Kakatana Shirasaya

[SSt]

I recently acquired a mumei showa tanto in shirasaya.

It came in its original silk bag (somewhat stained and soiled) which has the mitsu tomoe mon of Iwashimizu hachiman-ju.

 

The shinogi-ji is chisel stamped;

Left side : 滅敵 Metsu Teki - Destroy Evil

Right side : 石清水八幡宮 Iwashimizu hachiman-ju

 

It is the katakana script on the shirasaya that I am having trouble with.

I have managed to transribe the individual characters ;

 

ru shi/tsu ta n/so na so/n to ha shi/tsu hu/fu me n/so to

 

But what does it actually translate as?

Would appreciate the opinion of more knowledgable collectors.

Thanks.

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi Steve,

 

Sounds like a Buddhist sutra or chant to me.

 

I'll ask my wife to take a look when she gets back home as she's pretty good with inscriptions, especially religious ones.

 

Simon

[Paul Martin]

Isn't it Leiutenant someone?

 

Best

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Hi Paul,

 

It would certainly make sense being an officers name if this was an early Showa presentation piece.

 

However, isn't 2nd lieutenant "Sho-i" and lieutenant "Chu-i" which doesn't seem to match any of the words as transcribed by Steve? :?

 

All the best

Simon

[SSt]

Hi

Here is a little more info, don't know whether it helps or not.

 

The blade seems to be in the smiths pre-polish stage, i.e. it seems never to have been sent to the final polisher.

The inscriptions are quite rough to the touch, the displacement of the steel from the chisel stamping is very evident.

A previous owner has added a crude edge, and it is not the work of a professional polisher.

 

Thanks.

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Right Steve,

the boss is back and she has given me her considered opinion:

 

Your translation is almost spot on bar a couple of tiny errors but

A: It makes no sense whatsoever

B: It is in extremely bad handwriting which looks to my wife like a non-Japanese trying to imitate katakana script.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it sounds a tad suspicious to me, especially when combined with the never polished-down inscription and the other details you mentioned.

 

Simon

[Nobody]

Hi,

 

IMHO, the tanto seems to be a souvenir which was bought around Iwashimizu-Hachiman-gu. I think that the sayagaki means a name and his rank of a soldier who bought it and wrote the sayagaki by himself.

That may be "Lueutenant Hafment". But I am unsure about English names. It may be Huffman, Hoffmann,....? Anyway, something like that.

[SSt]

Appreciate the feedback.

So it seems that it may read ;

 

ruttannaso haffumen to - lieutenant Hoffman's Knife?

 

My gut feeling is that the tanto was produced at the Shrine for sale to IJA personnel. It was probably extremely late war production, the war finished and thus the tanto never made it to final polish.

The blade has good proportions and weight, 3mm munemachi tapers to 1mm at the nakagojiri. Approx. 5.5mm at the shinogisuji

The habaki is plain but heavy solid silver(?), mekugi-ana is punched, not drilled, from left to right. Painted kanji on the left side of the nakago which is very faded.

 

An allied occupation war souvenir, acquired by a Lt. Hoffman(?).

 

Thanks All.

[Guest Simon Rowson]

Doh!......I was trying to identify a Japanese meaning or rank when it was a foreign name all along.

 

Sorry Paul, you were right about Lieutenant. I was looking for it's IJA equivalent!

 

Overall an interesting piece with an interesting history.

 

Steve, are you going to have it polished or leave it as is?

 

All the best,

 

Simon

[SSt]

Hi Simon

Still undecided as to whether I should have it polished.

Under the right light I can discern the hamon with very pointed waves approx. 15mm between peaks.

If I have the piece polished, I will update with pic's.

 

Thanks again all.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Steve, Hoffmann is a german family name.

Have you bough it on E-bay ? Any chanche it was purchased by a

german miltary "attachè" in Japan before ?

 

Maybe have you found the smaller cousin of Hitler's katana... :D