Markus

Apologies for the delay, Hamish, reply via email just sent. @Brian I have planned to make announcements of new books coming out here too in the future. Got some in the pipeline once all the other stuff is finished 😇

Hasebe is there, apologies for the confusion, it is Kunishige, Kuninobu, and the like, with the Hasebe reference after their name. So, its maker first, then school. Should have pointed that out.

I tend more towards what is readily available and restrictions with gifts/donations, e.g., gifts coming with conditions, like needs to be in a special exhibition first, needs to be published in an exhibition catalog before made public to members and in the magazine, etc.

And not a single Sadamune.

If you ever wondered how many swords you would have been able to study if you had attended every single monthly NBTHK main branch meeting the last 25 years, here you go: https://markussesko.com/2025/05/12/nbthk-kanshokantei-blades-analysis/

Hm, I do not have anything on this smith in the records. Looking at certain elements of the shape, e.g., kissaki area, continuation of shinogi in tang, I can't help but think that Takekoshi Hideo may have been an only semi-trained swordsmith, maybe a blacksmith venturing out into making sword blades, or something like these scenarios?

Thank you @Rayhan for reaching out, full support from me.

I don't remember ever seeing an Edo period Hon'ami document that addresses details like such. Only entering the Meiji era, and then we already get overlapping/contradicting terminology. @Rivkin Hi Kirill on this occasion, long time no see. Downloaded your guide and eagerly read it the other day. Very good!

@SteveM I actually thought of ume first too. So similar in cursive.

The first character is a bit odd. Man'yōgana should be (波) for Ha, but it looks like it is either(柀) or (披), which do not read ha. But anyways, we have here a poem by Matsuo Bashō about early spring, with the last two elements, moon and plums (tsuki to ume) being a rebus as shown on the tsuba and not spelled out in the poem. 披る茂屋々 けしき登々乃ふ Haru mo yaya keshiki totonou tsuki to ume. "The scenery of spring is almost in place, with the moon and plums"

Teruyoshi studied with Hosokawa Masayoshi after he had received his initial training from Terukazu.

Just a couple of corrections, if I may. The two names in question are Gyokurinshi Hideji (玉林子英二) and Gyokurinshi Teruyoshi (玉鱗子英義), both smiths who had been adopted by Terukazu (英一).

As Jacques pointed out, just a different way of writing KANE (兼). There is even a term for that, uokane, when the KANE (兼) character resembles that for "fish" (魚, Japanese: uo/gyo/sakana).

I would like to thank you, Andy and Chi Fan 🙏

Amazing! This looks like something you can look at for years and discover new things. Thank you for sharing @Andrew Ickeringill