Ujifusa and Ujitsune research & translation

[David McDonald]

Dear All

 

I am doing research into the Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa family and need some help in translating some of the entries from “Owari and Yagyu Koshirae – Appendix 1 Owari Toko Meikan.

 

As background I bought a hirazukuri wakizashi at the San Francisco Token Kei in 2006.

The blade was signed Echigo no Kami Ujitsune 越後守藤原氏恒.

 

In Hawley’s book listing UJI194 has a Echigo no Kami Ujitsune but different tsune kanji and the next listing is for a Bishu Echizen no Kami Ujitsune with the correct kanji for tsune. I thought there was just a mistake.

 

In 2010 at the Nihon Token Hozon Kai I submitted my Ujitsune and it received a PINK paper.

Gasp! The blade’s signature looked good and the blade was very well made but the shinsa team looking in the Meikan did not find this smith signing Echigo but only the one signing Echizen no Kami. So PINK!

 

On this list I heard about the new book Owari and Yagyu Koshirae with appendix 1 –

Owari Toko Meikan so ordered the book. I found a listing for my Echigo no Kami Ujitsune who was the second son of Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa. I took the blade and the book to the shinsa earlier this month and the team did give it papers and 75 points. It pays to do research.

 

I thought this would make a good article for the San Fran newsletter so I have started working on translating all the entries relating to Wakasa no kami Ujifusa. Tom Helm also thought it would be a good article so now I have to finish the research. I would like to have the romanji that matches with the kanji and then the English translation. I do not read Japanese very well, so any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks for any help. This is the first in a number of requests. This one is Wakasa no kami Ujifusa (1st generations).

 

Does anyone have any other English article on the Ujifusa group?

 

Later

David

 

 

Ujifusa

 

Owari and Yagyu Koshirae

Appendix 1 – Owari Toko Meikan

 

Page103 second listing

 

First column

[氏房] (うじふさ)

[ujifusa] (u ji fu sa)

 

(初代*元亀)

(Shodai*Genki)

Original generation * worked around 1570’s period

 

天文三年岐阜に 生まれる

Tenbun (1532) san nen Gifu ni shō ma re ru

Birth 1534 ???? (Born in gifu 1534)

 

姓は河材氏

Shō ha ka zai shi

Surname Hakazai?? (Family name Kawasuki)

 

名は京三郎

Myō ha kyō san rō

? son (Name Kyosaburo)

 

のち清左衛門

no chi shō Saeimon

??? Saeimon (Afterwards Saeimon)

 

清州城主織田信長に仕え

Cheongju jōshu Oda Nobunaga ni shi e

Served the lord of Cheongju castle, Oda Nobunaga

 

弘治二年関鍛冶総領を譲られる

Kōji (1555) ni nen Seki tan-ya Sōryō wo jō ra re ru

(In 1557 he handed over his Seki forge.)

 

Second column

永禄十三年四月十九日左衛門尉に任ぜられ[氏房] に改める

Eiroku ju san nen chi gatsu ju kyu hi Saemonjō ni jin ze ra re [ujifusa] ni aratameru

On 19th day of the 4th month in 1570 changed name to Saemonjō Ujifusa???

 

同, 二十二日[若狭守]を受領

Dō, Ni ju ni hi [Wakasa no Kami ] Wo juryō

Same year (1570) as above on the 22nd day received title of Wakasa no Kami

 

信長に従い安士に駐鎚

Nobunaga ni shi ni chū tsui

Nobunaga retainer ???? (Accompanying Nobunaga, he was the resident samurai smith)

 

信長没後岐阜に帰り織田信孝に仕える

Nobunaga botsugo Gifu ni kaeri shoku den shin kō ni shi e ru

After Nobunaga’s death ?? (Returned to Gifu at Nobunaga's death to serve Oda Nobutaka)

 

天正十二年尾張国清州に移り

Tensho ju ni nen Owari Kuni Kiyosu ni utsuri

In 1584 moved to Kiyosu in Owari province

 

佐久間正勝に仕え

Sa kyū kan sei shō ni tsukae

? (Served Masakatsu Sakuma)

 

同十八年五月十一日没

Dō ju hachi nen go gatsu ju ichi hi botsu

Same period, 18th year (1590) 5th mount 11th day died

 

亨年五十七歳

Kyōnen go ju shichi sei

57 years old at death

 

[氏房]

[ujifusa]

 

[若狭 守氏房]

Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa

 

[藤原氏房作]

Fujiwara Ujifusa saku

 

[左衛門尉藤原氏房]

Saeimonjō Fujiwara Ujifusa

 

初銘

Shomei

Original signature

 

兼房

Kanefusa

[cabowen]

That is a lot to reply to...you might consider hiring someone to do all the translating for you....

[John A Stuart]

I filled in some for you. I am not expert so may have mistakes. John

 

天文三年岐阜に 生まれる

Born in Gifu 1534

姓は河材氏

Family name Kawasuki

名は京三郎

Named Kyosaburo

のち清左衛門

Afterwards Seizaemon

弘治二年関鍛冶総領を譲られる

In 1557 he handed over his Seki forge.

信長に従い安士に駐鎚

Accompanying Nobunaga, he was the resident samurai smith.

信長没後岐阜に帰り織田信孝に仕える

Returned to Gifu at Nobunaga’s death to serve Oda Nobutaka.

佐久間正勝に仕え

Served Masakatsu Sakuma

[David McDonald]

Dear Chris

 

That would be great. Do you know someone?

 

thanks

david

 

That is a lot to reply to...you might consider hiring someone to do all the translating for you....

[cabowen]

Try Markus Sesko as a start....no doubt he is busy but he may have time for a small job like this...

[David McDonald]

Dear Chris and John

 

Chris I did find someone that will help me do the translation.

Thanks for the idea.

 

John thanks for your work. I edited my first post to include your information.

 

I looked at ki fu and new it was a place/town name but

did not think Gifu.

 

Very interesting the information that is know about some of these

smiths.

 

later

david