TANTO MEI

[Gilles]

Dear follow collectors,

 

I am trying to translate a mei from a hira zukuri tanto with a hitatsura hamon.

If you can help on this one, I will appreciate a lot.

For the swordsmith name, it seems to start by "BI" but is it Bizen ????

For the date, It starts with" EI" but I can't figure out the following kanji......

[Gilles]

Another picture.....

[Jussi Ekholm]

I am just on my phone so away from references but the signature would seem to be

 

備州住助家 / 永仁六年

 

Bishū jū Sukeie / Einin 6th year (1298)

 

The rarer form of 州 used but I cant easily find that kanji on my phone.

[uwe]

刕

[Bugyotsuji]

Jussi and Uwe are correct. Shū 州 (province) was written several ways.

[Gilles]

Thank you very much gentlemen. It helps a lot.

I doubt that this tanto is so old.

[Bugyotsuji]

Cleaning an old matchlock pistol today and realized the 州　is written in the same manner,  刕 three blades, which I had thought was only used by swordsmiths. Perhaps the gunsmith was originally a katana kaji.(?)

[Bugyotsuji]

Today I discovered the reason for this use of three blades for 州 Shū province.

 

The kanji can be seen as three ‘standing’ 立刀 ‘rittō’ blades. See the right side of 割, for example. 3 of these blades, but then piled neatly in a heap, = 刕

Although it is not included in many dictionaries today, it was a conventional usage often found in 古文書 old manuscripts.

[Lareon]

i love etymoloy and the etymology of the characters is so interesting, pictoral origins and how they combine.

[Gilles]

Thank you Piers for this explanation.