Help Requested with Date on Kai-Gunto Blade

[tbonesullivan]

Just got a look at this, and it definitely looks like an older blade in a newer scabbard, unless it's Gimei. I have however been having trouble with the nengo, as the second character doesn't match any era name I can find records of.

 

The mei looks like it reads 三 原 正 守 作 - MIHARA MASAMORI SAKU

 

The characters I can get from the nengo are 永 ? 八 年 十 月 吉 日. There are several eras beginning with 永, but the second character doesn't match, though I am aware that there are alternate kanji sometimes used. Is it a simplified version of 禄, which would make this from the Ei-Roku period?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Ray Singer]

The date is :
Eiroku hachi nen ju gatsu kichi jitsu
A lucky day the 10th month of 1567

 

The mei is correctly translated as Mihara Masamori saku. I think it is a safe guess that this is an authentic, late Muromachi Kai Mihara blade and not gimei.

[tbonesullivan]

1 hour ago, Ray Singer said:

The date is :
Eiroku hachi nen ju gatsu kichi jitsu
A lucky day the 10th month of 1567

 

The mei is correctly translated as Mihara Masamori saku. I think it is a safe guess that this is an authentic, late Muromachi Kai Mihara blade and not gimei.

Thanks so much for the info! Sadly the polish isn't in the best shape anymore, but there isn't any real rust or other damage to the blade. It came as part of a collection owned by a high ranking U.S. navy officer, though unfortunately there's no information on where it came from. Probably just off a pile of captured Katanas. Guess he got lucky.