Translation Assistance

[reeder]

Hello, I've been trying to translate the following blades for a friend of mine.  The first is a showa era, and the 2nd earlier that I suspect is gimei.  Anyways, here is the showa period nakago.  I have:

 

Date (right) - Showa 19 nen 4 gatsu jyu hi

Top left - ? 11 do 1 3 ? (last mei looks similar to Uji but is missing 1 stroke)

Bottom center - ? tsukura/michi taka yasu/taka/yoshi?

 

Smith - ? toshitsugu saku kore

[reeder]

2nd blade.  I apologize for the poor pictures.

 

? yama ? minamoto ? ?

 

? ? naga ? ?

[SteveM]

Hello Brandon,

 

Regarding the first blade, you have the date right. Note that 十日 is pronounced tōka (not jyu hi, although it is a common mistake for learners of Japanese).

 

The top left kanji look to me like 鳥土井十三氏. Feels to me like just random kanji. I'm not completely confident of the 井. The 氏 couldn't possibly be intended to be anything else, so the lack of the bottom stroke is a slight worry.

 

On the bottom is 北進南攻, which feels like an appropriation of a Chinese phrase meaning advance to the north, attack to the south. 

 

The smith's (?) name on the reverse side is 境政次作之　(Sakai Masatsugu), who is an actual smith of military blades. I cannot verify the authenticity, but given the crude kanji scratchings on the opposite side  I have my doubts.  

[SteveM]

The second blade is:

 

横山藤原祐囗　ー　Yokoyama Fujiwara Suke (obscured)

 

the reverse side is

備前長船住 (cut)　- Bizen Osafune Ju (cut) 

 

I suspect the full name of the smith is 横山藤原祐定, Yokokama Fukuwara Sukesada. And the full engraving on the other side would be Bizen Osafune Junin.

 

Compare to this sword here from the smith with the same name, with the same style signature.

http://www.tokka.biz/sword/sukesada5.html 

[Nobody]

The first one;

 

昭和十七年四月十日 - Showa 17th year, April 10

為土井一三氏 - For Mr. DOI Kazumi

北進南攻 - advance to the north, attack to the south. (as Steve said)

 

境政次作之 - SAKAI Masatsugu made this.

[reeder]

Thank you very much gentlemen.  Looks like I goofed the 7 for a 9.  I should have gotten that correct as well as Bizen Osafune.  Again, many thanks for your time and help.