Translation help

[PeterS]

Dear Everybody!

 

Please help me with the translation of this kanjis.

The other side has the blade the worksmith kanjis.

But the other side where must be the dates kanjis... I never seen so that kanjis.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Jean]

Not a date but the name of an early Koto Bizen school

[PeterS]

Dear Jean!

 

Can you translate or identified the kanjis?

I'd be very curious.. :-D

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

(sorry for my english but i never learned.)

 

All the best to you.

 

Peter

[cabowen]

Kiku Ichimonji is a name used by a line of Seki smiths...

 

菊一文字

[PeterS]

Dear Chris!

 

Thanks.

[Jean]

Look at the kanji of the juyo kanteisho (at the bottom in yellow)

 

http://www.nihonto.ca/fukuoka-ichimonji/index.html

 

Chris,

 

In reference to what?

[cabowen]

Sorry, my bad....I confused kiku ichimonji with kiku ichimonju....and the kiku ichimonju smiths were Nara based as I recall...

[Jean]

The plot thickens

 

Peter, please, show us a picture of the other side of the nakago. The blade is not old and I am curious to know who is this smith.

[Guido]

The Shôwa swordsmith Sadayuki 貞行 used kiku-ichimonji in his mei.

[cabowen]

There is also the Showa Seki smith who signed Kiku Ichimonji Minamoto Kanemori...包守

[Jean]

I presume these two smiths were working in the Bizen Ichimonji style?

 

Sadayuki (1926-1989) working in kiku Ichimonji Line, is a big name, intangible cultural property of Mitsugi - Hiroshima prefecture.

 

No data on Kanemori in Markus Sesko book "Japanese swordsmiths Index"

 

For people interested in GendaWWII smiths ranking, here is a useful link:

 

http://japaneseswordindex.com/tosho.htm

[cabowen]

Users of that "ranking" should keep in mind that there was a mix of factors (political, cultural, etc.) that keep it from being reflective of actual talent. With that in mind, it is an interesting list.....

[Jean]

I think this list is not totally biaised as I see smiths as Akihide, Gassan Sadakatsu, Shibata Ka in the Saijo list.

[cabowen]

Well, sure, there is some validity to it, but let's look a little closer just at the three smiths you mention: Akihide, Sadakatsu, and Ka....

 

Akihide was not a fully trained smith and it is said he couldn't make a sword from start to finish himself. He was very interested in yaki-ire and did a lot of that on blades made for him by students at his Denshujo and the Nihonto-Gaku'in. Also, he was a former member of the national Diet, senior, and probably the biggest wheel in the sword world at the time. Since he wasn't really a smith, one can argue quite legitimately that he doesn't even belong on the list.

 

Sadakatsu was well known, highly respected and a senior smith in his day. He was a top talent and there is no arguing his place at the front of the line.

 

Shibata Ka was self taught. He was also a politician and from a very wealthy family. He didn't make a lot of swords, mostly tanto. I have seen a lot of his work, and owned several pieces over the years. Some were very good, some so-so. His inclusion at the top rank is a good example of Japanese social mores. There are other smiths, further down the list, that were more talented but were younger and not wealthy politicians.

 

Where is Kasama Shigetsugu on the list? He was at the top of the craft along side of Sadakatsu and Horii Toshihide. But he is no where to be found...Where are all the Yasukuni smiths? Within a year or so of publication of this ranking, nearly half the saijo smiths would be dead....I could go on but this is a sampling of why I think it is best to just consider it a good list, rather than an accurate ranking of talent.