Mei identification and a question: tachi vs katana mei.

[paulj]

Here's a 2 kanji tachi mei signature of a sword I acquired about 25 years ago.

 

It is in very nice quality army fittings, 68.25 cm blade, with an original field officer's tassle. I can read the second, Mitsu, but the first has me stumped.

 

I also have a general's sword with very high quality standard army fittings with its original general's tassle. The 66.8 cm blade is signed Fujiwara Sukeyuki with a tachi mei.

 

A third army mounted Ansei era sword in my collection has a tachi mei. It is slightly shorter than the others but according to research the smith always signed with tachi mei.

 

Is there a significance to a tachi mei vs a katana mei?

[Stephen]

right side up???

[Brian]

I just re-uploaded this the other way round..but to me, I can't make out a thing. :?

 

Maybe it is upside down now..or not

 

Brian

[paulj]

the original post was correct. Here it is again.

[Mark]

looks like Masamitsu

[Stephen]

i was onto the Masa but that mitsu...wheww very stylized. Good going

[paulj]

Thanks, the Mitsu was clear but Masa didn't occur to me. Any info on him?

[Bungo]

what's with all this da vinci mirror image writing ?

 

milt The ronin

[Brian]

Paul..sorry for playing with your post like this..but it really is an odd mei, and it looks like some of the cuts are off the edge..actually extending the metal past the edge with the burrs?

 

Btw..from my understanding, tachi mei was originally used as guessed only on tachi...but later some smiths chose to sign that way on wakizashi and katana...and there doesn't seem to be any other purpose to it besides personal preference by the smith. Anyone have any other info on this?

 

Brian

[paulj]

The signature looks closer to the edge than it really is. I'll take some other photos to show more of the tang, etc. I don't have a great camera and used natural light and flash and that created a shadow.

 

The photo was posted correctly the first time. It's not a mirror image. The Mitsu part was always apparent to me but not the first kanji.

[Stephen]

this looks the right way to me....i have heard some smiths did sign backwards...this may be the one of a few that did.

[Brian]

Paul...apologies for screwing around with the pics then...you are right..the light and angle was making it look odd, and it is an unusual one.

Would like to see a bigger pic. I will delete the altered pics from the thread.

 

Regards,

Brian