Ray Singer

The sayagaki is to Tsuda Echizen no kami Sukehiro. Show the nakago (tang).

Suspect this reads Kanemoto.

I just looked online to see if there were any other examples of this mei and I see this specific sword discussed below. https://www.reddit.c...wg/japanese_english/ Unfortunately my guess would be gimei.

I have never seen a mei of 近江大掾藤原國路. The Horikawa smith Kunimichi signed 出羽大掾. Where did you find a reference for an Omi Daijo title for a smith who signed Kunimichi? The nakago looks possibly Showa-era. What does the blade look like? Possibly gimei if it is not a valid meikanmore smith.

Please disregard, I missed that you already had the assembly number and surname translation.

Dated Eiroku go nen ni gatsu hi (a day in the fifth month of 1562). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiroku

Bishu MIhara ju Masachika (indicating Bingo Mihara school).

Kunihiro. I feel like I've translated this one five times on Facebook in the last week

High quality late Edo shinshinto tanto from the Hoju school. Hoju was a long running school descending back to the Heian period. This is a signed example of their late work and is papered affirming the mei and condition. The blade is massively thick, healthy and flawless with horimono of ken, lotus and bonji. In polish with shirasaya, habaki and kanteisho. Now available. $2,500 + shipping & PayPal

It would be difficult to find a healthier Nanbokucho period blade than this one. Middle Nanbokucho wakizashi with papers to Bizen Osafune Omiya Morikage. Classic Nanbokucho sugata with a wide mihaba and long kissaki. The blade has a healthy and flawless jitetsu, with a tight itame hada and a bright suguha-based hamon, with kinsuji and ashi. In excellent Japanese polish, shirasaya and silver habaki with accompanying koshirae. $6,750 + shipping & PayPal MORIKAGE (盛景), 1st gen., Jōji (貞治, 1362-1368), Bizen – “Bishū Osafune-jū Morikage” (備州長船住盛景), “Bizen no Kuni Osafune-jū Morikage” (備前国長船住盛景), “Bishū Osafune Morikage” (備州長船盛景), Ōmiya school, according to tradition the son of Moritsugu (盛次), dense itame with fine ji-nie which tends somewhat to stands out, the kataochi-gunome reminds of Kanemitsu (兼光), he applied also a koshi-no-hiraita gunome-chōji, the signature is chiselled in small characters, ryō-wazamono, jō-saku - Markus Sesko

This is a quite spectacular and healthy koto daito with Tokubetsu Hozon papers to the late Nanbokucho / Oei smith Hokke Ichijo. The blade just received an exemplary restoration in Japan, with high quality polish, shirasaya and gold foil habaki. The blade has a bright suguha based hamon with lots of fine activities along the edge. The jihada is a beautifully formed itame with a few areas of flowing itame and masame. In shirasaya with WWII era shingunto koshirae with leather cover. A good choice of someone is looking for an example of the highest quality of blade that can be found in koshirae carried to war. ICHIJŌ (一乗), 1st gen., Ōei (応永, 1394-1428), Bingo – “Bingo no Kuni-jū Ichijō saku” (備後国住一乗作), “Hokke Ichijō” (法華一乗), “Bingo no Kuni-jū Ichijō” (備後国住一乗), “Ichijō” (一乗), “Ichi” (一), he lived in Kusado (草戸) in the Ashida district (芦田) of Bingo province, because of that local connection, this lineage is also referred to as Ashida-Mihara (芦田三原) or due to the supplement “Hokke” also to as Hokke-Mihara (法華三原), some sources see him as son of Mihara Masaie (正家), others as student of Kokubunji Sukekuni (国分寺助国), beautifully and finely forged ko-itame, suguha mixed with gunome-midare or chōji-midare, jō-saku $10,500 + shipping

Signed Amakuni. Likely a reference to the famous early Yamato smith, but not an authentic example of his mei. The koshirae looks like carved lacquer.

Kunihiro dated October 1943

Please see below. http://ohmura-study.net/957.html

作州津山住兼景 - Sakushū Tsuyama ju Kanekage

This smith Kanenami does not appear to be listed in the meikan but here is anther example. https://www.aoijapan...navy-sword-mounting/

Hi Dan, I presently have a signed Kamakura tachi with tachi koshirae, and shirasaya with Tanobe-sensei sayagaki (Tokubetsu Hozon). It is above the budget you mentioned, but please message me if you would like to discuss further. Best regards, Ray

February, 1943.

Bushu ju Teru __ Perhaps Teruhide

The kanji that you circled is indeed do/michi. In the inscription the last two characters are read Nyudo and when seen in an inscription refer to a lay priest name. http://tibetanbuddhi...index.php/Lay_priest

There are many gimei (fake inscriptions) for Yasutsugu. This will give you more information on the lineage. https://nihontoclub.com/view/smiths/meisearch?order=field_smith_start_era_value&sort=asc&type=All&mei_op=contains&mei=康繼

Inshu ju Toshizane https://nihontoclub.com/smiths/TOS353

I really try to avoid giving values on swords that I have not seen in hand. There are too many small details that can greatly affect value.