Seki smith?

[george trotter]

Well, after 14 years on NMB I now have to ask for members' assistance to translate a mei.

This belongs to a friend of a friend who sent this cropped pic...no info...don't know if it has any stamps. Date side is blank except for kanji numbers in yellow paint 1124.

I am simply not able to find a translation to these kanji.

It is a WWII showato but who I don't know.

All I can find in my books is

1. ?

2. OKU?

3. ?  (masa?  toshi?)

4. MITSU

 

Can anyone help please.

[uwe]

Hi George,

 

not sure about the third, but it seems “角屋政光”….

So it could be Masamitsu. Several readings for the first two, like Kakuya, Kadoya, Sumiya, Tsunoya and Yadoya. Still searching…

[Bugyotsuji]

Sumiya Masamitsu

https://www.google.com/search?q=角屋政光　刀&ei=kWkgYpOkPM-FoASAna_gBQ&ved=0ahUKEwjTsP-Wsan2AhXPAogKHYDOC1wQ4dUDCA4&oq=角屋政光　刀&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAwyBQgAEKIEOgcIABBHELADSgQIQRgASgQIRhgAUNHLAVjChwJg46oCaAJwAXgAgAHBAYgBiQeSAQMxLjaYAQCgAQHIAQTAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz

[Brian]

Uwe and Piers get the sleuth prize of the day

[george trotter]

Thank you guys, 

So, Sumiya Masamitsu...great, I'll pass it on.

 

He told me it is in Type 98 mounts and  there is a Seki stamp above the signature, so, a Seki WWII showato....although I could not find him on any lists.

 

Thank you all. Sorry for my "shamefuru dispray" as they say in Japan.

Regards...

[mecox]

George & others, this is interesting, and may be an unrecorded smith.   Based on reading 角屋政光 as Sumiya Masamitsu, I could not find anything in Seki including registration, or in general records.  But apparently your sword is Seki stamped in shingunto, with yon-ji mei and sujikai yasurime.  The Japan auction site found by Piers     https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/l689802003    

interestingly has a sword by him,  wakizashi 43 cm in bushi mounts with matching yon-ji mei, sujikai filing, Seki shape nakago and also undated.   The Torokusho is from Gifu and dated 1992 (Heisei 4) Oct 28.  The note says "details are not known".

As an exercise I looked at the other reading of family name, Kakuya, which in Sesko came up with:

MASAMICHI (政道), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Gifu – “Masamichi” (政道), real name Kakuya Shōzō (角屋正蔵), born on April 11th 1897 (Meiji 30), he worked as guntō smith.  He was registered in Seki on Dec 24, 1941 (Showa 16) and was living at Yoshimoto-cho, Seki-machi.  Some tantalizing similarities, but that's all.

[Bugyotsuji]

Part of the problem is that this family name has several readings in Japan: Tsunoya, Kadoya, Sumiya and Kakuya. Only by asking a member of the particular family would we really get a definitive reading for that smith.

 

https://myoji-yurai.net/searchResult.htm?myojiKanji=角屋

[george trotter]

Mal, yes I see that entry...a nice little Seki mystery.