Tsuba hakogaki written by Satō Kanzan 2

[MauroP]

Dear NMB members,
I’m back once again to ask for your kind help! I’m trying to fill in a few missing kanji and improve the romaji transcription of tsuba hakogaki by Satō Kanzan. The updated document (draft no. 3) is available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gkfcfqc6gs14invoeg6hn/KanzanHakogaki.pdf?rlkey=5i89f80fkbbf60x67f1lloa2k&st=j7yud1nq&dl=0

 

Here are the points that still need attention (I'm posting the relevant hakogaki one by one):

 

HGK1

三信家 鐔 ＊ San-Nobuie   tsuba
盡忠則命 ＊???

 

木瓜形 鉄地 毛彫 ＊ mokkō-gata   tetsu-ji   kebori
銘 三信家 ＊ mei   San Nobuie
美同銘★ 無出共右者 ＊ ???   ???
珍重 伊達家伝来之一 ＊ chinchō   Date-ke denrai no itotsu
昭和甲辰夏日 ＊ Shōwa kinoe-tatsu kajitsu [1964, a summer day]
寒山 ＊ Kanzan

 

Question 1: how should I transcribe the description of subject (盡忠則命)?

Question 2: little idea about correct kanji and meaning of the 3rd column from the inside writing of the box.

Thank you for any suggestion.

 

[SteveM]

蓋同銘中・無出典在者  

 

Not sure of the red, but my guess is that the meaning is "The meaning of the phrase on the tsuba (also noted on the lid) is unknown" (not listed in any published resources).  

 

Edit: Hmm, rethinking this, at least the 2nd part. The phrase 忠則盡命 is known (devoting your life to your lord). A reference to a Chinese classic, Thousand Character Essay (孝當竭力，忠則盡命). 

 

 

 

 

[MauroP]

Thank you, Steve, your help is invaluable.
I’m familiar with the meaning of 忠則盡命, and I suppose it can be rendered in rōmaji as chū-soku jinmei. However, when it is written as it appears in the hakogaki (盡忠則命), does it retain the same reading and meaning?

[SteveM]

My guess is that the readings of the individual kanji themselves won't change (jinchū sokumei), but I don't know why the order is rearranged from the order of the original Chinese phrase. Jinchū is a valid word (loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness), but "sokumei" isn't a word as far as I know. Maybe its an intentional pun, or play on words. Sokumei could be the kanji used for someone's name, so perhaps a retainer or disciple had a tsuba made using this phrase, but rearranged the kanji to mean "loyalty to Sokumei". ?

 

Anyway, maybe that 3rd line in Kanzan's hakogaki gives a clue, but I still can't figure it out. 

 

I also note there is a phrase 無出其右 (mushukkiyu) meaning "unrivled", but I don't think it's used in Japanese, and while its temptingly close to what Kanzan has written on the box, those last two kanji just seem too far away. 

[MauroP]

Thank you again, Steve, for your efforts in interpreting this hakogaki. It is possible that we will never know for certain. Perhaps Satō-sensei was not aware at the time of the meaning of the kanji on the tsuba, and simply recorded them one by one, following a clockwise arrangement as in scheme A in the image below.

The correct reading follows scheme B, which is by no means a common way to read an ancient Japanese text, as far as know. This interpretation was possibly suggested by Itō Mitsuru in his 2025 book "Nobuie".
On the other hand, an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper for the same tsuba describes it as 龍に忠則命尽文字図鐔, thus suggesting scheme C (尽 is listed as a variant of 盡).
Therefore, I suppose I must accept a certain degree of uncertainty in my transcription.

[Nobody]

蓋同銘中無出其右者 (Kedashi domeichu sono migini derumono nashi.) – Perhaps, among the works with the same mei, it is second to none.

 

As for “盡忠則命” on the box, I think that we do not have to be too bound by the word on the box.

I guess that the order of the kanji was Kanzan’s own understanding only because he did not know the original four-character idiom 忠則盡命.

The attached article was written on the premise that the word was 忠則盡命.

Ref. 忠則藎命図鐔　銘　三信家

[MauroP]

Thank you, Moriyama. I consider yours the final word on the matter. I'm planning to add an explanatory note at the end of the document.

