Kozuka mei help

[Kurikata]

Hi, can you please decypher this mei for me ?

 

Thank you 

[Bugyotsuji]

南條元長

Nanjo Motonaga   (?)

[Kurikata]

 Thank you Piers. I found him in Haynes under reference H 05891.0

 

Thank you so much

[Bugyotsuji]

Talking of Haynes, is there any information there Bruno on 廣乗　広乗 Hirojo, probably Gotō group? I have a signed and papered Kozuka, but little to no information.

[Kurikata]

Piers,

 

PM sent.

[Brian]

You sure it can't be a misread Nori Piers? There is a:

HIRONORI 廣乘
NTS: made tsuba and kozuka. B.C. p. 428 #207
D 2215 text p. 167, shibuichi kozuka Kanzan and
Jittoku with gold touches.
SCE. W—146—U—10

[Bugyotsuji]

Bruno, many thanks for the message, and Brian who sent me the same listing. That does indeed look like it, and the reading Hironori fits perfectly into the jigsaw puzzle. (Hadn’t occurred to me.) The name is listed in my Japanese Kinko book, but with no reading, and no further information.
Warm fuzzy feelings. Many thanks to both of you. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Ran this by a Japanese kinko artisan today, who looked it up in one of his books. 

He reckons the reading could be Hironori or Kojo, though the photo of the list he posted has it sandwiched between Hirosuke and Hirotsune, so if it follows the J alphabet, it should indeed be read 'Hironori'. 「二字に銘した鐔がある。江戸時代後期」 "Tsuba with two-kanji mei is known, the latter part of Edo", it says.

So with all those references, and the NBTHK paperwork, I reckon this metalworker really did exist!