Date on tang - need further help !

[Dan tsuba]

Hello all !!

So, I took another picture of the date on the tang using a side light (like Grey said).  It looks like it may be better to see the Kanji.  So far from my other posts Uwe has gotten this --

“ロロロロ八月日” (ロロロロ hachi gatsu hi)

Then Bruce got this-

正平    which translates to 

1346正平Shōhei

All this is more than I could figure out, so thanks for the assist !!

Any other assistance would be greatly appreciated.

With respect,

Dan

[SteveM]

Hello Dan,

I saw this on the other thread and spend a while trying to make it out, but its just too far gone for me. There is a resemblance to 平 , but in the end I didn't have any confidence in that reading. I didn't like the placement or the balance (one would expect the 正 and the 平 to be placed in a straight line with the 八月, and they should be about the same size, spaced the same size apart. I would expect to find the kanji 年 (year) after the era name, and/or the zodiac signs. Often we find the zodiac/sexegenary signs slightly smaller and offset, so I considered the possibility that the writing above 八月 is some part of the sexegenary cycle name. Anyway, as I said, the more I looked the more the confidence drained from me.

 

The other side has 兼廣 right? So if I'm not mistaken its katana-mei, which again pushes me away from a 正平 date. 

 

Is the sword shaped like one would expect a Nambokuchō-era sword to be shaped?

[Dan tsuba]

Oh my gosh Steve !!  Thank you so much for your diligent assistance.  I have included a photo of the daisho set so you can see the curvature of the blade.  The katana has the kanji on the tang.  The wakazashi has nothing on the tang and I think the blade is a replacement to the original set.  The set is not in great condition, but I think it is so cool to have these pieces on display.  I just get a thrill when I look at them !!

 

Again, thanks for the assist !

With respect, 

Dan