Naginata

[Robunder]

Hi everyone.

This is my first post so thanks for having me.I have acquired this naginata and would love some help translating the mei.Im sure the blade upon inspection is acid etched and would love to know if the inscription says made in hong kong.my little joke sorry.any help would be much appreciated.Rob

[Robunder]

Hi everyone.

This is my first post so thanks for having me.I have acquired this naginata and would love some help translating the mei.Im sure the blade upon inspection is acid etched and would love to know if the inscription says made in hong kong.my little joke sorry.any help would be much appreciated.Rob

i need to find out how to compress my photos ill add a few more if you fancy a look.Thanks.Rob

[Robunder]

i need to find out how to compress my photos ill add a few more if you fancy a look.Thanks.Rob

here is another.

[Maurice_lmb]

hello smith name is yukihira.

[Shugyosha]

Hi Rob,

 

The signature reads (from the blade downwards) Taka da Kawa chi Kami ? Yuki hira. I'm not sure what the kanji is immediately after "kami".

 

I hope I'm not the bearer of bad news but the mei might be a bit dodgy: if you look in the Research link above and at Markus Sesko's Nihonto Compendium this lists titles awarded to sword smiths and Kawachi Kami doesn't appear to be a title awarded to a Yukihira.

 

Also, the hamon does look like it has been put on with hadori but it might just be the lighting.

 

Kind regards,

John

[Robunder]

Thanks very much guy.Plenty of food for thought.

Rob

[Robunder]

heres another hope this image is better.Thanks

Rob

[Robunder]

hello smith name is yukihira.

Thanks mate.

Rob

[Shugyosha]

Hi Rob,

 

Better news: It looks like there was a guy with the Kawachi Kami title signing Yukihira afterall but he subsequently changed his name to Motoyuki. The signature isn't an exact match but this could be him.

 

 

MOTOYUKI (本行), 1st gen., Genroku (元禄, 1688-1704), Hizen – “Kishin Dayū Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Yukihira saku” (紀新太夫河内守源行平作), “Hinozen-shū Karatsu-jū Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Motoyuki saku” (肥之前州唐津住河内守源本行作), “Motoyuki” (本行), “Hishū Karatsu Takada Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Motoyuki” (肥州唐津高田河内守源本行), “Bungo Yukihira no sue Takada Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Motoyuki” (豊後行平末高田河内守源本行, “Takada Kawachi no Kami Minamoto Motoyuki, successor of Bungo Yukihira”), he was the son of the 1st gen Naoyuki (尚行) and was born in Kan´ei 19 (寛永, 1642), he claimed to be a successor of the kotō-Bungo smith Kishin Dayū Yukihira (紀新太夫行平), around Enpō five (延宝, 1677) he moved from Bungo-Takada to Karatsu (唐津) in Hizen province, he received the honorary title Kawachi no Daijō (河内大掾) on the 17th day of the sixth month Enpō five (1677) and changed his name thereupon Yukiharu (行春) but shortly later he took the name Yukihira (行平), later he also signed with the honorary title Kawachi no Kami but because there are no records found for a granting of this title it is speculated that he might have used it arbitrarily, he went to Kyōto in Genroku seven (1694) and received there from the Hon´ami family (本阿弥) the character for “Hon” (本, Japanese reading “Moto”), upon this he changed his name to Motoyuki, he learned the techniques of the Sōshū tradition from Tsunahiro (綱広), in his later years he returned to his home province of Bungo where he called himself Bungo Tarō (豊後太郎), tradition say that he had a long beard (hige, 髯) what earned him the nickname Hige-Kawachi (髯河内), in his later years he also signed character for “Moto” in a peculiar way that reminds of pine needles (matsuba, 松葉) (see picture right), what earned him or his later works respectively the nickname Matsuba-Motoyuki, we know date signatures from the eleventh year of Genroku (1698) to the twelfth year of Kyōhō (享保, 1727), he forged a dense ko-itame in combination with a gunome-midare, a gunome mixed with tobiyaki, or a hitatsura in ko-nie-deki with much nie and a wide nioiguchi, chūjō-saku

 

Also in that last picture it looks like there is hada as there are some tiny delaminations that can be seen so there's a good chance that it is a genuine nihonto (there have to be laminations before you can have delaminations). If you use low lighting and a simple spot light and let the light play along the blade, hopefully you will see something like in this photo with a line of glistening nioi on or near to the edge of the hamon. From Aoi Art:

 

[Robunder]

Thanks very much.I was hopeful that people on this site would be helpful and you guys have blown me away.as a starter collector this sort of help is invaluable.I really appreciate the time you have spent helping educate me.I'll have a look under a spotlight as you suggest and try for some more photos.thanks again.

Rob hunt

[Gilles]

It seems to me that this naginata is a real one  polished by another "professional polisher" .

[Bazza]

It might be the lighting, but to me both the tang and signature have a modern look.  Could this be a Shinsakuto "Homage" blade???  IMHO Gendaito at best???

 

BazZza (its late!!!)

[Robunder]

Hi guys thanks for you time and opinions.I'm a bit confused now ill figure out how to compress photos and add some of the Yorkshire see if that helps.Thanks.

Rob

[Robunder]

Sorry predictive text I ment koshirae

[Robunder]

hi everyone here is a pic of the whole thing

[Robunder]

If any more pics will help let me know thanks

Rob

[Robunder]

http://s280.photobucket.com/user/AntiqueKoushuya/media/February%202016/A-60/_MG_8024_zpscyczxocu.jpg.html

Rob