translation help

[Jean]

Masanao is a student of Kiyondo and late Shinshinto

[cabowen]

The bottom kanji is most likely kiyo 清　not nao 直

 

The smith is from Sanuki 讃岐　and made the blade is Tokyo. The best guess for the smith is Masakiyo 正清　and is most likely from Taisho/early Showa period.

[peter]

Thanks again for your input Jean and thank you Chris for the clear translation place and date,

Peter

[peter]

Hello again Gents,

An up date on the Tanto, Thanks to Mr Paul Martin it received Hozon Papers, but here is the bummer not even the shinsa team would give a definite on the ''Kiyo'' and left it open . they have placed it as shin-shinto which i suppose with mention of Tokyo on the tang was a heads up as it was Edo until 1868, although with a lot of help from board members, Books and www. i am no further on pinpointing the smith in question, even with the name, era, and residence, (Sanuki/Sanshu) .

Many thanks to all involved,

Peter

[peter]

Another.

[george trotter]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for getting back to us on this. I have to agree that the blade was well worth polish and papers. A nice find.

I know the paper does not confirm "Kiyo", but the pics of the mei make me feel comfortable on our original opinion that this is most probably Masakiyo. I would recommend that you never give up on checking every Masakiyo mei/oshigata that you come across and check carefully the blade features and the chisel strokes, yasuri of their works etc etc. ..and I expect one day that you will post a "breakthrough" discovery pic or some-such.

Happy hunting and enjoyment of your tanto.

[peter]

Hi George

I will certainly do that, just frustrating, i actually thought it may have been this one,

with the Tang reference to ''Tokyo''

 

in the first month of Kyōhō six (1721), the eighth Tokugawa-shōgun Yoshimune (徳川吉宗, 1684-1751) invited the best smiths of the countries to a sword forging contest to his Edo residence, the winners were besides of Masakiyo Ippei Yasuyo (安代), Nobukuni Shigekane (信国重包) from Chikuzen, and the 4th generation Nanki Shigekuni (南紀重国), all of them were granted a single leaf of the Tokugawa aoi crest to be signed on their sword tangs, especially outstanding in this contest were Masakiyo an Yasuyo who enjoyed subsequently a veritable program consisting of recommendations and orders, the honorary title „Mondo no Shō“ (主水正) was granted to him on the 13th day of the seventh month of the same year (1721), he died on the sixth day of the sixth month Kyōhō 15 (1730) at the age of 61, ( thanks Mariusz for ref, from Markus book?)

 

but seems a little early. maybe this one stayed in Tokyo and had a son :-)

Peter