Translation of kanji on Meiji katana

[DTM72]

Having some trouble translating the kanji on a Meiji era katana. Th ura is signed Minamoto Kaneharu Saku. The Omote is signed with 4 characters. The first is Oka, second is fuku, third and 4th I need help with. Oka fuku would translate to "give luck", and I'm guessing the 3rd and 4th are a name. There are 4-5 possible variations of #3, and I can't find anything close to #4.

 

Thanks in advance!

Dan

[Mark S.]

#4 = Tada?  But I'm guessing it doesn't make sense.

[Shugyosha]

源包治作

Minamoto Kaneharu saku. 
 

Sorry Dan, didn’t read your post properly.

[Shugyosha]

贈福 井 兄

Oku fuku [i kei]
 

This may be a chumon mei (ordered by) Mr Okufukui, but the first two kanji also mean good luck gift...so it might mean something else. You need a better linguist than me to fill in the gaps.

 

Again, sorry for not reading your post properly and adding pretty much zilch to what you already had. 

[SteveM]

贈　福井　兄　

 

Gift of Fukui is correct. 兄 is probably a first name (Kei) but its an unusual first name. It could also mean "brothers", as in "Gift from the Fukui brothers". Hard to say, but in any event, it indicates the sword is a gift.  

 

[Nobody]

贈福井兄 means "Gift to Mr. Fukui.

兄 (kei) in this context is an honorific title for a male friend.

 

[george trotter]

Here is one I had about 40 years ago. Maybe these two are 2 of 3 he made for a private order?

Minamoto Kaneharu saku

Zo Fukui Kei

Mine was in Kyu fittings that had been crudely altered to become Type 37 Navy.

Regards

[Nobody]

10 minutes ago, george trotter said:

Here is one I had about 40 years ago. Maybe these two are 2 of 3 he made for a private order?

Minamoto Kaneharu saku

Zo Fukui Kei

Mine was in Kyu fittings that had been crudely altered to become Type 37 Navy.

Regards

 

 

They look the same sword to me.

Only another mekugi-ana was added.

 

[george trotter]

Maybe.

I sold it about 1982...and I know that the collection it went into was later dispersed "all over the world".

They do look very close don't they...The old oshigata has: Machi okuri, blade length 66.0 cm, nakago length 19.0 cm - one ana.

I noted then: Kaneharu was a tudent of Miyamoto Kanenori and Kasama Shigetsugu..

 

Just for the owner I can add what I had noted about the inscription - can be pronounced:

Zo Fukui Kei

or

Fukui Kei o okuru

 

Feel free to correct me (it was 40 years ago...)

[Brian]

[DTM72]

Wow...that does appear to be the same!

 

Currently, it is in shira-saya. See attached pics below.

 

I purchased from Mark and Grey, and they gave me a great deal. Can't say enough good things about both of them.

 

Grey Doffin : https://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/

 

Mark Jones : nixe@bright.net

 

[DTM72]

BTW...Great editing skills Brian. Very impressive how you took our pics and made a side-by-side comparison.

[george trotter]

Small world indeed...