Shimizu/kiyomizu Koichi/yukikazu?

[Bugyotsuji]

Not sure where to ask this question but decided to post here. I would be interested in any light that could be shed on this.

 

清水行一　作

This is the Mei that appears on the blade reverse of a good quality kabuto-wari (*Hatchi-wari). The blade, tsuka and saya are all of the same high- quality (Meiji?) work. (Possibly even up to WWII). The Mei has been cut with care.

There is a gold and silver Kikusui Mon blade inlay on the front, with a dedication:

寫楠公鉢割　Replication of the Nanko (Prince Kusunoki) Hatchi-wari.

 

Having looked in various works of reference both on paper and on the net, I have drawn a blank so far. The Mei being on the blade itself (the tsuka cannot be removed) suggests to me a swordsmith, perhaps out of work post-Edo, although I have looked through lists of Kinko artisans too. The koshirae is not signed anywhere that I can see. Could a smith be using his own name, since this is not a Nihonto sword per se? If so, how would I track down a smith from such a personal name, I wonder?

 

Kusunoki Masashige was elevated to 'Sho-ichi-i' Senior First Rank in 1880. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_court_ranks,_positions_and_hereditary_titles

 

To tell the truth, just writing this has cleared my mind a little.

 

 

(*The extra T in hachi is for those languages where ch is pronounced sh.)

[John A Stuart]

No Yukikazu or Yukiichi that fits. Could be a generic modern blacksmith or amateur making implements and not a swordsmith at all. Does it look old or is it made to look old?  John

[Bugyotsuji]

Thank you John. It does have some age to it. Hmmm... what do you think?

 

[John A Stuart]

Gosh Piers, I don't know. It can be 75 yo, WWII vintage, kikisui eh? or 200 yo. There wouldn't be much to tell if kept stored. I have a jute that is 30yo, and, looks Edo period. Your kabutowari is a nice looking unit. John

[ROKUJURO]

Piers,

you could ask him directly, he is a member here! Probably an elderly person.....   

Kusunoki Masashige was elected to 'Sho-ichi-i' Senior First Rank in 1880. https://en.wikipedia...reditary_titles

The KABUTO-WARI looks really nice and is certainly not amateur work. I would give him 100 years or even more. 

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Fine...

[Bugyotsuji]

Perhaps ten or fifteen years ago I once owned this Kabutowari, but a friend kept asking me to sell it to him, so eventually I did.

Over the years I asked him every so often if he would sell it back to me, and finally last week it came home to roost!

[Bugyotsuji]

Some interesting general background to Minatogawa sword smithing, partly in English, throughout this page. For a rainy day...

http://ohmura-study.net/732.html

[Bugyotsuji]

One further discovery that had not occurred to me was further readings of 行 in personal names. There are at least 10 different ways to read it including, Michi, Mochi, Tsura (e.g.Kusunoki Masatsura 楠木正行), Ko, Gyo, An, Yasu, Taka, Yuki, Nori, Hira, etc. And yes, I have cross-checked all of those... except against a list of Showa-to smiths.