Mei and emblem on Old Blade

[Bruce Pennington]

Hey guys.  Someone on Gunbards posted this nakago, HERE, and is requesting a translation.  Appreciate the help on it!  Also, any insight on the emblem carved at the top?  I've requested more photos of the whole blade for further analysis.

 

[george trotter]

Hi Bruce,

I think it saya Mondonosho Fujiwara Masakiyo.

This was a very high ranking smith of around 1720 in Satsuma. The crest is one leaf of the Tokugawa mon.

It would be worth getting it checked as this smith is rated 100 points in Hawley revised p386 MAS 368.

Hope this helps...

[Bruce Pennington]

1 minute ago, george trotter said:

Hope this helps...

Thanks George, I'll pass it along.  If he posts more pics, I'll update here.

[Bruce Pennington]

2 hours ago, george trotter said:

Tokugawa mon.

George,

Forgive my complete ignorance of these things, but I already have this mon filed for Tokugawa:

 

Is there more than one?  Or is there a difference between a crest and a mon?

[george trotter]

Bruce,

The hollyhock  (AOI) in the 3 leaves in a circle style as you show just above is used by the Tokugawa family with many variations. Other families also use it . I am not sure about the single leaf one you show on the OP, I have seen it but you need specialist advice - my mon book doesn't show the single leaf one  so I'm not sure if it is a Tokugawa mon or is the mon used by the sword making line who made that sword.

Must be some folk on NMB who know about it?

Sorry I can't help more....

[Bruce Pennington]

13 minutes ago, george trotter said:

Must be some folk on NMB who know about it?

Thanks George!  Maybe someone will recognize it.  My first thought was something from Buddhist imagery.

[Bugyotsuji]

As George says above 

主水正藤原正清は一平安代と並び、薩摩を代表する刀工です。享保六年(1721)正月八代将軍吉宗公の佩刀を鍛え、その功績が認められ「一葉葵紋」を切ることが許されました。

In recognition of this Satsuma smith’s work he was allowed to wear a sword, and to cut “一葉葵紋“ into his blades.

= one leaf Aoi Mon

[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks guys!  While browsing to find other examples of a 1-leaf Aoi Mon, I came across this web page showing the line from Ujifusa (1596) and it had 5 other examples of Masakiyo blades with the mon and a couple Yasuyo blades using it.  Both were in the line of Ujifusa smiths. 

http://www.sho-shin.com/shinto-satsuma.html

 

UJIFUSA  KEI-CHO 1596
      |_________
___|_____   ___|_______
UJIFUSA   MASAFUSA
                         |___________ ___________
                   ___|_______   ___|_______  ___|_______      _______________
                   MASAFUSA  YASUYUKI  YASUSADA     OKU TADAKIYO
                   ___|____                                 ___|_______                  ____|____
                   YASUYO                               MASAFUSA                 HIDEOKI
                   ___|_____                                     |____________ ____________
                   YASUARI                              ___|_______    ___|______    ____|______
                                                                  MASAKIYO  KUNIHIRA  MOTOSADA
                                                                  ___|________                         ____|______
                                                                 MASACHIKA                       MOTONAO
                                                                  ___|_______                                   |
                                                                 MASAHIRA                                   |
                                                                (MASAYOSHI)                               |
                                        ____________  ____________  _______________|
                                 ___|________  ___|________   ___|_______
                                MOTOYASU  MOTOTAKE  MOTOHIRA KAN-SEI 1789
                                                                                          |_____________
                                                                                    ___|_______    ____|______
(see SAIKAIDO  The Eight Roads - SHINTO)     MOTOHIRA   MOTOOKI
          for SHIN-SHINTO  SATSUMA  lineage      ___|_______
                                                                                   MOTOHIRA

 

I don't understand the reason for the 1-leaf, but for now, I'll have to just assume it was a variation, as mon all have multiple variations, and list it as such in the Stamps Doc.

[SteveM]

Its just a symbol to show that the smith was recognized by the Tokugawa government. Its the "seal of approval" from the shogunate. The smith gets to use one hollyhock leaf to show that he's an official, Tokugawa-approved, swordsmith, and not just some random dude with a forge and a hammer.