“Special commission” Tanto

[Matsunoki]

Hello all,

I would greatly appreciate opinions, views and if possible some help on this silver mounted Aikuchi Tanto. On a previous post “Nobody” on this forum very kindly translated the Mei and inscription as -

應藤原▢邦求作之 – Responding to the order from Fujiwara something-kuni, made this.

 

萬延元年八月日 道俊 – Man’en 1^st year (1860), 8^th month, Michitoshi (＜ー smith name)

 

frustratingly the critical kanji of the person who commissioned this Tanto is ruined by an ana. Does anyone have any idea, bearing in mind the important Fujiwara family name…..who this could be? Could it be something to do with what happened in the Manen nengo? The nengo was I believe for just a single year marking a major fire at Edo castle and also a famous assassination?

 

I am also struggling with the smith. In this case his name appears below the date which threw me totally and I am unable to identify which Michitoshi it is. The Michi kanji confuses me. Hawley lists 3 smiths around that time. Help!

 

…..and with profuse apologies for so many questions…..can you comment on the unusual (to me) blade features. The polish is a bit tired but the hada is flowing masame, the hamon is a wide wild suguha/midare with some notare undulations. Looks full of sunagashi…….but I am puzzled by the dark streaks running the full length of the ji …..is that bo-utsuri? Apologies for poor images. 
 

many many thanks.
Basic dimensions

nagasa 28.5 cm (40.0 overall)

motohaba 28mm

motokasane 8mm

 

 

[Matsunoki]

[Matsunoki]

[DoTanuki yokai]

I think the dark lines are a result of the hardening in combination with the Masame Hada.

Utsuri would not be this prominent. 
You are right on the Sunagashi but I can’t help with your other questions.

[SteveM]

Hello Colin,

Your sword was almost assuredly made by the Michitoshi (道俊) on Fujishiro's shintō index p422. He is the only Michitoshi using that particular kanji combination (in Fujishiro, anyway). I believe this corresponds with Hawley's Michitoshi MIC70. Fujishiro dates him from Ansei (1854) while Hawley's dates him from Bunkyu (1861), so, a negligible discrepancy.  

 

I don't know what the dark streaks are in your blade either, but they are not bo-utsuri. I wouldn't be too worried about it. It doesn't look like its any kind of fatal flaw. I'm not sure if the smith intended for those streaks to show up, or if that's just how the end product looked. 

 

Regarding the other name (the person who ordered the tantō);  the first character of the name includes the component 山 (yama) on the top. There aren't a lot of kanji that use this component on the top, and of those that do, very few of them are appropriate for a name. Maybe it is 巌 (巌邦 = Yoshikuni)? Anyway, its not something super obvious otherwise Moriyama-san (aka the poster called "Nobody") would have mentioned it. I'm a bit skeptical you we could ever find the identity of this person. Fujiwara is a common name. I think even in the mid 1800s it would have been a fairly common name. One thing to note is that the lacquer scabbard contains the name "Fujii" (藤井) inside of a circle, in the form of a family crest. 

[Matsunoki]

16 hours ago, DoTanuki yokai said:

I think the dark lines are a result of the hardening in combination with the Masame Hada.

Utsuri would not be this prominent. 
You are right on the Sunagashi but I can’t help with your other questions.

Christian…..many thanks for looking and for your comments. I did even wonder if it is a type of hitatsura hardening. The polish simply isn’t good enough to get a good look now matter how you light it. It’s got loads of hataraki….but impossible to get a good image. So frustrating! Anyway, thanks again.

colin.

 Steve…pm sent. Many thanks.