teppo mei

[cabowen]

Some time back I mentioned I had a nice hinawaju and said I would post photos of the mei. Here they are....I think it reads Sesshu ju Horikawa Igawa Yosabee Saku 摂州住井川与三兵衛　作　followed by Shigeaki (Shigetaka?) 重尭　(kao)...The gun is devoid of any decoration. It is the simplest and plainest hinawaju I have ever seen, actually...

 

If anyone has any info on this maker, I would appreciate hearing it...Thanks.

 

EDIT: Corrected some Japanese errors (thanks Marcus!)

 

[Stephen]

Chris do you have links to when posted? i missed it or just talked about? after the mei gets attention id love to see the gun.

[Justin Grant]

Chris

 

I have a book at home I purchased from Piers. It lists recorded smiths. If this Sakai Smith is listed, I'll let you know.

 

Being plain may indicate a utilitarian teppo or an early model.

 

Justin

[cabowen]

I don't have any pictures of the assembled gun- it is apart and I unpacked the barrel as I came across it while looking for something else....

 

Appreciate any help offered regarding smith info! Thanks....

 

I think it is early...Really looks well made- the signature looks as nice as those done by many swordsmiths!

[Markus]

Although not a teppô guy, I think the family name reads "Igawa" (井川) and not "Horikawa"

and I think the reading for the characters (重尭) is "Shigetaka". Just to mention

before Justin starts his investigation.

[cabowen]

Thanks Marcus!

 

I transliterated the kanji, sort of! Seeing 井, my brain was thinking 堀井 Horii, and I wrote Hori when I should have written i ! 　Thanks again!

[Peter Bleed]

So, Chris,

Is this the one you were going to put over the fire?

Peter

[cabowen]

No, not this one....

[Justin Grant]

This is all I have

[cabowen]

So all that is listed is his name...too bad there isn't more info...

[Justin Grant]

They have more listed. I'll get the page coppied tomorrow. Was not sure if I could get it posted with my phone.

 

Jg

[Justin Grant]

Hope this helps

 

[cabowen]

Thanks!

 

It says that there is a 5 momme gun of his in the Matsumoto Castle armory...

[Justin Grant]

Glad I could provide some information. This is a several year old version of a regularly updated book. Once Piers gets back from his European vacation, maybe he can look it up in the most recent, it may have more with dates.

 

This is just a compilation of known smiths that are recorded by the author. So if a new addition was added where the smith dated his work, you have a time period.

[Justin Grant]

I was asked for the section heading for the smith, so I'll post it and the cover of the book for "Proper Credit"

 

 

 

[uwe]

Think I have some pics from the Matsumoto guns...... :|

Uwe

[Bugyotsuji]

His records cover only guns recorded within Japan, but there must be hundreds around the world that escaped Japan before the present registration system was introduced. I doubt that he has any way of including such finds abroad, such as Chris's one above. For this reason I doubt that later volumes will be radically different from yours, Justin. My own copy is from Heisei 20 (six years ago) and looks the same as your entry above.

[cabowen]

His records cover only guns recorded within Japan, but there must be hundreds around the world that escaped Japan before the present registration system was introduced. I doubt that he has any way of including such finds abroad, such as Chris's one above. For this reason I doubt that later volumes will be radically different from yours, Justin. My own copy is from Heisei 20 (six years ago) and looks the same as your entry above.

 

 

Piers- any additional info on my smith from any of your other sources?

 

Thanks....

[Bugyotsuji]

Chris, sadly there is no better list, which is why I am carrying this one resource with me at the moment. The other gunsmith list is back in Japan, but it is less comprehensive and generally covered anyway in Urabe's work which Justin quotes above. One of the Ikawa smith family produced a gun there on that page dated Bunkyu 2 Nen, putting it at the end of Edo.

 

Sawada Taira produced an illustrated booklet about the Settsu smiths which may give you more information, but I do not have the details here. I have a copy back in Japan if you can wait until late March. Otherwise an internet search brings up... hmmmm.

 

It may be this book here, an old auction listing, although the blurb below does not mention that it covers your smith, merely confining itself to the three or four most famous Sakai smiths.

http://aucview.aucfan.com/yahoo/g111808426/

[cabowen]

Thanks Piers...I just remember when I had it licensed, they looked up the maker in a book and told me earlier rather than later Edo and that it was a very good example, take good care of it....I was surprised to hear it was older as I assumed from the condition it was 1800's...They laughed when I told them that...???

 

Anyway, I am in no hurry. If you should find something more when you return to Japan, I would be most grateful.