Mino Kane_who?

[Ray Singer]

I've struggled with this for some time, the second kanji is partial and not clear enough for me to come up with a reading for. I would appreciate any thoughts on candidates for this mei. The blade is a typical Muromachi Mino katana, and I don't personally have any doubts that the mei is authentic, just a question of who.

 

 

Kind regards,

Ray

 

[Ray Singer]

Just adding these detail photos to support that this blade shows normal Mino work. Nothing in the workmanship that I think will help to refine down to specific, candidate Mino smiths.

 

[Mark]

KaneMoto?  hard to see the very bottom

[Ed Harbulak]

Looks like Moto to me too. 

[Ed]

Looking at the work and the mei or what there is of it, Moto 元 looks like a fair guess

 

Additional choices (guesses) could be yasu 安, Tsune 常, Ie 家,  Sada 定

 

But I am guessing as well that you have explored these options.

[Ray Singer]

Yes, I have explored Moto. I discounted because the style is not the way that this kanji was written by the Muromachi Mino smiths. I should keep as an open option that it is Kanemoto / gimei or that the second kanji has been altered.

[Robert Mormile]

Hi Ray

 

My guess would be 兼舟Kanefune due to the proximity of the second and third strokes but who knows. 

 

Could be 兼守 Kanemori, 兼宜 Kanenobu or 兼定 Kanesada but I don’t think so as the 宀 ukanmuri radical is usually a bit wider than shown here…

 

Thanks for sharing photos of the blade,

Robert

[SteveM]

房 was my first thought, but I talked myself out of it after looking at some examples on the internet. 

[Ray Singer]

Really appreciate the thoughts and suggestions everyone.

 

Kind regards,

Ray

[BIG]

From aoi..thinking Kanetsune..

 

http://www.aoijapan.com/img/sword/2016/16191paper-1.jpg

 

Best

[Bugyotsuji]

兼廣　Kanehiro possible?

[Nobody]

How about 兼方 - Kanemasa?

 

Ref. http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/29321-old-wakizashi/?do=findComment&comment=297373

[Mark S.]

 ^{Kaneie?  兼 戸}

[Ray Singer]

These are all great suggestions. Thank you again for offering your feedback. Some such as  兼戸 did not occur to me at all. I will pull some reference examples and see if any oshigata appear to match this mei.

 

Kind regards,

Ray 

[uwe]

Hmm, pure guesswork....
Ray, do you have a picture with the light source is positioned on an flatter angle?