Markus

I´m not yet able to get the meaning of the line but I found out that sôka (霜華) could also refer to just the frost, i.e. because it is so beautifully white like a flower. I would translate museki (無迹) as "[something] leaves no traces" for the time being. So my translation would be: "A polished sword remains [to be bautiful/sharp] and does not fade like the frost." And regarding the "taikei", did you ask Tanobe-sensei after a boozed night for a signature? Maybe he thought YOU are actually ten years older on that very day.

Unfortunately I can´t decipher all of the mei. Maybe you can take a bigger picture of the omote-mei: 一真政龍　　 Isshin Masatatsu ？？山春秋 ??-san shunjû (meaning might change in connection with the rest of the kanji) 南陽軒？製之 Nan´yôken ? kore o sei (the latter parts means "made this", meaning might change in connection with the rest of the kanji) 文久二壬戌歳冬日 Bunkyû ni, mizunoe-inudoshi fuyu no hi ("fuyu no hi" reads also as "tôjitsu") ("on a winter day in the second year Bunkyû, year of the dog")

Oh, thanks for clearing up that one. 鑑之大磨上無銘也 kangamite kore, ô-suriage mumei nari Roughly translated as "it´s ô-suriage mumei but judged this [as authentic]" I completely forgot that thread...

1. shimotsuki san hi Honami Koson (kao) (3rd day in november) 霜月 三 日 来阿 「花押」 I would read "san hi" as "mikka" 2. Showa x x nen Hinoe Inu (1952? no zodiac date ending in Inu matches - 1st year of something) 昭和 貮拾 壹 年 戌 Shôwa nijûichi-nen inu, 1946, year of the dog 3. daikin shi sun hyaku go mai (value "at least" 350 gold coins? how does 子 translate?) 代金 子 参 百 五 拾枚 The 子 translates in combination with the previous two kanji as "dai-kinsu" 4a. sukekore o-suriage mumei ya (how does 右之 translate? this item? and what does 也 mean?) 右之 大磨上 無銘 也 也 is just a classical form of "to be", i.e. "it is ô-suriage" The first two 右之 puzzle me too. Usually I would expect "tadashi" (但) here. Usually the part 右 refers to the previous line, the line to the right. Maybe it reads just as "migi kore", i.e. "the mentioned item is ô-suriage mumei". Maybe one of our Japanese members could solve this that we can be 100% sure.

当麻國行 正真　 長貮尺参寸壹分余 右之大磨上無銘也 代金子参百五拾枚 昭和貮拾壹年戌　 霜月三日　本阿「花押」 Good Luck

Tobias, please try also the nengo calculator: http://web.me.com/meyer.eva/www.yukikur ... o_calc.htm It gives Thursday the 6th of March 1505 for the first day of the second month Eisho two for example. BTW: The Eisho era started on the 30th day of the second month Bungi 4, which is equivalent to March 16th 1504.

Hi Ludolf, As you mentioned in your earlier post, Naomasa (直将) - the 1st son of Naomasa - died young. Unfortunately he is hardly mentioned in any sources and I was not able to find an entry (or a theory) that he was the actual father of any of Naomasas (直政) students/successors. If he had a son, it would be likely this son that Naomasa (直政) had adopted as heir, so to speak to maintain the blood-line of the eldest son. (Unless Naomasa´s [直将] son had no talent for the kinkô craft at all or there were other reasons for ruling him out as successor.) So in my opinion, if there was a son by Naomasa (直将), it would have been mentioned somewhere in the records. But because this is not the case, I left out Naomasa (直将). Regarding the Sôken-kishô theory that Naotsugu is the true father of Naoharu, I mentioned it for the sake of completeness because several sources mention this Sôken-kishô theory too. Mybe we will never know completely about the exact relationships and family backgrounds of the earlier kinkô schools because already the earliest Japanese publications are often wrong or incomplete or disagree with one another. But it is highly interesting to dig into these old sources and even more satisfying when being able to draw some conclusions. BTW: It is interesting that Tsuneishi lists Naohisa as 2nd generation

I think the correct reading is "Yukisuke". Under this name the artist is also listed in Haynes, H 12463.0.

Hi Gilles, The book with the English title "Legends and Stories Around the Japanese Sword" is certainly in English. You can check it at the "Look Inside!" feature. As Brian replied, I have to contact my publisher that the misleading "in German" has to be corrected in the amazon description.

