New Wakizashi Surrender Tag And Tsuba

[kotachi]

Hi Everyone,

 

I just got a new wakizashi. Its muimei and ubu but upon taking off the handle to inspect the nakago I found the tsuba was signed. There was also a surrender tag that may just be an address and name of the family that turned it in but there is a section writing in the middle line that is in different writing and looks like it could be a signature. I am not sure if these types of tags would have had attributions of the sword maker on them. I am looking for any info that could give me insight into the history of the sword.

 

The blade is out of polish and has some light rust stains and its hard to make out workmanship but the I really liked the shape of it and I do even more so now that I have it it hand. It has a really thick mune (7.3 mm), nice cure that seems to be slightly koshi-sori, and an extended kissaki. One nice spot of original polish under the habaki shows dense ko-itame hada. From what I can see the hamon appears to be thick suguha based but may have very subtle undulations with a ko maru boshi. My first impression is its probably shinshinto period but I am far from an expert. If I ever manage to get it polished I think it will be a real nice piece. Thanks in advance for your time and opinions.

 

-Jay G.

[Stephen]

I may be reading into it,but it could be niji mei under the off color on the nakago.

[uwe]

Jay,

your tsuba is signed "Echizen jū Kinai saku".

[Ian B3HR2UH]

Hi Jay , I managed to read some of your tag which is as follows

 

Left column. The first three characters may read Hoshisha which is something to do with capture and a person . The next four are the owners name Yamaryo Magoichi

 

Middle column . Jusho (address) Saga ken (prefecture) Kishima Gun (district) Naka? mura (village ) Probably Nakata Village. The last two characters of the stamped(?)section are Dai? and the last two written character are ? and hashi

 

Right column Shiramei (article name ) Nihonto (Japanese sword ) then the number 157 . The last character has completely defeated me

 

Ian Brooks

[SteveM]

Hello - 

Well done, Ian.

If I could make a slight correction or two.

 

提出者　submitted by 

山領孫一 Yamaryō Magoichi

住所佐賀縣杵島郡中通村大字犬走　Address: Saga Pref. Mashima-gun, Nakadōri-mura, Ōaza Inubashiri

品名 日本刀一五七　Hinmei Nihontō 157

 

The last character has defeated me as well. 

[kotachi]

Thank you to everyone who spent time on this, your assistance has allowed me to do some additional research. I found an almost identical tsuba with the same bean a leaf pattern here.

 

http://www.users.on.net/~coxm/?page=TsubaIII 

 

Their tsuba seems to be a little higher quality as the leaf appears to have slight 3d relief and the leaf on mine is flat. The one pictured has a fancier signature which they explain as it possibly being a custom order.

 

The city name of the town has changed and it was incorporated into a city but the info from the tag was enough to figure out where in Japan the owner of the sword lived when he turned it over. I believe it is from the area around Nagao station in the city of Takeo in Saga prefecture. 

 

I showed the tag to a friend of mine and she thought the last character looked similar to the Chinese character Xin, which can me new. It is not a perfect match but the radical on the right side of Xin is suspiciously close. Thanks again to everyone. Next journey will be trying to figure out who made it!

-Jay G.

[SteveM]

I was thinking the last kanji was a poorly drawn 號, an option I don't feel 100% confident about, but it seems more plausible than 新. 

[Ian B3HR2UH]

Thanks Steve, it was an enjoyable challenge trying to translate this . I appreciate your corrections and additions

Ian brooks

[uwe]

Perhaps 辞 (ji)? Just a guess...

[Nobody]

That may be another variation of 号 or 號.

An image is attached.

 

I guess that 157号 means a serial number in some list. (?)

[Brian]

:clap:
 

Great to see you again Moriyama san!