Showato, so not fully traditionally made, but looks to have a nice hamon. There is very little info about him.
  3. Link to Su / Kotobuki stamp meaning: Japan sword for sale Black leather scabbard Navy dagger (choshuya.co.jp) Auto translation: "Black leather-wrapped naval dagger preparation. Late Pacific War style. The trademark "Kotobuki" can be seen on the tsuba. This is believed to be the work of the Suya Corporation of Shiba-Shinbashi, Tokyo. The handle is in good condition, as are the cherry blossom design menuki fittings, the rim head, the bottom of the bottom, and the metal fittings such as the clasp that holds the scabbard and handle together." 壽屋(すや) Also had a note on other sword shops of the time: "Other examples include Iijima Sword Factory (Shimotani Kanasugi), Gomei Company Kobe Shoten (Yotsuya) and Seki Sword Co (Gifu, Seki)." @Bruce Pennington
  4. John, good to have Moriyama san’s translation 刀工直弘 - Sword smith Naohiro 壽屋 - Kotobukiya But I think there is a story there. Or I may be dreaming. What do you think? The sword shown looks to be a well made of naginata style, looks to be more that a parade sword? I don’t know if chromed or not. However, there is a question which Naohiro made it. The one well reported in WW2 is 3rd gen. Yanagawa Masayoshi, born 1910, died 1994, reg post war in 1956, and then quite active. There were a number of possible Naohiro. Of the Yanagawa up to 5 gen. Kotobuki means good luck/long life etc, but Kotobukiya becomes the name of a shop. Looking further into this, it seems that Kotobuki can also be read as “SU”. [lost the reference, with find it]. Which suggests could be Suya Shoten Co Ltd well known in WW2 Tokyo producing/selling gunto especially naval dirks (p.20 in Bruce’s Stamp report). Page 46 of Bruce shows a version of the Suya stamp. Also Bruce p. 10 has Naohiro stamp, and suggests gen 2 at Tokyo Army Arsenal. “ …..two kanji read right to left as 直 NAO 弘 HIRO i.e. NAOHIRO. Family name is Yanagawa from Saitama. Probably second generation. During the Meiji and Taisho periods he worked at the Tokyo Army Arsenal (or Toyokawa by F & G) making blades for sabres (kyuguntō?) and other western style swords” The SU stamp in F & G looks like this Kotobuki is like this: 壽   From Sesko: NAOHIRO (直弘), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Tōkyō – “Naohiro” (直弘), real name “Ueno Naohiro” (上野直弘). Example of his work in Slough p.126, small katana, dated 1915 (so he would need to be born around 1895 (Meiji 28). NAOHIRO (直弘), 1st gen., Keiō (慶応, 1865-1868), Musashi – “Naohiro” (直弘), real name Shino Tomesuke (土野留助), student of Taikei Naotane (大慶直胤), some say he was the son of Jikishinshi Masahiro (直心子正弘). [also called Rusuke Tsuchino] NAOHIRO (直弘), 2nd gen., Meiji (明治, 1868-1912), Musashi – “Naohiro” (直弘), son of the 6th gen. Naomichi (直道), he lived in Edo´s Ichigaya-Takajōmachi (市ケ谷鷹匠町), real name Yanagawa Saijirō (柳川才次郎), mostly a chōji-midare. [He trained 3rd gen and passed over the name etc to him in Showa 3 (1928) when 3rd gen was 18] NAOHIRO (直弘), 3rd gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Saitama – “Juō Bushū Musashi-machi Takakura-jū Naohiro” (寿王武州武蔵町高倉住直弘), real name Yanagawa Masaki (柳川昌喜), [or Masayoshi] born October 5th 1910, son of Yanagawa Saijirō, he died in September 1994. NAOHIRO (直弘), 4th gen., Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Saitama – “Minamoto Naohiro saku” (源直弘作), “Musashi no Kuni Ōmiya-jū Minamoto Naohiro saku” (武蔵国大宮住源直弘作), real name Matsubara Eiichi (松原英一), born May 5th 1924, student of Juō Naohiro (寿王直弘). @Bruce Pennington
  5. Kasper, nice tsuba and interesting. Paper from Nippon Tousougu Kenkyu Kai (NTKK) dated Heisei 25 (2013) Jan 17. Described as Hira jingasa zu (flat jingasa style). Mumei tetsuji (mumei iron), Goku (?good level of work) Saotome. Era: mid-Edo. Size 79 x 79 cm, thickness 0.3 cm. Plus general comments about Saotome being katchushi since Muromachi and this is well made. For context see this Tempo tsuba paper just added to Downdloads:
  6. Bruce, Chris is right Bushu ju Hirokuni saku
  7. Karl, yes definitely WW2 and he registered as a Seki swordsmith on Showa 16 (1941) September 12. No record of date of birth, but died in Showa 20 (1945).
