SteveM

Hello, I got next to nothing. I guess this is for an item that is non-nihonto related? All I can say is that it says the item was made and engraved/carved by the same person (造併刻, using a variation of 併). The name...is something-蔵, I guess, but I can't get the ones to the right of it. I don't even know if this is a name. The ones to the right almost look like 電子, but that doesn't make sense . And the two big kanji on the right of the box are something-shiki (囗式), but I can't figure out what goes inside the box. Usually the default is 国 (kuni) or one of its million variations, but this is different. 園式 (sonoshiki) maybe? The other side is as confounding. 囗湯囗産, indicating place of manufacture, is my guess. Sorry, slim pickings for me today.

Just had a closer look at the saya, and it looks like the craftsman used some mottling effect, and not abalone shell. Still very interesting and nice to have in the collection.

Hello Mario, Unfortunately there is no one place where you can go to find examples of all the authentic Kanenaga signatures. The easiest next step for you would be to take your sword to someone who knows swords, or perhaps to a sword show near you, and have a more knowledgeable person give you his advice. Another option is to send it to Japan for authentication (various people offer this service...there may be a link to someone who can do this on the FAQ or Links tab near the top of this page). But I would first have someone look at it to see if it merits sending in for authentication. Also, you might try taking shots of the entire sword, and post some more in-focus shots of the hamon area. I think what you have posted so far is probably too little for anybody's interest to be piqued. To me, it looks ok so far; meaning it looks like a genuine Japanese sword. Some better shots might spur the other guys to chime in with other opinions.

After looking around on the internet I have to revise my earlier, rather dismissive opinion that this wasn't a crest. I have to leave some wiggle room to accommodate Tim's accurate post above where he says something close to it is called the "kurosu", which seems to be distinctive from the Shimazu jūji cross, and the kutsuwa and hana-kutsuwa, all of which pre-date contact with Christians. クロス クラス 久留子 来留子 花来留子 You can find examples under the various above names here http://kamondb.com/kibutsu/kurusu.html The motif on Bruno's tsuba looks enough like the 花来留子 (hana-kurosu) that it makes me retract my earlier statement, and makes me interested enough to want to know more. But I remain skeptical to the kakure-kirishitan theory.

Your photography is better than a lot of newcomers. And, I am even more convinced that your sword is worth keeping and preserving. There is a what looks to be a horizontal weld opening near the tip in the shinogi-ji, and a spot of rust also near the tip, but I wouldn't freak out about these.

The wood has 十六　リ carved into it. Who knows what this "16 ri" means. Probably just some assembly or stock number. Nothing of significance to us or to anybody except the people who assembled it. The markings on the opposite side look to me like random markings, also of no importance. Maybe its 四三, but it still doesn't do much for me. But your sword and scabbard are nicer than I expected. Every post that begins with, "I have a sword that my grandfather brought back from WW2..." I expect to see some crappy sword, but this was a nice surprise. It may not be heirloom quality, and the 兼 may actually be a counterfeit, but the sword itself seems to be a real antique (meaning, pre-dating the war by at least 100 years). The saya looks like aogaimijinnuri (青貝微塵塗), which is a decorative abalone shell covering. Sort of like glitter. It's not super exclusive or expensive, or even rare, but it is somewhat more fancy than standard black lacquer. Edit: Bear in mind it could be an authentic "Kane-" something. My comments above shouldn't be taken to mean I think the sword is a fake. You will need somebody smarter than me to tell you if it is an authentic sword made from one of the likely "Kane-" smiths. But yes, I do think it is an authentic sword from the samurai era, if you like, and that it is something to be treasured as such.

Agree with Peter and Steven above. Having said that, it does look more like a cross than the many "imagined" crosses that get posted. But... it's not very well hidden. (It's also not a family crest) So, I think its just a very nice tsuba. As for any deeper significance, while I wouldn't slam the door shut on that speculation, I would also be hesitant to make any definitive statement. As Peter says, the "hidden Christian" trope is a bit overdone.

兼永　Kanenaga A fairly common swordsmith name. You will have to match this against the authenticated signatures of the many varieties of Kanenaga signatures out there. People more clever than I are able to tell a lot about the sword by looking at the whole sword and close-ups of the blade, tip, the area under the habaki, etc... By looking at the blade, some people can identify likely area and era of origin, and that can help you narrow down which Kanenaga you should be looking for.

