rebcannonshooter

Hi RobDam, I own a sword that's signed "Bizen Kuni Ju Osafune Gorozaemon Jo Kiyo-Mitsu saku" with a full length bo-hi. It's dated the 18th year of Temon/Tenbun (1549). If you're interested in a range of dates.

Thankyou Moriyama-san, I I did a long back and forth with AI on this kanji, and the AI wasn't able to explain anything about it being a variant. You are most generous with your time and knowledge, Thanks again, Tom

Moriyama-san, why does the "Nin" kanji have the extra strokes on it? (Mitsuhiro used 4 strokes on this kanji instead of 2), which had me scratching my head in confusion. "Nin" was the only thing that made sense there, but I never saw it written this way. Thankyou, Tom

Hi Bruce, I agree with Charles. In my younger days I built exact replica American Civil War Cannons, carriages, limbers and caissons. (ergo my user name) The Civil War was one of my passions. I've viewed hundreds of tintypes, especially from the beginning of the war, where soldiers would have their pictures taken with long guns, pistols, large knives and swords, even though they were privates and certainly not authorized to carry a sword or pistol. I imagine that that same martial spirit was prevalent with Japanese soldiers as well, so they would "borrow" a sword just for the photograph. Tom

Hi Sam, I own a couple Kanezane, so I've always taken note when I see one of his swords. It looks like "No- Shu Seki (i think) Asano Kanezane Saku Kore. I've seen some odd renditions of Seki, but its somewhat similar to oshigata "E" in Slough's book. But, then again, Conway could be correct, because I also seen some odd "Ju" characters with his swords. Hope this helps, Tom

Hi Uwe and others, I had a long drawn out back and forth with Google AI about what is the correct pronunciation of this swordsmith's name. According to AI this kanji has multiple valid readings: "its standard standalone reading is "Omi", but when used at the end of a male's given name it frequently takes the traditional reading of "Tomi". Both are linguistically plausible." However; according to "Seki Kaji Tosho", "Yoshi-omi" is the preferred pronunciation for this swordsmith. So Uwe, you are exactly right. Thanks for the correction, Tom

Hi Uwe, I grabbed my copy of P.G. O'Neill's book on Japanese names, and he listed it as "tomi" as well. Its not a well known/used kanji, so is there a pronunciation rule I'm unaware of when used in conjunction with another kanji? Call out to SteveM, Help! Tom

Hi Uwe, My reference book shows that kanji as "tomi" and there was a WW2 swordsmith with that signature listed as "Yoshi-Tomi". So I'm confused, is there an alternate pronunciation/spelling that I'm missing? Thanks, Tom

Hi David, The fittings on your sword are very good quality, IJA swords had higher and lower quality no matter what the year of production, pierced tsuba vs solid etc. (They were purchased by the officer, so quality often came down to how much money the individual had to spend.) You are correct that things began to change by 1944. Hopefully Bruce will chime in with more on the changes and other details that occurred towards the end of the war, he's way more knowledgeable with that than me. Tom

Hi David, Your sword appears to be a very good condition Army type 98. The signature is Yoshi-Tomi. On the opposite side is the date which appears to be: Sho-Wa Ju Hachi Nen Go Gatsu, the fifth month of 1943. The "wa" kanji is oddly written as is the "go" kanji, so I hope that I'm understanding the swordsmith's writing style. hope this helps, Tom

I think Sam is right on the mark with his assessment. For me, the artificial rust on the nakago and the freshly drilled mekugi ana scream fake. Tom

Hi Travis, I agree with Kantaro and Grey, it is a real Japanese sword (not a Chinese fake). Your sword is a wakizashi, that is, a sword whose blade length is between 12 inches and 24 inches. Although the blade condition is poor, a couple of pics show a hamon (the outline of the hardened edge which appears as whitish metal). The tsuba (sword guard) and tsuka (handle) were of good quality, but also now in poor condition. As far as the restoration goes, the bad news is that its going to be a very expensive process. There are only a few qualified sword polishers in the US and that very high cost (combined with the handle repair) would far exceed the value of the sword. All of that being said, search the message board for info on the care and handling, as Grey says avoid attempting to clean the blade, keep the sword lightly oiled and enjoy being the caretaker of a real Japanese sword. Tom PS what part of Pa are you from? I live in the Altoona/ Johnstown area half the year and could give your sword a look if your close.

Hi Ken, Sorry, I'm not going to be able to tell you too much about your sword, but lets start with what we can see. The sword is a real Japanese sword called a wakizashi, traditionally a sword between 12 and 24 inches. For Samurai it was a companion sword carried along with a long sword (katana). Merchants and non-samurai could carry a sword of this length, but not a katana. The sword was carried edge up inserted through an obi. I'm guessing it is a Shinto period sword. That is, a sword made between 1596 and circa 1780. The condition of the polish is not good, so no details of the grain or hamon can be seen to help us evaluate it. Hawley lists only four Tadayuki working in Higo or Hizen, all between 1661 and 1845. Perhaps one of our better sword evaluators will weigh in, and can provide a better appraisal for you. Hope this helps, Tom

Hi Marcin, the first kanji is "Yoshi", but I can't figure out the second. The date appears to be Dec. of 1943. Tom

Hi Ken, Mark beat me to it as I was typing. The signature appears to be: "Hi-Shu Ju Tada-Yuki". (the second kanji is poorly written, but I can't imagine any thing but Shu.) Hishu can refer to either Hizen or Higo province. There were a few Tadayuki from Hizen/Higo that worked in the mid to late 1600. Would need an overall photo and more detail to give you more than that. Tom