Help Please - The Bizen Nagamaki

[Cuirassier]

Hi Guys

I thought it best to post these under the translation section.

This started life on the Military Gunto Section;

http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/17902-double-bohi-shin-gunto-tachi-a-very-unusual-ww2-sword/?p=185028

To my disgrace, I did not see the beauty or special / rare form of blade.

There are some mei photos still on the original thread. But I hope it is in order posting these here.

The mei is beyond me (actually, I have an idea but I do not want to make a fool of myself again / dream too much).

So, here they are;

[Cuirassier]

Here is the date part (please, pretty please)

 

[Cuirassier]

And blade photos (gunto fittings nowhere to be seen)

 

[Cuirassier]

And finally, there is a Mon on the kabuto-gane - I can not find it in my pages of Mons - if there are any Mon experts here...... :-)

 

 

[Guido]

Maybe someone with better eyesight than me can read the signature and date, but the mon is not a mon but a name: Nakano 仲野.

[Stephen]

Focus reduce please 

[Kronos]

It seems to begin Bizen Kuni but can't see the rest of the signature clearly. For the date it might be: (X) 永三年十二月日 where X is unknown to me. It may be easier for you to look here: http://www.jssus.org/nkp/koto.html

And try to match a date as there's only a handful of possibilities with 永 (ei) As the second Kanji. I could be wrong ofcourse as it probably looks much clearer in hand.

[Cuirassier]

Thanks James, and that is a useful reference page for sure.

Of my photos, the second one shows some of the first kanji to be a angled right leg meeting a vertical shaft and a cross bar (sorry to use such western terms). Any one else agree? So Tenei (1110) or Taiei (1521); I suspect the later for Bizen Kuni?

 

天永 Tenei 1110
元永 Genei 1118
寿永 Juei    1182
建永 Kenei 1206
文永 Bunei 1264
貞永 Jôei    1232
康永 Kôei 1342
応永 Ôei 1394
大永 Taiei 1521

[Cuirassier]

Maybe someone with better eyesight than me can read the signature and date, but the mon is not a mon but a name: Nakano 仲野.

Thank you very much Guido. Nakano was the Imperial Japanese Army's Elite Intelligence School.

[Cuirassier]

Thanks James, and that is a useful reference page for sure.

Of my photos, the second one shows some of the first kanji to be a angled right leg meeting a vertical shaft and a cross bar (sorry to use such western terms). Any one else agree? So Tenei (1110) or Taiei (1521); I suspect the later for Bizen Kuni?

 

天永 Tenei 1110

元永 Genei 1118

寿永 Juei    1182

建永 Kenei 1206

文永 Bunei 1264

貞永 Jôei    1232

康永 Kôei 1342

応永 Ôei 1394

大永 Taiei 1521

It could also be 康 永 Kôei 1342, as there appears to be a second longer cross bar above the lower smaller cross bar?

[Guido]

Thank you very much Guido. Nakano was the Imperial Japanese Army's Elite Intelligence School.

 

Right. It's also the name of a couple of towns, a university, a pre-war actor - and a not uncommon surname.  

[SteveM]

Also, the Nakano School used the normal 中, 

 

仲野 = The sword in this thread

中野 = The name of the imperial army school.

[Cuirassier]

Also, the Nakano School used the normal 中, 

 

仲野 = The sword in this thread

中野 = The name of the imperial army school.

OK, thanks; shame though. I wonder if it could have been the officer's name. Is there a web resource for officer names anyone is aware of? I can tell you the gunto came from Burma.

[Cuirassier]

Right. It's also the name of a couple of towns, a university, a pre-war actor - and a not uncommon surname.  

:-) But I thought there were rules about putting such things on guntos. Only mons for certified families?

PS Was the actor any good?

[Cuirassier]

BISHU OSAFUNE JU YOSHIKAGE?

[Ron STL]

Yoshikage is a good call since he made many naginata (naginata-naoshi, today).

[Cuirassier]

Yoshikage is a good call since he made many naginata (naginata-naoshi, today).

:-) Thanks Ron