xiayang

For the first gold seal, I agree with the reading 宗孝 (Munetaka). The second gold seal reads 貞隨 (Sadayuki). Above the seal it says 物軒森貞隨 (?? Mori Sadayuki). Not quite sure what to make of the first two characters.

Hi Peter, your blade is dated: 昭和壬午秋 = Autumn of Shōwa, year of the water horse (1942 CE).

It's probably worth pointing out that from the Muromachi period onward these titles were essentially purely honorary and do not imply any administrative powers whatsoever. A modern-day US equivalent might be something like the honorary title of Colonel, which does not make the bearer is a high-ranking military officer either.

Hi Michael, you're right on the first one: 福本田秀 福本天秀= Fukumoto Amahide I'm not entirely certain about the second one and haven't been able to match it to any recorded smiths. My best guess: 臼田定年 = Usuda Sadatoshi? 臼井定年 = Usui Sadatoshi Third one: 兼宗 = Kanemune 昭和十七年 = Shōwa 17 (1942 CE) Edit: Silly mistakes on my part, thanks Steve and Koichi.

Coincidentally, the same sword was posted on reddit a couple of days ago (including pictures of the blade and koshirae and a note from the person who purchased it): https://www.reddit.c...vv/inherited_katana/

John is correct: 兼松兼達 = Kanematsu Kanetatsu

出入平安 = peace wherever you go 一帆風顺 = smooth sailing 一路平安 = safe trip 阿彌陀佛 = Amitābha The first three are standard idioms to say to someone who is embarking on a journey.

The katana is attributed to 新々刀寿命 = Shinshinto Jumyō, and the wakizashi to 宇多国久 = Uda Kunihisa.

The sword seems to be slightly suriage and the last character is incomplete. To me it looks like [丹後守]藤原壽命 = [Tango no Kami] Fujiwara Jumyō Compare with this example: http://nihontocraft....ami_Jumyo_Katana.htm

This is not so straightforward and I'll have to admit I'm slightly out of my depth here. Here's my best guess: (金象嵌) ニツ胴入土壇村井三丞長止 (花押) 試焉 (金象嵌) = kinzōgan (gold inlay) ニツ胴 – I believe this refers to a cut through the chest area (https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/uploads/monthly_05_2020/post-18-0-44763600-1590555052.jpg) 入土壇 = entered the earth mound (i.e., the cut went all the way through) 村井三丞 = Murai Sanjō[?] (the cutter's name, not sure how to read his given name though) 長止 = Nagatome? (花押) = kaō 試焉 = tested (銀象嵌) 下ヲケスエ落岡田十郎兵衛重長 (花押) 試焉 (銀象嵌) = ginzōgan (silver inlay) 下ヲケスエ落 – I suspect this may refer to another type of cut, but I'm not sure at all 岡田十郎兵衛 = Okada Jūrobei (a name) 重長 = Shigenaga? (花押) = kaō 試焉 = tested

（金象嵌）ニツ胴入土壇村井三丞長止（花押）試焉 （銀象嵌）下ヲケス工落岡田十郎兵衛重長（花押）試焉 Here's a link to the original listing: https://www.e-sword....1210_1088syousai.htm

Slightly uncertain about the second to last character, but perhaps: 武州神田住兼勝作 = Bushū Kanda-jū Kanekatsu saku

Western names are usually transliterated phonetically into Japanese using katakana, so that would be somewhat unusual, I suppose. That said, one possible reading of 哥德呀 in Japanese would indeed be Kadeya which does sound a bit like Cardeilhac. Alternatively, could it have been a Chinese transliteration instead? The standard Chinese reading of 哥德呀 is Gedeya, and all three characters are very commonly used for Western names.

Hi Thomas, Your sword was shortened (suriage) by a few centimetres at some point, leaving only a part of the original mei: 越中國 = Etchū-no-kuni

備前國長船住源八良祐定 = Bizen no Kuni Osafune-jū Genpachirō Sukesada [Note: Markus Sesko‘s Swordsmiths of Japan has him listed with the spelling 源八郎] 横山上野大掾藤原祐定 = Yokoyama Kōzuke no Daijō Fujiwara Sukesada 合作 = made [this] together

長曽祢興里虎徹入道 = Nagasone Okisato Kotetsu Nyūdō

Looks like a genuine Japanese-made blade. The signature is 兼秀 = Kanehide

美濃國御勝山麓住藤原永貞 = Mino no Kuni Okachiyama no fumoto-jū Fujiwara Nagasada 文久二年八月作之 = made this in the eighth month of Bunkyū 2 (1862 CE) 同年十一月於傅馬町両車土壇拂切手山田源蔵 = in the eleventh month of the same year, at Demmachō, Yamada Genzō performed a "Ryō guruma" cut (i.e., horizontal at the hips) that entered the earth mound below

[柳?河?]住久広作 = [Yanagawa?]-jū Hisahiro saku 慶應三年八月日 = on a day in the 8th month of Keiō 3 (1867 CE)

It's a character from the online game Touken Ranbu (刀剣乱舞), which anthropomorphises famous Japanese swords as young men. This particular one is meant to be the personification of the national treasure Kōsetsu Samonji (江雪左文字).

Wild guess: 豊後住藤原實行 = Bungo-jū Fujiwara Saneyuki Compare to this example from the Aoi Art website:

It is indeed a fake, but unlike most of them that just have arbitrary Japanese-sounding names inscribed, this one does not seem to be entirely random: 小笠原信夫 = Ogasawara Nobuo He was a student of Satō Kanzan, for many years curator at the Tokyo National Museum and author of a whole bunch of nihontō-related books. So perhaps the Chinese smith who made this wanted to give a little nod to the author of his study resources?

Here's a partial transcript of the second photo: 雲渺々水依々人家春樹暗僧舍夕陽微扁舟一葉來何處定有詩人放鶴歸 This is a landscape impression, written in Classical Chinese. To give you a rough idea what it is about, Google translates this to: The clouds are misty, the water is lingering, the spring trees are dark, the monk's house is dark, the sunset is faint, the boat is floating, and wherever the leaves come, there will be a poet who releases the crane and returns. This translation is probably missing a few nuances, but doesn't appear to be totally off.

I believe the mei is 東神正茂作 = Tōshin Masashige saku See also this old thread:

I have not been able to find any record for this smith. There was a 下総守宗吉 (Shimōsa no Kami Muneyoshi) around the end of Muromachi/beginning of Edo period though. My kantei skills not the best I'm afraid, but I could imagine that this blade might have been made around the same time.