Masatomo

[JohnTo]

Can anyone help me with a couple of queries regarding this wakizashi by Masatomo

My translation of the signature (see photos) is:

Bunshima (or Bujima etc.) Minamoto Masatomo

Bunkwa hachinen nigatsu hi (a day in February 1811)

My first question is what is the correct reading of the first two characters for the smith’s home location, ‘Bunshima’ and where is it in Japan? The first character in the signature appears to be #89 in the Robinson’s ‘The Arts of the Japanese Sword’ Appendix C list for the provinces as in Bu-zen and Bun-go in the Saikaido, Western Sea Circuit (Robinson’s #s 61 and 62 respectively). The second character is Jima, Shima (for an island) or To (On reading). However I cannot locate anywhere in Japan with the place name Bunshima, Bunjima, etc. Can anyone help here?

The second question is can anyone help with information about the smith? The Nihonto Notice Board JSL index lists 3 swordsmiths named Masatomo, none of which use the same kanji for ‘Tomo’ or were working around 1811.

The blade is 30.7 cm (12.1”) with a shallow tori sori (0.5cm) of standard shinogi zukuri construction. Although in good condition it has been overcleaned, but still shows the feint outline of the hamon (see photo of tracing), which I would describe as toran formed by a 2-3mm wide cloud of nie. There appears to be kinsuji and a tapering yakidashi at the base. There appears to be a ko-itame grain to the steel, but no trace on ashi in the hamon. Hopefully repolishing will reveal the hidden beauty in the steel. I would surmise that the blade has a strong Soshu influence based upon the Shinto smith Sukehiro, a style which I understand became popular at the start of the Shinsinto period. My guess is that the smith may have belonged to the Masahide school.

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

Mei reads Toyoshima Minamoto Masatomo 豊島源正儔

[cabowen]

Actually, I believe it is read Toshima, as in Toshima ku, a district of Tokyo.

[george trotter]

Nihonto Meikan p.873 has him as Musashi Province (Tokyo probably) and he was of the Masashige School. His name seems to be Iwajiro. Bunka period.

Hope this helps.

[Eric H]

according to Sesko

Eric

[cabowen]

In the Tokyo environs, there are two areas called 豊島....One is called Toshima ku, which I mentioned above, the other is an area inside of Kita ku, also called Toshima. While these kanji can be pronounced Toyoshima, amongst others, within Tokyo, where this smith worked, from what I have found, it seems the correct pronunciation is Toshima. If Markus has info to the contrary, no doubt he will share it....

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

I've learned that a mei must be read with the same pronunciation in use when it was engraved

[cabowen]

It is not always well known what the particular reading of a kanji is or was when used with names of people or places. Sometimes this is only known to those from that area, or to those close to the person. There are several gendai tosho that used rare alternate readings for their mei that have been mispronounced in the literature. Only by talking to their family members was this able to be determined. If it has happened for gendai tosho, one can be certain that it has happened for smiths of all periods.

 

The same can be said for place names and this is not unique to Japan. There are many towns in Wisconsin with native American names. Many are difficult to impossible to pronounce correctly unless you are from the area.

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

In this case it's a civilian name not a location.

[cabowen]

If it is indeed a family name, then it can be read:

 

豊島 [とじま: TOJIMA] Tojima (s)

豊島 [てしま: TESHIMA] Teshima (p,s)

豊島 [としま: TOSHIMA] Toshima (p,s)

豊島 [とよじま: TOYOJIMA] Toyojima (s)

豊島 [とよしま: TOYOSHIMA] Toyoshima (p,s)

 

We have no way to know for certain which is correct without period documents that indicate the correct reading...If it is a place name, then it can be read:

 

豊島 [としま: TOSHIMA] Toshima (loc)

豊島 [とよしま: TOYOSHIMA] Toyoshima (loc)

 

And if it is in the Tokyo area, it is read Toshima.

[JohnTo]

Thanks to everyone, the replies were very useful. So the reading of the location is likely to be Toshima. The different phonetics are always a problem with kanji. I know that even the simplest kanji (ichi for one) can be read in five different ways, plus additional slight variations, depending upon the context. Tegarayama Masashige was my second choice of school (well I would say that wouldn’t I?) but his works are described as having a ‘good deal of ashi on both sides’. I can’t see any, but they may have been polished away.

I’m really impressed with the knowledge out there on the Nihonto Message board. It’s no wonder that when I see a poorly described Japanese sword item come up at some local auction I inevitably find myself bidding against someone on the phone who has also seen a potential bargain. There are no bargains anymore. This particular blade was described as a 20th C tanto, signed with two mounting holes. The ‘two mounting holes’ first got me interested. As an added bonus the fittings were interesting (see photos), a nambam tsuba and a shakudo nanako fuchi-kashira set with a minogame (sea-weed trailing turtle), signed/inscribed Furukawa Yoshinaga (I gather Sabei Yoshinaga studied under Goto Ryujo and was the most famous representative of the Furukawa line, thus making the signature suspect). Even the menuki are nice, shakudo horse fittings, so overall I was pleased with the package, despite paying over the maximum estimate.