Kato Tsunahide

[David McDonald]

Dear All

 

I am working on a translation for a wakizashi by Kato Tsunahide.

Hamon looks like his work see image.

 

One the ura side the date was easy but many of the other kanji are

hard to identify.

 

So far I have

 

加藤綱英

Kato Tsunahide

 

Right

右鍛??先?之?剣比?友

maybe 右鍛工八先作之

 

Middle

??

 

Left

文化七年二月日浅井禾山

Bunwa shichi nen ni gatsu hi Asai Saiyama

2nd month 7th year of Bunwa (1804) the name Asai Saiyama

 

Any help in identify kanji and the translation would be great.

 

later

david

[cabowen]

I think you have a winner.....

[David McDonald]

Dear Chris

 

Thanks, I thought the mei looked good.

 

Any idea as to the kanji in the middle column?

 

later

david

[David McDonald]

Dear All

I am still working of identifying all of the kanji.

For the ura side right hand column I have maybe the following??

Any corrections thoughts? comments?

Right
右鍛工八先作之相(剣劍剱)比?友
　　先生sensei??　　　相州soshu??
Yū Kitau (right forged??) ? hachi Sen (like sensai?) tsukuru kore
Sō (as in Sōshu) ken (old kanji??) hi (compare) ? Yū or tomo

 

Middle

扵?定???？上之相(剣劍剱)之

 

thanks for any help

later
david

[David McDonald]

Dear All

 

I am still working on the middle and right column.  With help so far I have the following

Right

右鍛工八先作之相(剣劍剱)比工俤友

　　

Middle

扵笁定十九郎？(上土)之相(剣劍剱)之

 

Maybe a divination (soken) was used before the sword was forged?

And  the name at the end left column read as "Asai Kasan".

 

Again any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

thanks

david

[Brian]

Anyone?

 

Brian

[SanTouSu]

David,

Just saw your post while research Kato Tsunahide.  Very interesting...and very old style writing.  I'm not a Japanese language expert....I've learned on my own from translating nakago mei and other things.  I noticed in Japanese certificates & awards they use the "Right" kanji to designate the person whom they're writing about.  In your case the "Right Forger" I assume refers to Kato on the other side of the sword.  In other words..."The Forger on the Right".

 

I also noticed in looking at old documents that my grandmother had from early 1900's that they used "Katakana" instead of hiragana for the non-kanji writing.  Although yours has a mix of both.  Some of the kanji you can't identify appear to be katakana.   But even that doesn't help in translating the meaning.   Some parts are unrecognizable.

 

So far I have:   Migi tan yuu saki saku no soo ken.   I'll keep looking at this...it's hard.

 

English:   The forger mentioned before on the right made this sword.   (I'll have to confirm this).  

 

If you know an older Japanese person i.e. in their 80's they may recognize some of the writing.

[SanTouSu]

Just noticed the date on your post...it's been almost a year..  Did you finally get this translated?

 

santos