Massive wakizashi Miyoshi Nagamichi??. Help please

[Matsunoki]

Hello everyone, I’m asking for help,again.

SOME IMAGES HAVE BEEN PHOTOSHOPPED TO SHOW DETAILS.

Truly massive wakizashi with several unusual (to me) features. I’m asking for help re the smith as I know there were several generations of widely differing reputations. May even be gimei ie none of them! I don’t have the knowledge or library necessary.

I believe the Mei reads “Mutsu Daijo Miyoshi Nagamichi”….please correct me.

The dimensions are below. It is typical UK found sword in poor worn polish….possibly an old sashikomi polish as no sign of Hadori (thankfully).

The hamon commences with a strange yakidashi…very narrow gunome midare that widens to a large hump over the strong hamachi. It then widens into a nie laden gunome but as it approaches the monouchi it becomes more of a diffuse nie laden midare. Lots of konie sunagashi and ji nie. The o-kissaki boshi are hakkikake and there is some thin muneyaki visible to about halfway back down the blade. The nioi guchi is diffuse and fairly wide.

The hada is impossible to image but is a very tight mokume I think. 
The koshirae are original, all en-suite but rather “workmanlike”.

Many thanks for all your time and opinions…..good or bad!

nagasa 58 cm (77cm overall)

motohaba 3.45 cm

sakihaba 2.69cm

motokasane 9.14mm

sakikasane 7.31mm

nakago kasane 9.35mm

sori 1.6cm

 

 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

[Matsunoki]

[Matsunoki]

[Jussi Ekholm]

Unfortunately this is outside my personal focus area. From the books I looked that 1st, 2nd and 8th generation had the title Mutsu no Daijō.

 

Here are 4 reference items for I believe by the 1st gen.

https://eirakudo.shop/token/tachikatana/detail/986702

https://www.tsuruginoya.com/mn1_3/a00455.html

https://www.seiyudo.com/ka-100421.htm

https://www.e-sword.jp/wakisashi/2010-2071.htm

 

What catches my eye that in these and other mei references for him I have, mei seems to have upwards tick on the left side of long horizontal strokes. It is bit difficult to explain in words, so I made a crude pic with paint to show my point.

[Matsunoki]

Thanks Jussi…I understand exactly what you mean regarding the kanji. So probably not 1st generation. 
Can anyone else help me out?

The blade does seem very well made with that very distinctive yakidashi and massive proportions.

I attach another image showing hamon as it approaches the kissaki. The gunome becomes less clearly defined with much nie.

[Jacques]

Many red flags : mei location, style of engraving, nakago jiri, kasane

[Matsunoki]

Are you saying the red flags are for all 8 generations or just 1st generation? I believe Mei styles vary and school went through to end of Bakumatsu period. Sword has shinshinto feel.

29 minutes ago, Jacques D. said:

Many red flags : mei location, style of engraving, nakago jiri, kasane

 

[Shugyosha]

Hi Colin,

Only the first, second and sixth generations held the “Mutsu Daijo” title. 

[Matsunoki]

Thanks John, Jussi mentioned a possible 8th generation (see above) who held the title as well. Greatly appreciate your  useful  input. Its a whittling down process that will probably end up as gimei……but I like the sword whatever. 

5 minutes ago, Shugyosha said:

Hi Colin,

Only the first, second and sixth generations held the “Mutsu Daijo” title. 

 

[Shugyosha]

I think there’s some discrepancy between Sesko’s compendium and Hawley’s regarding the title. This is an example of the 8th generation without the title from Sesko’s Shinshinto meikan: 

[Matsunoki]

I really need to update my 40 year old library a bit more don’t I ??🙂

Thanks John.