A Little Help...

[SwordGuyJoe]

All,

I am stuck on this inscription.  Can someone please help???

 

 

 

 

 

[k morita]

Joe,

 

Are you thinking about translation of the kanji characters inscription on the blade is "A Littlele Help" ?

Do you owning this blade now?

Who is the smith?

[SwordGuyJoe]

I do not own the sword and the smith is Kawachi Toshiyuki. I was able to make out the mei, but this is too much for me. I can recognize a few characters, but bot enough to lead me to an answer.

 

Add link: http://www.e-sword.jp/katana/1410-1060.htm

[k morita]

The inscription on the blade is a Waka-poem by Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi who was in the eighth century poet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ctomo_no_Yakamochi

[SteveM]

And, it is written in Man'yōgana, which is a mostly phonetic representation of (basically) eight-century Old Japanese

 

original; 都流藝多知　伊与餘刀具倍之　伊尓之敝由　佐夜氣久於比弖　伎尓之曽乃名曽

katakana: ツルギタチ　イヨヨトグベシ　イニシヘユ　サヤケクオヒテ　キニシソノナソ

modern: 剣大刀　いよよ研ぐべし　古ゆ　さやけく負ひて　来にしその名そ

 

The "modern equivalent" is still above my pay grade. I also notice a variation in the original vs. the one on the sword. 尓 has become 爾 on the sword.

Cribbed from the site below http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~sg2h-ymst/yakauta_h.html. The inscription on the sword is oddly attributed(?) to a 19th-century writer, Sugawara Natsukage 菅原夏蔭.

[Markus]

It is a poem by the famous waka poet Ôtomo no Yakamochi (大伴家持, 718?-785), written in view of his relative Sukune Ôtomo no Koshibi (大伴古慈斐, 695-777) when the latter was slandered and removed from office. The setting was about that the name of the venerable Ôtomo clan was questioned due to Koshibi's alleged dishonorable deeds, which was answered by Yakamochi with this poem:

 

"Like a sword is always polished, this/our name [Ôtomo] is untarnished since oldest times."

 

 

[SwordGuyJoe]

Thank you very much guys!

[Brian]

Wow Morita san, Steve and Markus....you blow me away with your knowledge  \

:clap: