Michael McKie

[Michael McKie]

Good afternoon. The sword pictured is my friends and I am trying to translate the signature. I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you.

[ROKUJURO]

10 minutes ago, Michael McKie said:

...... I am trying to translate the signature......

Michael,

welcome on board of the NMB!

How far have you come with your translation? And are you looking at the sword or at this photo where the smith's name is not visible because of the reflections? 

Take a better photo on a dark background and with the light coming from the side. The mounts are no help in identifying the blade.

[Michael McKie]

Good afternoon. Thank you for responding. The only translation I have been able to do is the label that says 132, Akira Takahashi. I will see if I can get a better photo of the tang. It is very faint. Is the kangi the makers signature? Thank you. 

[SteveM]

I don't think Akira is the correct translation for Mr. Takahashi's given name. There are two characters used for the given name, and the second character is 八 (hachi), so the name is going to be 勘八 (Kanpachi) or something like. Can't make out the preceding character. A closer shot of that one section might help. 

 

Swordsmith's signature is 

雲州住大明京   (the last character is either cut off, or obliterated). Plenty of fakes around, so there is no guarantee your signature isn't a forgery. 

[Michael McKie]

1 hour ago, SteveM said:

I don't think Akira is the correct translation for Mr. Takahashi's given name. There are two characters used for the given name, and the second character is 八 (hachi), so the name is going to be 勘八 (Kanpachi) or something like. Can't make out the preceding character. A closer shot of that one section might help. 

 

Swordsmith's signature is 

雲州住大明京   (the last character is either cut off, or obliterated). Plenty of fakes around, so there is no guarantee your signature isn't a forgery. 

 

[Michael McKie]

Thank you Steve. Thus was brought home from Japan by the owners father. He was In the Pacific theater during WW2 and has other items as well. I will look at the label and see if I can get a clearer image of both characters  Thank you for your assistance. 

[Michael McKie]

Good morning. I have another photo of the label that I hope is better. As for the last character on the tang I have taken another photo as well.   

[Michael McKie]

Good morning. I have another photo of the label that I hope is better. As for the last character on the tang I have taken another photo as well.   

[Bugyotsuji]

On the label,

髙橋伊八, Takahashi Ihachi, no?

[SteveM]

↑　Yes, I think that's right. Takahashi Ihachi.  

 

For the sword, there should be one more character on the mei, but it is completely lost due to abrasion and rust. It's not a very significant detail. We can still surmise what the full mei would have been, and the details of the sword will validate who the maker is (or ought to be). Unshū-jū Daiminkyō　　with that last bit lost. I don't think he was a very prodigious smith. I don't know much about him, other than what I can find on an internet search. 

[Michael McKie]

Good evening Steve. Thank you for your help. The last character as I am looking at it resembles 417. I know that is not what it is,  but is there something in KANJI that might lead you in a direction? I hope my terminology is correct, I do not mean to offend. Thank you, Michael.

[SteveM]

Yes, I think you are talking about the character 明. It's the 5th character from the top. As I say, it is part of the smith's name

 

雲州住大明京　Unshū-jū Daiminkyō

 

It means, "Daiminkyō, resident of Unshū" 

 

Unshū is a location name in Japan. It corresponds more or less with present-day Shimane Prefecture. The next kanji, 住, means "resident of". Daiminkyō (大明京) is the swordsmith's name. It's an unusual name, and I haven't looked in the books to find out why he chose such an unusual name for his professional name. And, that very last kanji can't be seen on the tang on your sword because it has been abraded and rusted away, as I mentioned earlier.  

 

(No need to worry about being offensive. If you have any more questions, ask away!)

[Michael McKie]

Thank you. So Daiminkyo is the swordsmith?  Is there a database of swordsmiths that I can research? The owner of the item is blind so I am trying to get as much information as possible in written form.

[SteveM]

Yes, that's right. He is the swordsmith.

 

There are two main databases for swordsmiths available in English. One is called Index of Japanese Swordsmiths, by Markus Sesko, (researcher, author, and sometimes contributor to this site). The other is an out of print English translation of Fujishiro's Index of swordsmiths (I think its called Nihon Toko Jiten) and consists of two volumes: Koto and Shinto. I think Markus Sesko's set would be more complete, accurate, and user-friendly. But, as I say, there may not be a great deal of information concerning this particular smith, as he apparently didn't leave a great body of work. 

 

The name Daiminkyō may also be read as Daiminkin. It's just one of the quirks of the Japanese language - kanji have multiple readings, and occasionally you come across names that have multiple valid readings. Presumably the smith himself had a preferred reading/pronunciation of his name, but there is no record of it as far as I know. So, some sources spell it as Daiminkyō, and other spell it as Daiminkin. He worked circa 1661. 

[Michael McKie]

Good morning. I have another photo of the label that I hope is better. As for the last character on the tang I have taken another photo as well.   

[ROKUJURO]

....waiting for the right photos. NAKAGO shown tip-upwards, no HABAKI, light from the side, images cut-out so very little background is showing. 

This background is fine.

[Michael McKie]

Good evening. I would like to thank all those that responded to my inquiry, as well as all who read it. I have been given information that has helped my friend answer a question. ROKUJURO, STEVEM, Chris and Markus thank, you very much. This artifact that I have had the opportunity to research, has been eye opening. Myself, and the caretaker (owner) would not have the knowledge of its history without all involved in this forum. Thank you. Michael J. McKie.