Katana Mei Translation Help Please

[zipp203]

Hello,

My name is John, I am brand new to this board and am seeking translation assistance. I have an antique and collectibles business and come across Japanese swords from time to time. A customer brought me the following sword and is seeking information on it with the intention of eventually selling it. Despite hours of time and all the great resources available online, I have had no luck translating the mei. This particular exercise is probably going to be more of an academic test run since the blade is in pretty poor condition and probably doesn't have much monetary value. I am genuinely interested in learning more about it though and find these old blades incredibly interesting. I would be happy to compensate anyone who can help or make a donation to the board in lieu of direct compensation. I don't think translating mei is a skill that I will be able to become proficient in anytime soon and would like the ability to pick your brains in the future. I look forward to learning more about these incredible pieces of history. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your community.

[Nobody]

慶應丁卯初夏 - Keio Hinoto-U, shoka (Early summer of 1867)

胤吉 - Taneyoshi

[Grey Doffin]

Hi John,

Don't assume there isn't much value here. Not a treasure but so far I haven't seen anything that would lead me to call it trash. Show us pictures of both sides of the blade and the rest of the koshirae (mounts). Looks interesting.

Grey

[Brian]

From Markus' swordsmiths book (I hope he doesn't mind us quoting it in answer to queries)

 

Taneyoshi (胤吉), Meiji (明治, 1868-1912), Tōkyō – „Taneyoshi“ (胤吉), „Ōmi no Kuni Taneyoshi saku“ (近江国胤吉作), „Horii

Taneyoshi saku“ (堀井胤吉作), „Ōmi no Kuni Zeze-jū Taneyoshi saku“ (近江国膳所住胤吉作), civilian name „Ishiyama Yoshifumi“

(石山吉文), youth name „Raisuke“ (来助), he also beared the family name „Horii“ (堀井) and used the gō „Hōdensai“ (保伝斎), he was

born in the twelfth month of the fourth year of Bunsei (文政, 1821) in Ishiyama (石山) in Ōmi province, in the third month of Kōka one

(弘化, 1844) he started an apprenticeship under Gassan Sadayoshi (月山貞吉), at that time he signed with „Yoshifumi“ (吉文), from Kaei

four (嘉永, 1852) he started another apprenticeship under Taikei Naotane (大慶直胤) whereupon he changed his name to „Taneyoshi“, from

the 28th year of Meiji (1895) he worked at the forge runned by the Imperial Household Agency (Kunai-shō, 宮内省), he died in the fourth

month of the 36th year of Meiji (1903) at the age of 83, he forged the guntō blades ordered from him with an elegant sugata, relative many

tantō are extant, the hamon is a chōji-midare or suguha in nioi-deki

 

A decent smith, so if the mei is legit, it might be a nice sword. Used to have a small tanto by him and regret selling it.

 

Brian

[Toryu2020]

Nice find John,

a piece well worth investigating. Hoping you'll be able to share some more photos,

-t

[Markus]

From Markus' swordsmiths book (I hope he doesn't mind us quoting it in answer to queries)

 

Not at all. Please feel all free to quote from my index when necessary. It also helps to find errors (my own ones and others

that were just reproduced without knowing the source was wrong) and typos (which go solely back to myself :D ).