Ludolf Richter Posted November 22, 2006 Report Posted November 22, 2006 Hi all,there is a nice Katana on a German auction to come,signed Hizen Kuni Masatsugu (Hawley MAS 1165 and 1135,Nihonto Meikan p.865).According to the description,the sword was made in 1940,but the inscription is as follows:koki nisen roku hyaku nen.For me that sounds like 2040 and not 1940.What does that mean?Ludolf Quote
Nobody Posted November 22, 2006 Report Posted November 22, 2006 Hi Ludolf, The inscription must be 皇紀二千六百年 (Koki nisen roppyaku nen). It is not 2040, but 2600 Imperial year. The year system was established in 1872 (5th year of Meiji) so that the first year of the Koki (皇紀) was defined to be 660 B.C. That is thought to be the year of accession of the first Emperor Jinmu (神武天皇). So, 1940 A.D. = Koki 2600. Quote
Ludolf Richter Posted November 22, 2006 Author Report Posted November 22, 2006 Many thanks.Ludolf Quote
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