AMIE

Thank you for the replys! that peg is some kind of wood material. it is hard to get decent clear pictures of this, i tried to do a rub also and it didnt turn out so good, i am still trying, i took some more with powder and also messing with the light trying to get it clear. here are some more with it turned, more readable. i have also taken some close up too and can see the chissel work to this, i can post more to help with this. I am not cleaning it, leaving it as un touched as possible while trying to get it visible. I’ve taken new pictures of the tang with the inscription shown vertically. Some helpful eyes suggest it reads: 備前国住藤原康光 (Bizen Kuni Ju Fujiwara Yasukimitsu) or 肥前国住藤原康光 (Hizen Kuni Ju Fujiwara Yasukimitsu) Translation: “Yasukimitsu of the Fujiwara family, residing in Bizen [or Hizen] Province.” The bottom two characters are clearly 康光 (Yasukimitsu). The middle looks like 藤原 (Fujiwara). The province at the top seems to be either 備前 (Bizen) or 肥前 (Hizen) — both famous smithing areas. Can anyone confirm which province is correct, and which generation of Yasukimitsu this mei would line up with? Amie

Help reading mei on my Nihonto tang, I got this long long ago from my dad, and have never been able to find out much about it.