Klink

Uwe, I think you have it... Thanks. I didn't see Gashu in the Province list of Site Kanji... So if you trust AI it states the following about a smith named Iehira... ....... wakizashi" from Genroku era in the early 1700's by a representative swordsmith IEHIRA 家平 whose real name is Suzaki Kichibei 洲崎吉兵衛. He collaborated at his father IEHIRA's studio and worked for the feudal lord MAEDA 前田 in Kaga province (present-day Kanazawa, Ishikawa pref.) I found a picture of a Mei from this smith....

I think your right John, it must be a Tatsu. Translation: dragon Alternate names: ryū, ryō, wani; known by many specific individual names Habitat: rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, seas, and palaces deep in the ocean Diet: capable of eating anything Appearance: Tatsu, Japanese dragons, are similar in appearance to the dragons of China and the rest of the world. They have long, scaled bodies, serpentine tails, sharp teeth and claws, and often have horns, antlers, spines, and beards. Notice the three claws, long nose and beady eyes match the ones on the Jingasa.

Thanks John, I did not know that but I did read where the more lavish the decor such as gold leaf the higher the rank. It makes sense. Do you think the scrolling symbols on the top are related to rank as well? It seems the lower ranks were one color with the Kamon.

Vielen Dank!

So quite ingenious... the Karitama arrow point or rope cutter... good for less penetration, hunting game and disabling horses legs..... Oh my....

The underside has a very nice laquered color finish.

Thanks for responding and looking up the Kamon! I have another which I have not found any reference too. I guess it represents a Kyudo Clan with the Yumi and Ya. Don't understand what the different arrow tips represents but I thought I would toss it out here and see if anything pops up.

Just wondering if the Kanji correlates to the English Text which I understand.

Is there a common Clan association. I am trying to regionalize the family. Here is the reference from the web:

Looking through books of Kamon, I think I found something close to the one on the Jingasa. The rooted bamboo in a circle or Maru-ni Nezasa on one website says its lineage is the Chichibu Clan. I am curious about what clan the Kanji states next to book images which are similar. The Jingasa is very light and I believe it is made from layers of paper and is 16-5/8" in diameter. Is this one for Ashigaru going a march to keep the rain and sun off?

Thanks Mark. I found similar Mei and so Kanemoto it is. Just doesn't look "to me" like the referenced Kanji in the forum for Mei.

Can't get the top one and the lower looks like Hisa sort of. Help appreciated.