[MauroP]

HGK2

古正阿弥作 ＊ ko-Shōami saku
大呑家々紋透鐔 ＊ ??? mon sukashi

丸形 鉄地 影透 ＊ maru-gata tetsu-ji kage
無銘 古正阿弥 ＊ mumei ko-Shōami
有古色 ＊ ari koshoku
昭和丁未年夏日 ＊ Shōwa hinoto-hitsuji-nen kajitsu
寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu

 

Here I'm dubious about what is written in the description of the tsuba, so maybe the hakogaki could eventually refers to another tsuba.

Thank you for any suggestion.

[Nobody]

大谷家之紋透鐔 (Ohtani-ke no mon sukashi tsuba) – Sukashi tsuba of Ohtani family’s mon

 

IMO, the hanging wisteria crest on the tsuba looks a little different from the Ohtani’s Sgari Fuji.

[MauroP]

Thank you, Moriyama san. At least one branch of the Ōtani family used a kamon featuring a descending wisteria design, although it differs from the more common wisteria kamon.

 

from: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/大谷家

[MauroP]

HGK3

伝 太刀帥 ＊ den   tachishi
立田川図 鐔 ＊ Tatsutagawa zu   tsuba

 

竪丸形 赤銅波地 ＊ tatemaru-gata   shakudō-nami-ji
金色絵 無銘 ＊ kin-iroe   mumei
太刀金具師作か ＊ tachi-kanagushi saku ka
出来見事也 ＊ dekī migoto nari
昭和己酉夏 ＊ Shōwa tsuchinoto-tori natsu [1969, summer]
寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō)

 

Here I would simply like confirmation of the kana sign か. As far as I understand, this particle turns the statement into an interrogative or dubitative one, which would accord with the tentative nature of the “den” attribution.

Thank you.

[Nobody]

9 hours ago, MauroP said:

HGK3

伝 太刀帥 ＊ den   tachishi
立田川図 鐔 ＊ Tatsutagawa zu   tsuba

 

竪丸形 赤銅波地 ＊ tatemaru-gata   shakudō-nami-ji
金色絵 無銘 ＊ kin-iroe   mumei
太刀金具師作か ＊ tachi-kanagushi saku ka
出来見事也 ＊ dekī migoto nari
昭和己酉夏 ＊ Shōwa tsuchinoto-tori natsu [1969, summer]
寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō)

 

Here I would simply like confirmation of the kana sign か. As far as I understand, this particle turns the statement into an interrogative or dubitative one, which would accord with the tentative nature of the “den” attribution.

Thank you.

 

I think that your reading is correct.

The nuance of "... saku ka" is conjecture rather than doubt.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Agreed. Also, note that where Tachi Shi has been well rubbed away,  'Den' looks to have been added at a later time.

[MauroP]

Thank you, Moriyama and Piers. I’m afraid I may trouble you with a few more questions later.

[MauroP]

HGK4

宗典製 ＊ Sōten sei
八重菊透鐔 ＊ yaegiku sukashi tsuba

 

丸形 鉄地 影透 ＊ maru-gata tetsu-ji kage-sukashi
金象嵌 銘曰 ＊ kin-zogan mei iwa
藻柄子宗典製 ＊ Sōheishi Sōten sei
蓋★★之一也 ＊ ??? no ichi nari
昭和辛亥春 ＊ Showa kanoto-i haru [1971, spring]
寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō)

 

Here, two kanji (or perhaps three) completely escape my understanding. They are part of an appreciative expression, so the meaning cannot easily be inferred from the tsuba itself.

Thank you for reading.

[Nobody]

1 hour ago, MauroP said:

HGK4

宗典製 ＊ Sōten sei
八重菊透鐔 ＊ yaegiku sukashi tsuba

 

丸形 鉄地 影透 ＊ maru-gata tetsu-ji kage-sukashi
金象嵌 銘曰 ＊ kin-zogan mei iwa
藻柄子宗典製 ＊ Sōheishi Sōten sei
蓋★★之一也 ＊ ??? no ichi nari
昭和辛亥春 ＊ Showa kanoto-i haru [1971, spring]
寒山誌 ＊ Kanzan shirusu (kaō)

 

Here, two kanji (or perhaps three) completely escape my understanding. They are part of an appreciative expression, so the meaning cannot easily be inferred from the tsuba itself.

Thank you for reading.

 

Just a guess,

蓋好資料之一也 (Kedashi ko-shiryo no hitotsu nari) – Probably, it is one of good examples.

 

金象嵌 銘曰 ＊ kin-zogan mei iwaku

 

[MauroP]

Thank you so much, Moriyama san. If even you have to make a guess, I feel less shy about my limited skills.