Translation And Identification Of Smith - Help Please

[magicman]

hi,

 

can somebody help me

 

i have a Japanese sword with following signature

 

on the one side of the sword is this signature =>

 

 

on the other side following signature

 

 

 

 

I'm grateful for any help

 

manfred

 

[Shugyosha]

Hi Manfred,

 

From Markus Sesko's Swordsmiths of Japan:

 

TADATSUNA (忠綱), 2nd gen., Genroku (元禄, 1688-1704), Settsu – “Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna-chakushi Settsu-jū Fujiwaras Tadakuni jūkyūsai kore o saku” (粟田口近江守忠綱嫡子摂津住藤原忠国十九歳作之, “made by Fujiwara Tadakuni from Settsu at the age of 19, legitimate son of Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna”), “Ikkanshi Tadatsuna” (一竿子忠綱), “Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna” (粟田口近江守忠綱), “Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna” (粟田口一竿子忠綱),

 

“Gōshōken Tadatsuna” (合勝軒忠綱), real name Asai Mantayū (浅井万太夫), gō Ikkanshi (一竿子) and Gōshōken (合勝軒), he received the honorary title Ōmi no Kami during the Enpō era (延宝, 1673-1681), he was an excellent horimono engraver and inscribed also hori-dōsaku (彫同作) to this tangs [indicating that the maker also carved the horimono], we know date signatures from the twelfth year of Kanbun (寛文, 1672) to the twelfth year of Kyōhō (享保, 1727), it is said that all blades dated from the Kyōhō era onwards are daisaku works of his successor Munetsuna (宗綱), there are mainly katana and wakizashi and hardly any tantō extant, the blades have more hira-niku than those of the 1st gen., only little tapering, a relative deep sori and an elongated chū-kissaki, the jigane is beautifully forged but the ko-itame is not that visible and tends sometimes even to a nashiji-hada, in his early years he hardened a hamon with long chōji-ashi like the 1st gen. but later the yakigashira of the chōji become successively more irregular and in later years he also hardened an ō-notare-midare with tama that reminds of Sukehiro (助広), there are many nie and the nioiguchi is wide, the clearest jigane of Ikkanshi Tadatsuna appears with a suguha, the bōshi is sugu with a ko-maru-kaeri, as mentioned, we know many excellent horimono, like for example ken-maki-ryū on the omote side and bonji over a sankozuka-ken or ken with tsume which are in perfect harmony with the other elements of the blade, we also know hai-ryū (這龍, creeping dragon), koi no taki nobori (鯉の滝登り, carp which swims/jumps up a waterfall), or bōhi with soebi and maru-dome above the horimono, regarding the signature, he signed in early years mostly with “Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna” and later more and more with the supplement “Ikkanshi,” during his early years he signed the right radical (岡) of the character for “tsuna” (綱) in the variant (岊).

 

After Inoue Shinkai (井上真改) and Tsuda Sukehiro he is regarded as the most representative Ōsaka-shintō smith, ryō-wazamono – A tradition says that Sano Masanobu (佐野政言, 1757-1784) wore an ō-wakizashi of Ikkanshi Tadatsuna in Edo Castle when he killed Tanuma Okitomo (田沼意知, 1749-1784), the son of the rōju elder (老中) Tanuma Okitsugu (田沼意次, 1719-1788). Because of his reforms for the financially stressed bakufu and corruption, Okitsugu was not that popular among many daimyō at that time, so the assassination of his son was welcomed by some of them and blades by Ikkanshi Tadatsuna became even more popular after this incident. jōjō-saku ◎

 

I've no idea if the signature is good, but I hope that helps a little.

 

Best,

John

[Mark]

check out 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-Sword-Wakizashi-Tadatsuna-/391361089819?hash=item5b1ef0511b%3Ag%3A2zwAAOSwGotWkYdX&nma=true&si=iBMlIpEC0lZAwVdGw3qtueCYdag%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

there is a similar (or same) signature and the seller has some of the translation in the description, one side says " Hori do saku" the other side "Awataguchi Ikkanshi Tadatsuna"

[Brian]

This signature looks fairly fresh.

[Shugyosha]

...but for $575 not a total tragedy.  

[Stephen]

Does it look fresh or just that the nakago had been "cleaned"

[Brian]

When a mei is carved, the surrounding area raises. I think they call those "pillows"?
Over time, they wear down. In this case, they look prominent, and bright from inserting in and out of the tsuka. Just looks a bit newish to me. Could also be from cleaning and the higher areas being abraded first?

As mentioned before, the mei should be secondary to the blade itself anyways.

[Gabriel L]

Mei is quite obviously false. Ten minutes of checking against genuine examples should convince anyone of that. Strokes are pointing the wrong direction in places, even.