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SteveM

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Posts posted by SteveM

  1. 月山貞一 = Gassan Sadakazu (as you guessed)

    在銘貮尺貮寸参分    = Zaimei 2 shaku, 2 sun, 3 bu   (zaimei = with mei), the rest are measurements

     

    Supposedly this would have contained a Gassan Sadakazu sword, but it is kind of like looking at an empty picture frame upon which someone has written "Rembrandt". There is not way of knowing the authenticity of the item it once held. 

    • Like 1
  2. Hello

     

    Reverse side is 武運長久 (Būun chōkyū) which means roughly "good luck in battle". This is a typical slogan found on WW2 memorabilia.

     

    The obverse has two kanji that are hard to read. What I can read says 

    信州囗囗中村道場造直行 - ShinshūxxNakamura dōjō tsukuru Naoyuki

     

    Shinshū is a regional name given to the area around Nagano Prefecture. Nakamura would be a family name. Dōjō usually refers to a place where some sort of training or practice takes place: a studio or gym or training grounds. Tsukuru means "made", of course. And then there are two more kanji which I guess is another name: Naoyuki. Normally I would interpret this as "Naoyuki made this at the Nakamura Studio in Shinshū". This time, however, I pull my punches because a) I have never seen this kind of inscription before, b) Naoyuki doesn't seem to be a known WW2 smith, while on the other hand Shinshū isn't a name that one finds on older (Edo or earlier) blades, c) the two hard-to-read kanji may offer some clue to a different meaning. 

     

    Also: I'm slightly suspicious that the Būun chōkyū is carved around the mekugi ana, meaning it was put on after the hole was opened, while the inscription on the other side was put on before the hole was opened (since the 4th kanji is partially obliterated by the hole). 

    • Like 5
  3. Looks to be a nice, authentic Japanese sword. You hear the word Kanbun/Kambun come up because your sword has very little curvature, which was a feature of the Kanbun era (mid-1600s). Your sword also has a few weld openings (ware or kitae-ware in Japanese) and these are considered something of a blemish. But don't do anything to try to cover them up or repair them - you will ruin the sword and it is much more desirable to have a few blemishes on the sword rather than a sword that is ruined by an amateur fix-it job.   

     

    The saya for this and virtually all such swords are meant to be replaced over time, so we don't expect the saya to be the first and only one the sword had. Because of the replace-ability of the saya, they are not much use in determining anything about the sword itself. There are exceptions, especially for treasured swords in daimyo collections, where the saya has gold inlays of the family crest and whatnot, but this is a rare exception. For most swords it is a given that the saya and the various bits that make up the koshirae, are later additions, and they are usually appraised separately. In the case of the saya for this sword, the metal fittings look very ordinary, but I would agree they are probably from the Edo period as well. The sageo looks like a recent addition, but again, this is neither here nor there - it just means someone tried to make the ensemble look more presentable.

     

    All in all, a nice relic from the past, which is more than most people can say for their first sword. Many people unwittingly buy fake swords, swords that have some irreparable damage, or overpay for forged swords (or some combination of all three). Yours seems to be a genuinely decent sword - not a museum piece, but not a fraud either. Anything more and you will need to send it in for appraisal. 

     

    For books, Kokan Nagayama's "Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords" is highly recommended.  

    • Like 1
  4. Hello Joe,

     

    I think you got everything that could be "gotten" from the last posting。

     

    旭都住正光

    Asahito-jū Masamitsu

     

    There is an Asahi (旭) town in Okayama, which is where the old province of Bizen was located. Often we see names with -mitsu in them coming from Bizen. But the shape of the sword and the hamon are equally important.

     

    Alternatively it could be a reference to an Asahi town in Hiroshima prefecture (formerly known as Geishū 藝州) in which there lived and worked another smith named Masamitsu. His mei is quite different from the one on your sword, though.

     

    In any event, a quick online search turns up no other examples of 旭都 (Asato, or possibly Asahito, or possibly Asahi-no-miyako)

     

    http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/22887-need-some-help-translating-my-grandfathers-old-sword/

    • Like 1
  5. They are an earnest attempt at kanji, but they trail off into jibberish. 

     

    The first one is 本 (moto), and the second one may be an attempt at 松 (matsu), so presumably an attempt at a last name "Motomatsu", which would be a fairly rare last name.

     

    Matsumoto would be a much more likely last name, but the kanji on this are reversed. 

     

    The rest of the scratchings look like the person gave up trying to replicate any actual kanji. 

    • Like 2
  6. I don't quite get it, but it's a repeated theme in netsuke. The drum-like thing is called a mokugyo, and it is used to keep rhythm during buddhist chants. I think most Japanese people will associate this with funeral chants. My very obvious guess is that the theme is a meditation on the brevity of life and funeral drum being always an unpredictably short way away. 

     

     

    post-34-0-36645200-1556712365_thumb.png

     

    • Like 1
  7. Yes, I think he could be correct. I'm away from my books. Maybe some other intrepid person can take a look to see if there is such a metalworker in the references. But I think your contact nailed it. He may be a bit loose with the meaning, but I think he's figured out the kanji.

     

    遊楽 = pleasure, amusement, recreation

    堂  = literally means hall, auditorium, pavilion, but in this case it is just part of an art name. It is a common kanji to use in an art name. I don't think it means an art-loving person, but perhaps this gentleman is on to something that I am not aware of.  

     

    遊楽堂

     

    Yū    https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/w_taigo/28439248.html

    raku  https://ryohkei.com/kanji-gaku-cursive-2-233.html

    dō https://word.4ndex.com/name/4/257-dou.html

    • Like 1
  8. 河 Kawano, Kōno (second kanji is a variant of 野. I don't know if the variant will display correctly)

     

    oops - I guess it doesn't display at all. Its located here

    https://moji.tekkai.com/zoom/%F0%A1%8C%9B/page.html

     

    横田納 Yokota nō, Yokota Osamu? (I don't know what this line represents. My guess is that it refers to the source of the item: Yokota storehouse, or something similar)

     

    拾文半  Size 10.5 (about 25 cm)

     

    The gold tab has 海軍 (navy) embossed on it. 

    • Like 1
  9. In general: if its hard to read, its probably sōsho. Gyōsho is more legible. 

     

    With sōsho, the form of the kanji has been completely reduced to a cursive shorthand, making it impossible to read unless you have already memorized the shorthand. 

     

    This is a beautifully carved signature. I am a sucker for sōsho on swords. The contrast of the physical labor of carving/chiseling a name in a style that replicates what is normally accomplished with brush and ink is yet another layer of skill and craftsmanship for us to appreciate. Sōsho on swords would make a good thread for another day. I would love to see this sword get repaired to the extent possible, but that is a cost that might not be recovered in resell value. 

     

    The wrapping looks to me like baleen. Maybe Jean can send some more pictures of the handle (and other parts of the sword). 

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