Bump. I was just informed that the book is now available on amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Markus-S ... 123&sr=8-2

Bump. I was just informed that the book is now available on amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Legends-Stories-a ... 123&sr=8-3 PS: It is neither the "German Edition" nor in German as the description says. It is in English as it should be. I have to contact my publisher to get this fixed...

deleted: double-post

I think the part after 75 reads "ôju" (翁壽), about "old and long-lived". Maybe someone has a better English translation...

Sorry to hijack this thread and I don´t wanna go to far off topic here but I totally agree on this one. Do always compare blades of the same category. An important point often missed.

I tend to Norimitsu (法光).

Thank you very much Morita-san! Yes, the figures and photos are identical with the German version.

Hi everybody, Finally I managed it to finish the English version of my book "Legends and Stories around the Japanese Sword" published about a year ago. A big Thank You goes to Paul Gill for his tireless proof reading! I would take the liberty to quote from the blurb: "In the last years and decades several publications and translations on the subject of the Japanese Sword have been published in the West. In this way, the historical background, the characteristics of the blades, smiths, and schools, as well as the art of sword forging, and the sword fittings were introduced and explained. The aim of this publication is now to bring the reader closer to the role the Japanese sword – the nihontô – played in the warrior class and the Japanese society, namely by the means of legends, stories, and anecdotes on famous swords and their swordsmiths, embedded in an explanation of the background and other relevant facts. In the end, the reader should have an idea about the high value that was placed on this proverbial legendary weapon that span than a thousand years of Japanese history (and even still today as an object of art). The aim was to obtain a balance between easy access for beginners and detailed facts for confirmed enthusiasts." It can be ordered at my publisher at the link below but it will show up at amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, and amazon.com in a while: http://www.bod.de/index.php?id=296&objk_id=518958 Thanks for your show of support.

Dito. Katsuie for sure. Please bear in mind that there are many different ways a writer/smith can abbreviate certain parts of a radical.

@David I think the last time it took about a week to be ordered at amazon.co.uk and a couple of days more at amazon.com. Just curious: Has anyone ever ordered a book of mine directly at Books on Demand (http://www.bod.de)? I wonder if it works faster that way or if they ship to the UK/US too. And not to forget, thank you all for your interest.

The signature on the blade reads: Inoue Izumi no Kami Kunisada - 井上和泉守国貞 And on the kozuka: Gotô Mitsuyasu + kaô - 後藤光保

@Richard Yes, it will be listed there too. It takes a little longer to show up at amazon.com.

Hello Everybody, I would like to announce my latest publication called "Handbook of Sword Fittings related Terms". The German handbook was privately published by me some time ago but now I was able to finish the English version. I would like to quote from the blurb: "This work focuses on the explanation and the origins of the most common terms in the field of tsuba, kodôgu, and tôsôgu. Terms from all areas are explained in detail, like zôgan (inlay), hori (carvings), iroe (colouring), sukashi (openings), dôgu (tools), jigane (raw materials), jimen (surface and surface finish), etc. Most of the explanations are supported by illustrations." ISBN 978-3-8423-6422-6, paperback, 88 pages, A5, s/w illustrations Price: 24,90 Euro PS: It might take a couple of days until an order can be placed via amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, or amazon.com http://www.amazon.de/Handbook-Sword-Fit ... 941&sr=8-8 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Sword- ... 358&sr=8-8 http://www.bod.de/index.php?id=296&objk_id=514811

The missing part reads "Kumamoto" (隈本). This is the old writing of Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) which was used for the former castle at the Cha´usu-yama. Katô Kiyomasa had erected the new castle where the old one stood. The construction was finished in 1606 and the new characters were used from 1607 onwards. Quite interesting background...

I apologize for the lack of clarity. There is no English version (at least now now) of the full Encyclopedia but an English publication of the genealogies found therein (enlarged with the genealogies of the tsuba craftsmen) is available since April. @Lorenzo: This book was announced here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10155

Iwama Masayoshi had some students. One was adopted by him later as his successor, called Nobuyuki (H 07300.0). Other students were Nobuyoshi (H 07283.0), Naoyuki (H 06907.0) and Norishige (H 07393.0). Masayoshi´s student Hiroyoshi (H 01450.0) is listed in some sources as his son.