Need thoughts on a partial kanji character on an apparent late Muromachi Sue-Seki Wakizashi

[Jaron]

Hello NMB,

 

I was given this sword as it is tsukare and has plenty of ware, none fatal, and it still is very much alive with a vibrant hamon and well defined nioi-guchi, tobyaki everywhere when lit up properly, very clear and wet looking, and a tight itame nagare. Boshi continues the midare pattern into a jizu/kaen that reaches up high. The hamon looks very late Muromachi Mino Sue-Seki with a rough, inconsistent sanbon-sugi pattern, very Magoroku-esque. It has a double gold-foiled habaki so it was well thought of at one time.  It looks like it was forged on the edge of explosion with all the activity.  Like a storm and see something new every time you look at it in different light. The nakago is very short from the suriage but there is about half of the top of a kanji. It looks like it could be the beginning of Kane, maybe Noshu. I’ve looked through Fujishiro, the Zuikan, and Sesko’s Zenshu as well as the internet resources, and I can’t find anything close to these straight lines with two opposite strokes up. It looks like Kaneuji did something similar for Kane bu with out those upward strokes. Maybe a province? I assume it was likely a higher end smith to accomplish all the lively activity that this has, and I was hoping to figure out this kanji. Maybe someone unknown but they did a heck of a forging effort on this when it was new. I’ll include a couple of pictures of the Kanji at the edge and a couple of sugata shots so you can see the pattern as well. It’s tired but still beautiful. I really cut these pics down so I hope they are good enough. Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

[ROKUJURO]

Perhaps MINO 美濃 ?

[SwordStudent703]

 

 

 

The visible strokes to the right of the mekugi appears to be the bottom half of the character 兼 (Kane).

 

The peaks of the hamon are rounded and repetitive (characteristic of the Mino tradition). The hamon shows hints of ‘three cedars’ (sanbonsugi), the signature style of the Kanemoto school. The smith likely worked in the style or lineage of Magoroko Kanemoto.

Edited May 15 by SwordStudent703

[ROKUJURO]

Yes. possible.

It is MAGOROKU

[2devnul]

@SwordStudent703

I'm not saying that is the case, but if an AI research outcome is shared it is recommended to point that out. If what you wrote (not copy/paste AI) is based on your judgment/experience, then please forgive me my comment. 

 

As per the Hamon, I wouldn't say it is Sanbonsugi. Rather still withing Gunome standards. Tips should be a bit more pointy. But that is just mine, total newbie opinion. 

 

My vision of Sanbonsugi is something like this:

 

Cheers! 

[Jaron]

Thanks everyone so much thus far. And thanks Jean, I wasn’t going to say it but I thought it might be too. I have a suriage katana that is Magoroku, but mumei, and I was able to break his “code” of inconsistent Sanbon-sugi but I have not found his mei to be anything like this that I have found in my research. I thought it might be a top student of his?? I have found some mei starting with Noshu that might be right, and none of the “Mino” beginnings look close. The only one I have found that is even a hint of being close is Kaneuji with his straight, deep 3 chisel lines but messy, and this is not Kaneuji. It has those two flipping up and opposing strokes above the straight lines that are the mystery, I have used AI extensively to try and track this down but basically the same place I am at now. Definitely Mino I think. I know also that Magoroku pushed the limits of forging, which is obviously this blade. It looks like it should have exploded.

[eternal_newbie]

2 hours ago, 2devnul said:

My vision of Sanbonsugi is something like this:

 

Coincidentally, a dealer just listed a Tokubetsu Hozon Magoroku in sanbonsugi on their website: https://www.nipponto.co.jp/swords12/KT342984.htm

[Jaron]

Yes Rohan, and I agree. The other katana I have looks more similar to that actually. But from what I have seen Magoroku had many different styles of it and even Fujishiro said that often the sanbon-sugi either wasn’t easily seen or really didn’t exist on some. The one I have is a bit more structured but still hard to see the pattern but once you do, it’s hard not to see it. The hamon on this one is similar to the other Magoroku in that the actual hamon is more of a togari-ba with short ashi legs.

Edited May 15 by Jaron

[ROKUJURO]

I am confident that one of our native speakers (or SteveM) could contribute to the partial KANJI.
Perhaps post it in the TRANSLATION section.

[Jaron]

Great idea Jean. I should have done that to begin with. 

[Toki]

Maybe 珍 with the left side lost in the Mekugi Ana?
Though I dont know if any Mei uses that Kanji.

[Jaron]

And actually Jean my best guess at this point is a fractured

   

濃

 

as part of Noshu   濃州 which would fit with a Mino blade. Perhaps a Magoroku disciple or the man himself. It’s interesting as the hamon moves toward the Monouchi, the sanbon-sugi becomes very structured for 4 or 5 “cedar patterns”

 

Edited Monday at 04:44 PM by Jaron

[ROKUJURO]

deleted

[Jaron]

Yes typo, my apologies. I didn’t catch that and grammar check red flags that word for all spellings so I just didn’t. Thank you for pointing that out. It is now edited and correct.