Help on Mei and date

[Matsunoki]

I apologise in advance but I am hopelessly lost on this one. It’s a big ask but if anyone can spare the time to help I would be most grateful. These are the only images I have - sorry for the awkward angles.

Thank you in advance.

Best wishes. Colin

[Matsunoki]

[mywei]

Suifu ju Katsumura Hitachi (no) Suke Minamoto Masakatsu saku

[Matsunoki]

@mywei

Matt, that was quick! Grateful thanks. 
Trouble is I’m just as lost on  the date….anyone else?….it doesn’t look like a normal date….but then I’m easily confused!

Thanks again.

All the best

Colin

[PNSSHOGUN]

From the mounts, circa 1940-42. By the way, a very good smith.

[Bruce Pennington]

The date is 2603, August, so August of 1943.

[Matsunoki]

@Bruce Pennington

Thanks Bruce. Can you direct me to the necessary (online?) reference material so I can try and work this out for myself as well?!..

All,the best

Colin.

[Matsunoki]

Hmmm, the Mei is nothing like the one in Slough (p100). It’s cut in a more loose/cursive style to my eyes.

Gimei??….

[Bruce Pennington]

13 minutes ago, Matsunoki said:

@Bruce Pennington

Thanks Bruce. Can you direct me to the necessary (online?) reference material so I can try and work this out for myself as well?!..

All,the best

Colin.

Colin,

I can't find a good website page that breaks it all down.  Lots of history pages that describe it in wordage, but no kanji.  I've picked it up from guys doing translations over the years, like this one:

It can be hard to recognize (for me, anyway) the first 2 kanji, depending upon the writing style, but you can always spot the 2 thousand 6, 

皇紀二千六百年拾月日 – 2600 Imperial year (1940), 10^th month.

If it's a year after 1940, you will see a number 1, 2, 3, etc between these two kanji - 皇紀二千六百年拾月日 like this:

皇紀二千六百三年仲冬  (Imperial year 2603, mid winter)

[Matsunoki]

@Bruce Pennington

Thanks Bruce. Kind of you. 

I’m going to have a cup of tea and ponder all that🙂

[PNSSHOGUN]

For comparison:

 

 

 

[Volker62]

Colin

 

can we get a close up pictue of the sword's nakago's yasurime?

 

 

 

thank's

[Volker62]

you can compare at John Kurata's sword page

 

 

"ricecracker"

[Matsunoki]

21 minutes ago, Volker62 said:

can we get a close up pictue of the sword's nakago's yasurime?

 

Hi Volker

The images above are all I have at the moment. The Yasurimei are visible. Best I can do right now.

C.

[Matsunoki]

23 minutes ago, Volker62 said:

you can compare at John Kurata's sword page

The one on Ricecracker is the actual one in Sloughs book and the Mei is very different to the one I’m showing in this thread. However the characteristics of this sword are correct for this smith …..Yamato, masame and suguha.

[Matsunoki]

41 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

For comparison:

Thanks John. That’s an almost exact match. Where did you find that one? If the one in your image is right then the one I’m looking at is also right. But it is so different to the one on Ricecracker and Slough. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Those are two different swords, one was a Tachi listed on yahoo auctions and the other was dug up from a search of the Masakatsu Mei Kanji. The Tachi had a special dedication relating to the 2600th Imperial year.

 

 

 

 

[Matsunoki]

Thanks again John.

So, what do we conclude from this….two totally different calligraphy styles (Slough/ricecracker vs the ones in this thread) both  purporting to be the same smith? 
The ones John shows us above are spot on for the one I show…..and totally different to Slough/ricecracker.

Confusing or what?

 

[Matsunoki]

Here is a link to the sword. It was sold today for £3380 including buyers premium. I didn’t buy it. Too much to gamble when you haven’t handled the blade. The images raised a few question marks (rust pitting? Hadaware, strange marks in the hamon, staining and the unresolved question re the Mei.)
https://www.the-sale...03-9295-b1b201045a69

[PNSSHOGUN]

Did the auction house include a complimentary fingerprint scan? I'm sure the new owner would love to track down the absolute blighter that had his grubby little mitts all over the blade...!

[Matsunoki]

 

8 minutes ago, PNSSHOGUN said:

grubby little mitts all over the blade...!

 

That was probably the auctioneers staff/photographer!? They looked quite fresh. 

Still at least I don’t have the stress of wondering whether it would ever get to me  - or not.

[Bugyotsuji]

We coud start a movement called ノーモア指紋！！！

No More Shimon!!! (fingerprints)

[Brendan campbell]

I agree Colin, a lot to risk on photos , even for a ¥1.5 million smith. It seemed towards the end it was between 2 collectors.