Darmour Posted October 12, 2020 Report Posted October 12, 2020 Hello from Canada. I'm seeking information on this sword I inherited this sword from my grandfather. I suspect it may be Japanese, but can't be sure. Unfortunately, it's in a sorry state, and, I believe, is missing some parts. I've attached photos here, including the tang, which is inscribed. All suggestions, info, and recommendations much appreciated. Douglas Quote
16k Posted October 12, 2020 Report Posted October 12, 2020 Real Japanese wakizashi. Others will tell you the name, kuni something. It is salvageable if polished. The only thing being, considering the price, is it worth it? missing fuchi, both seppa and a Tsuba.. 1 Quote
DoTanuki yokai Posted October 12, 2020 Report Posted October 12, 2020 kuni X ju munenaga i think ? Jp, Tsuba 1 1 Quote
Geraint Posted October 12, 2020 Report Posted October 12, 2020 Dear Doug. The form of the signature should be the name of the province, followed by (no)ju or 'living at' and then the smiths name. It is just possible that in this case the province is Inshu, short for Inaba province. I have to say that the first kanji does not conform to the usual way of writing this and looks much more like 'Kuni' . There is a smith signing Inshu no ju Munenaga but there is not very much information on him and from the shape of the blade I would not have thought it right for his period of working. Of course there is always the possibility that the signature is spurious, as in all forms of art. Not much help I'm afraid, but as other s have said it is a genuine Japanese sword. Enjoy the chase. All the best. 1 1 Quote
Rivkin Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 The style of signature and blade is more shinto-like something along the lines of 1650. This being said "Kuni ju" is something quite strange. Almost as if someone not very literate was trying to sign something, but could not figure out where to put kuni, where ju etc. Kirill R 1 1 Quote
16k Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 9 hours ago, DoTanuki yokai said: kuni X ju munenaga i think ? Jp, Tsuba Aaaaaaagggghhh!😬 And yet another bout of auto correct mistake! I really need to read what I write. Stupid thing keeps modifying my words and replacing them by the closest in its database..... Quote
16k Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Doug, as for the age, I’d go with Kirill’s opinion. Probably in the early Shinto era part. Quote
Darmour Posted October 13, 2020 Author Report Posted October 13, 2020 Thanks everyone! This is helpful. I realized if was missing pieces, and thought it was perhaps was only a tsuba. So now knowing what else is lost is helpful. I wonder if there is a site that could provide the appropriate period replacements? It does seem to be a rather crude sword. I thought perhaps it was a common soldier's sword. Is there any way I can better pinpoint the date? Also, if I were to repair it or have it repaired, can anyone suggest an information source, either print or online? Unfortunately, I have no idea how my grandfather came to have it. He was a Canadian Brig-General based in Washington during WW2. He never spent any time in the east. It's likely someone gave it to him as a gift. Thanks again. Quote
16k Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Now, I wouldn’t do anything to the blade yourself except use uchiko and oil to try and give it back a bit of beautiful and stopping any possible active rust. Polishing is not in your set of skills. It’s a professional job and I’m sure American or Canadian members will provide you with names for that. Just know it is an expensive undertaking. For the missing parts, I would suggest one of our fellow members like: Grey: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com Ed: http://yakiba.com Ray: http://swordsofjapan.com or David: https://www.raindragonfineartandantiques.com Quote
Ken-Hawaii Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Welcome to NMB, Doug. I always chuckle when a new member wanders in, with a blade he got from somewhere, not knowing just how deep the swamp is, when they get interested in their blade. Just a quick warning that this is one of the most-expensive hobbies! Please read http://www.nbthk-ab.org/swordcare.pdf This will teach you how to take care of your blade. 1 Quote
mywei Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 mei reads i think 因州住景長 Inshū ju Kagenaga 2 Quote
Darmour Posted October 13, 2020 Author Report Posted October 13, 2020 9 hours ago, 16k said: Now, I wouldn’t do anything to the blade yourself except use uchiko and oil to try and give it back a bit of beautiful and stopping any possible active rust. Polishing is not in your set of skills. It’s a professional job and I’m sure American or Canadian members will provide you with names for that. Just know it is an expensive undertaking. For the missing parts, I would suggest one of our fellow members like: Grey: https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com Ed: http://yakiba.com Ray: http://swordsofjapan.com or David: https://www.raindragonfineartandantiques.com Very helpful. Thanks Quote
Darmour Posted October 13, 2020 Author Report Posted October 13, 2020 9 hours ago, Ken-Hawaii said: Welcome to NMB, Doug. I always chuckle when a new member wanders in, with a blade he got from somewhere, not knowing just how deep the swamp is, when they get interested in their blade. Just a quick warning that this is one of the most-expensive hobbies! Please read http://www.nbthk-ab.org/swordcare.pdf This will teach you how to take care of your blade. Very deep indeed. And very interesting. I'm sure it could quickly become an addiction. Thanks for the link. Quote
Darmour Posted October 13, 2020 Author Report Posted October 13, 2020 3 hours ago, mywei said: mei reads i think 因州住景長 Inshū ju Kagenaga Thanks for this. A quick search of "Inshū ju Kagenaga" found this site: https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/KAG119 If this is correct, does this mean the sword is from the 1429-1441 Eykio period? I think I'll have to do a deeper dive on this. Quote
Jacques Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 4 hours ago, mywei said: mei reads i think 因州住景長 Inshū ju Kagenaga I don't think so. I think that mei is an amateur invention. https://iidakoendo.com/7027/ 1 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Jacques, the MEI is KAGENAGA, the link you found says KANENAGA (but probably means KAGENAGA). Quote
dwmc Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Very odd indeed...(Kuni) Shu Ju Kagenaga ?? Dave M. Quote
Jacques Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 5 minutes ago, dwmc said: Very odd indeed...(Kuni) Shu Ju Kagenaga ?? Dave M. Yes. Quote
dwmc Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Most likely meant "Inshu" and mistakenly used Kuni character? Dave M. Quote
dwmc Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 Have to stay with opinion in post #19, mistaken Kuni character. Dave M. Quote
Surfson Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 I read it as Kagenaga as well, and Inshu would go to a series of listed smiths. It does seem odd that the kuni character was used instead of the typical "in" character. I have never seen a "typo" in a tang, and imagine that they are quite rare. Quote
mywei Posted October 13, 2020 Report Posted October 13, 2020 There were 4-5 generations of Inshu Kagenaga, but from my references they all kinda signed in a kind of large blocky character style like Jacques's example from Iida Koendo, not like this one. Quote
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