Help deciphering 1st character on suriage nakago

[JAMJ]

Hi, Requesting help with deciphering what is the first character above "fusa."  This was inscribed obviously after suriage of the katana which removed any original mei.  What does it represent?  Thanks!

[Ray Singer]

Kanefusa 

[JAMJ]

Thank you Ray.  Is it an atomei representing the original smith?

Regards

[Ray Singer]

The nakago is very fresh, and everything appears to be recent (Ie. as young as gendai). I do not know if it is gimei, but this lineage ran for many generations and there were several parallel lines. 

[JAMJ]

The suriage is definitely more recent. And the signature would not have been the original smith.  I'm wondering if the new signature represents a designation towards the original smith or the smith who performed the suriage.  Thanks

[Ray Singer]

Even if the sword is suriage that alone does not mean the signature is not original. For various reasons, a nakago may be slightly reduced and made suriage & machiokuri with the original mei remaining intact. 

 

A nijimei by itself would be unrelated to whoever did the suriage. Swords are not signed that way. If it had an inscription of 'Kanefusa suriageru' that would be a different story. 

[JAMJ]

Ah, I may have been presumptive in expecting the original mei to have been  below the original mekugi-ana at the bottom. Good to know the suriage smith would not have signed their name. Thank you.