  8. Didier, As I noted before Nishihara Kanemasa was not from Seki, and I could not find further information. Steve notes limited career.....also .in the description of that sword for sale, Nishihara is referred to as a "first generation" swordsmith. For interest, I have now contacted Chris Bowen in US an expert on Tokyo wartime swordsmiths, his reply: "As for Nishihara Kanemasa, he is a puzzle. He is neither a Seki smith from what I can find, and neither is he the Kanemasa affiliated with the Dai Ichi Rikugun Zoheisho forge run by Yoshihara Kuniie. The Kanemasa affiliated with the Zoheisho is actually a smith working earlier affiliated the Murata blade production. I have found a few examples of Nishihara Kanemasa’s work but none include his place of work. He is not listed in the Meikan, nor in the war era smith lists I found. Seems he managed to escape fame and fortune quite completely! Sorry I can’t be of more help. From time to time these smiths who slipped through the cracks appear…" Of course, there have been a number of WW2 tosho who "disappear" from the records because they have enlisted in the army. Several of these were killed in action. I know of another one who committed suicide after hearing the Emperor on radio declare a surrender.
  9. Was a wartime tosho, but not much information. may have been in Tokyo not Seki. Possibly at the Imperial Army's arsenal factory in Akabane, Tokyo (1943-45). 東京)西原兼正 作 日本刀 軍刀 61.2cm (bukiya.jp) 勇 現代刀 西原兼正 郷義弘写し 二尺一寸五分強 日本刀 刀(刀、太刀)|売買されたオークション情報、yahooの商品情報をアーカイブ公開 - オークファン(aucfan.com)
  10. Ron et al., here's some Amahide for comparison:
  11. It is good to see you are interested in Echizen Kinai school which has an interesting history. There is a summary and updated in NMB Downloads:
  12. Mario, this is not Kinai but very similar style and design. Omote mei: Yamashiro Kuni & Nishijin Ju. Ura mei: Umetada (the tsubako)
  13. Jonas, looks to be this smith from Gifu: “Kinmichi” (金道), real name Hibino Ichiji (日比野一二), born May 6th 1917, he worked as guntō smith and died August 20th 1945, real name Hibino Ichiji (日比野一二) and he was from Oyama, Tomida-mura in Gifu. Hibino is an unusual family name. Note 金道 can also be read as Kanemichi. He registered as a Seki swordsmith in 1942 (Showa 17) September 10. There is an example sword by him (at right) listed by Meirin Sangyo Co Ltd, which is dated Showa 18 (1943) September and signed ni ji mei "Kinmich" and their note includes "On August 6, Showa 20, he took responsibility for the defeat of Japan and judged himself on August 8 ...". The meaning being he committed seppuku. However the dates listed disagree, if he "died" August 20 1945, and was born May 1917 he would have been 28 (the surrender of Japan was announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 15, 1945). Another example from Yahoo Auctions (3 from left), no date. No. 2 is from Rick Stein site.
  14. Chris, examples and background of Hidetoshi is this paper:
  15. mecox

    Sword earlier

    Looks like the tsuka ito has been unwrapped and redone poorly and with no proper knot. Also the menuki are missing.
  16. Yes, seems to be Sako Kaneyoshi but I could not find any record of him. As noted the koshirae is kaigunto. Of note the sword looks to have a long nakago and the jiri (end) is kiri (straight) but looks to be roughly cut. All of this suggests he may be a smith working in an arsenal.
  17. TEPPO #5, last one, hopefully of interest to some. Cheers.
  18. TEPPO #3 pics this gun is quite heavy, presumably as more iron parts.
  19. On the recent trip to Japan visiting family I found one had some teppo. I took pics for NMB gun folk and translated Torokusho. There are five. Please note I have zip knowledge about Japanese firearms. Below are the five, plus 5 pics for Teppo #1. Others to follow.
  20. Noshu Seki Ju Kanenaga Saku http://www.japaneses...shigata/kanenag4.jpg
  21. Brian, a rather crude fake, and seems to have been "aged" somehow. Cast fuchi and kabuto gane very poor, hole in latter is rough and no eyelet. Maybe the sarute is OK but cant see all. Ito is different type of material and is black, plus poorly bound. menuki hard to see but looks a mess and is black? Same is rough and falling off. Nakago is just rubbish, crude yasurime and yes the mune machi way off....maybe to fit a crude habaki?
×
×
  • Create New...