Menuki Mei reading

[Bugyotsuji]

I am not yet ‘seeing’ what the artist has signed here on a single iron Menuki (or Maé-kanagu). Can anyone help? 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

[SteveM]

Frustrating. A bit too opaque for me. The artist went through the trouble to affix the signature plaque to the back of the menuki, but its written in such a way as to be completely illegible to most of us. Its as if he's saying he wants his name to forever be associated with this piece, but he's chosen to write his name in secret code. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Thank you Steve for trying, and offering your precious thoughts.

 

The silence was killing me. Appreciated. 

[mecox]

Piers, can you show a pic of the other side of menuki.  thanks.

[Bugyotsuji]

His family name might have been 東山Higashiyama.

Noriyuki? 紀之

 

幕末～明治期 金工前金具 目貫 純金切銘 東山造 古鉄地金銀赤銅象嵌 ...(?)

Mal, apologies, the owner asked me not to show it just yet… 

[SteveM]

I was fishing for something with sanzui-hen or gonben. Something along the lines of 清為 or possibly 清光, but I gave up the search as it seemed the straws were too thin for me to grasp at. 

Noriyuki feels a bit far off the mark. 

 

Noriyuki in sōsho

 

[Bugyotsuji]

For reference…

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Haha, I guess I saw the lower Yuki (going) character as a stick figure doing a funky walk!