I can't find the exact one that Alexander posted in post #13, but Piers is correct; Yoshitora. The figure in #13 is Yazama Kiuchi (喜内) Mitsunobu, from a kabuki dramatization of Chushingura (47 Samurai/Ronin). #14 is Yazama Kihei (亀兵) Mitsunobu, which may just be an alternative name for the same character. Alexander's print is from a series, and each print in this series is identified further by a hiragana letter, almost like karuta. The one for Yazama Kiuchi Mitsunobu is "ぬ" in the series. They were originally printed in 1864 (元治元年). https://jp.Japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/A1-91-172/Yoshitora/Chushingura-(Set-of-50)%E3%80%80

Nice one, Piers. And here is a link to a part of the triptych, from which we can see it was made in/around 1853, and features a scene from a kabuki play of Kobata Koheiji (alt. Kohada Koheiji) the lead character in a story of revenge. https://archive.waseda.jp/archive/detail.html?arg={%22subDB_id%22:%2252%22,%22id%22:%22188157;11%22}&lang=jp See also Santō Kyoden (novelist, playwright) Adachi Sakurō (character who kills Kobata Koheiji, and incurs his wrath and is subsequently tormented by him from the grave) Fukushū Kidan Asaka no numa (the stories from where this tale originates) Another version of the same, from Toyokuni, with helpful English explanation http://www.arc.ritsumei.ac.jp/lib/vm/kabuki2015_e/2015/12/h06.html

Piers did it! Here is a copy of this one, with info in English. (Maybe can merge with other thread?) https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/the-victorious-army-of-minamoto-yoritomo-returns-from-the-conquest-of-%C3%B4sh%C3%BB-province-minamoto-yoritomo-%C3%B4sh%C3%BB-seibatsu-sh%C3%B4gun-kijin-gy%C3%B4retsu-no-zu-462114

Looks like 囗宗寅作 (?-Munetora saku), with the 囗 part being illegible. I can find no records or examples of tsuba by an artist using Munetora, so that leaves me with very little confidence. Edit: Peter (and Ron) may be closer to the mark. Could be 紀宗廣作 (Ki-no-Munehiro saku). That is looking more plausible than my guess. Edit #2: And following from that first edit, I can imagine the two top characters on the left of the reverse side of the tsuba may be 明珍 (Myōchin)

As far as I know, the ray skin used for tsuka (at least nowadays) is taken from a non-threatened species. But, I understand the sentiment.

This is a scene showing future Shogun, Minamoto Yoritomo (源頼朝), taking his army into the north of Japan to subjugate the forces there. 源頼朝奥州征伐 The middle frame shows the name of the printer, Ezakiya of Bakurochō in Tokyo/Edo. 江崎屋辰蔵版 None of these show the name of the artist, and I cannot find this exact image in the online databases. It is a common theme, but I can't quite locate this exact image. One of the other bits of writing on the print must contain the artist's name. The small cartouches next to the various people in the print contain their names, no doubt, so there must be some writing near the edges of the print that show the artist's name.

I think you are both right about Fudō-Myō-ō. My guesses for the rest, and the source I'm trying to match these against, are as below. http://xn--uckue891j.net/index.php?%E6%A2%B5%E5%AD%97%E5%8D%B0 Kahn Fudō Myō-ō　(#2) Han Hakui Kannon (#21) (Could also be Monju, #4, as Florian says) Bai Bishamon-ten Tamonten (#17) Ban Dainichi Nyorai Kongokai (#18) There must be a better resource out there, but I'm always frustrated by the slight inconsistencies in how some of these are written or how they are attributed, or how they should be pronounced (especially when working backwards from katakana pronunciations). Anyway, I offer my best guesses.

The black handwritten script on the tang is just an assembly number ("1651", by the looks of it). No significance except for the guy or the team or the assembly line from whence this came. Similarly, the hand-written notations on the end of the saya look like some kind of part ID. Maybe manufacturer's shorthand indicating the type of saya, or the type of wood. It isn't a name.

Interesting mei Looks to me like 雅隻雋之, but I don't have a clue as to the reading. Gasekishun? I have never come across that third kanji before. The second one on the right side is 亭 (tei)

後藤仙乗　Gotō Senjo

Hello Bob, the Japanese is already translated. The tag indicates the item belonged to a Captain Toshio Tanda, of Masuga town, Nara prefecture, located near Unebi Station on the Sakurai train line.

From one Steve M to another This is a Chinese sword. 中国大連陣朝波戌寅年 China, Dalian, Chen ?? (a personal name, I don't know the pronunciation in Chinese) zodiac year of dog + tiger, 1938 or 1998 or 1878, etc.

Take a look at this, Carlo https://www.kamon18.com/cart/shop/08035.html

I think the second one you are looking at is 竪 (たて). Deceptively similar to 堅 (かた・い）

Hello, The right side is a dedication 應需囗東氏　Ōjū ?tō shi Made for Mr. -tō (could be Gotō, or Itō, with the tō part commonly written as 藤, but it isn't unheard of for tō to be written with 東) The left side is the artist 貞壽囗作之　Sadatoshi-? kore wo tsukuru

1st one is a name 亀山澄 = Kameyama Sumiyoshi(?) . Unsure of the first name 六一四八七 = 61487 (as Dave above said). The last one is a mystery. Something like 八戸 (Hachinohe, the name of a town in northern Japan), but the last one is unknown. Almost looks like an old, now unused katakana symbol ヰ (wi), but I have no confidence in either of these guesses.

瑞峯造之　 Zuihō kore wo tsukuru = Made by Zuiho (name of a ww2 smith) Leaving the date as a spoiler if anyone wants to have a go