Mei Old Suriage Nakago

[Prewar70]

Many thanks in advance.

[Ray Singer]

Nagamitsu. Katana-mei, I would think Muromachi (if sho-shin).

[Prewar70]

Damn Ray you are good, thank you.  Any other thoughts on how it "looks" or to steer me in a direction of which smith, period, etc?

[Ray Singer]

Unfortunately don't have a specific smith off the cuff. Here are a few options to look into.

 

https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=%E9%95%B7%E5%85%89

[seattle1]

Hello:

 "Nagamitsu" is a very big (!) name, but it is on the side that would usually indicate carry as an uchigatana, which came after the big Nagamitsu's era., though of course there were other people who used the same two kanji. The kanji themselves give cause to worry about shoshin as Ray suggests.

 Arnold F.

[Prewar70]

It seems like smiths that signed this way with two characters were all early, so not being signed tachi mei is a problem.  The signature and nakago look like they have some age though, but not sure if that matters.  I'll post a couple pics of the blade.

[ROKUJURO]

I don't see the MITSU, but I think that the MEKUGI-ANA is drilled, not punched. This might be a key to an assessment of the age. Concerning the MEI: What about OSA (FUNE)? 

[Prewar70]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that when I see a punched ana, the blade is close to ubu or at least retains the original ana.  On a o-suriage blade thats older, it would make sense that the ana is drilled.  I guess what I'm saying is to me, punch v. drilled doesn't seem to be a strong kantei point.  Maybe I'm all wet too

[Prewar70]

[ROKUJURO]

James,

punching a hole is the older technique; drilling was invented/introduced later in the EDO period, if I am correctly informed. If you have a drilled hole in the original location of the NAKAGO, you can assume that the blade is not KOTO. 

[Prewar70]

I understand that, but my point is that if the blade is o-suriage, such as this, the ana cannot be in the original location.  So shortened later and probably drilled

[ROKUJURO]

James,

there is a seemingly old MEI and a MEKUGI-ANA close by. That is what you expect when only a part of the NAKAGO has been cut off. None of the pictures show the full NAKAGO so I don't know if there is a second MEKUGI-ANA further upwards as you would normally see in an O-SURIAGE blade.