Translation Help Needed For My Kogatana

[hddennis]

I've had this beautiful kogatana for years and have never known what it says. Someone said something about a retired priest?

 

Howard Dennis

[Shugyosha]

Hi Howard,

 

I think it reads "Nagakiyo (or Eishin) Migiwa nyudo" -  永心汀入道 - the lay priest Nagakiyo Migiwa.

 

Now for the pinch of salt: the 汀 (Migiwa) character isn't a very good match but I can't find better so someone more expert than me might give a different reading, and the 道 (do) character is a bit iffy as well but I think the reading is good.

 

An alternative reading of Nagakiyo would be Eishin and I'm not sure which applies in this case.

 

Best,

John

[Ray Singer]

Appears to be Suishinshi Nyudo.

 

Best,

Ray

[Shugyosha]

Hi Ray,

 

I like that better than my effort .

 

I went with 永 Naga/ Ei/ Nori rather than 水 Sui/ Mizu as I thought there was the extra stroke on the left. 

 

The third character doesn't look much like 子 Shi to me but, like I say, your reading makes more sense than mine...I didn't have the nous to put them together to make what should have been a reasonably familiar combination. 

 

Did anyone signing Suishinshi entered the priesthood? It's a bit too late to go digging right now but I might look in the morning.

 

Best,

John

[Shugyosha]

The best I have is that the 2nd generation Suishinshi Masahide became a lay priest but didn't use the name Suishinshi as his priest's name...

 

...after succeeding as head of the school in Bunsei one (文政, 1818) with his father’s name Masahide, in the third year of Bunsei (1820) he entered priesthood and took the gō Hakuyū (白熊) which can also read Shirokuma (1825)...

 

From Markus Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan.

[hddennis]

Guys, Thanks for your help on this translation and research. I really appreciate the additional information.

 

Howard Dennis