loiner1965

sorry john....new pics submitted as my pc is having a blonde moment....bit confused as meiwa period is approx 1770 and the tang looks newer with another stamp which cannot be a arsenal stamp unless added later....

thank you for the date reading as i am only learning to read kanji at the moment so am abit slow.....any views on the smith

isnt the 6 kanji down another version of mitsu....3 horizontal lines

just curious about this......many thanks i can see the kanji futa and mitsu buts thats it at the mo

cheers john....just looked now at first kanji after you told me and i can make it out now....doh

in my usual game in finding mei and then trying to translate it i cannot get the first letter......any help please,,,,,,i think second kanji is kuni

nice looking sword but is the hamon false

couple of pics received from ebay seller....looks like the hamon is false

brian you are very observent as i saw these pics earlier before you replied and i never noticed the different shapes either side.....where abouts are you in the uk as if near to me i love to see first hand as only ever seen in books

cheers brian for the link but i was one step ahead of you :D ...as stephen says we cannot be sure if its stainless steel with a polished on temper line....noticed the tang as a dark patina / rust......would stainless steel be like that. also on the link it shows a sword by mashiro......made at takayama prison

just checked the ebay sale and he describes it as " polished temper line " now does this mean its stainless and had a hamon polished in with stones etc....will ask him lol

http://www.geocities.com/alchemyst/oshigata/masanao.jpg this is oshigata from masanao which i believe is the same as what i called the prison sword....can anyone tell me why the polisher signed his mei too i know its not common but does happen and this is the second masanao mei i have seen it on

thank you Moriyama sama for the translation as its much appreciated.as stephen as stated in previous thread about not being able to find a definate link to a takayama prison and only personal statements this is true.....unfortunately i can only go on what i have read on the net as i do not know myself, i must say i do find all this facinating and quite enjoyed mour sunday morning dust up with stephen :D even though his knowledge of nihonto is 1000x more than what i know. never realised my posting would create so much activity amongst us and i am glad because i learn a little bit more each time i log on......i will keep an eye on the sword and have asked for more pics which should arrive on tuesday......the plot thickens so to speak

https://www.aoi-art.com/auction/auction ... 1165718630 hi stephen refering to which link we read about nagamitsu / emura i agree they are not the same smith and in some links they say they is no documentary evidence that nagamitsu even worked at the same prison as emura but the above link says they both worked there and i can only find forum threads saying he was also the warden at takayama prison. refering to ujifusa it depends on which search engine you are on...if you type in ujifusa prison sword in google i brings up a paragraph to a link stating he made a sword at takayama prison but i cannot find the sword at the link wether its been withdrawn or i have missed it i do not know....plase type it in google and maybe you be able to find it etc...as said before i can find other forum threads concerning nagamitsu at both prison camps but nothing substantial. this is an interesting thread and i hope the kanji reveals more avenues or other members can throw more light on this subject.

I have been wanting to do some more reading on Takayama To and , will look forward reading this translation. I am thinking there was a Takayama forge, but not at a prison. also interested in the translation....nagamitsu and emura were both at the same prison at one time and some say they were the same smith but this was dismissed later..the link i added earlier in the thread from another forum listed nagamistu as a warden at takayama prison. wether he means another nagamitsu who also made prison swords or got the name of the prison wrong who knows......but then i found a thread on the net which says you must collect a sword by ujifusa if you are interested in the other 2 smiths as he also made swords at takayama prison. as brian said it may have been a temporary prison and no longer there but its opened a right can of worms now and its a must to translate the kanji to clear it up or send us down another track

cheers john...if you google ajifusa you will find he made a sword there at takayama prison and they is info on nagamitsu being a warden at takayama prison too....surely they must be another prison some where else in takayama.....how far is abashiri prisom from takayama

http://www.evalu8.org/staticpage?page=r ... iteid=4673 above link is nothing to do with prisons but its a torists account of their trip to takayama and its prison and torture chamber.....however i do not know its size or importance but id does prove they was a prison there also i found on the net that nagamitsu was also a warden there, sorry if this thread might be getting everyone in a tissy but i am more determined now to find out more as no one here seems to have heard about it.....

i googled ujifusa and it mentioned takayama prison and a link to a sword he made there....google also mentions nagamitsu making swords there too so thats why i am trying to find out more stephen as on ebay where i saw the katana tang picture it also says its a prison sword made by the inmates at takayama prision...here is the ebay ref number which started my search,,,,the rest of the puzzle like ujifusa just adds more mystery to it.....ebay...... 270324847075

keeps them on their toes brian..........what is your thoughts on this

whilst we verify takayama prison existed or just how google interprits it can someone try and decipher the kanji please so i have other avenues to explore

yes i know emura was a director or warden at okayama prison but only mentioned him in reference to prison made swords etc,,,,,as far i am able to google nagamitsu and ujifusa made swords at takayama prison.........

Not that i have found. i found references to ujifusa making swords at takayama prison as well as nagamitsu but i am only going on what google says

sorry for the confusion stephen but i am interested in kanji translation of this sword which was made by 4 prisioners at takayama prison but i then mentioned other showa swordsmiths like emura and nagamitsu who made swords in similar surroundings....sometimes or most of the time i cannot put into words what i am thinking in my head , my opologies

the other prisioner mei

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/ ... ?p=2951789 link above stephen shows the prison what i am researching at the moment where as your link is the area takayama......i think they are different