Proud Of This Signed F/k Set, Please Set Me Straight

[ggil]

Hello everyone,

 

Snagged these a year ago for a quick $150 on ebay.  They look to be ?iron? and copper, with copper/shakudo aftermarket inserts (which are sort of nice themselves).  I looked up the symbology of the ginger and bow/arrow, but can't recall its significance (but will look again now that im posting them, and then ill update the post with hat info).  As I am too lazy to look up the kanji, will anyone be so kind to do this for me?  Also, once we find out what the mei is, maybe someone will be able to say that they have read about the supposed artist.  That would be excellent!  Thanks everyone for looking, and those that will donate their time are especially thanked! 

[Bazza]

On rhs NANTO JU

lhs YASUSADA

 

I'm sure someone else will know more off the top of their head.

 

BaZZa.

[John A Stuart]

The only guy this can be is the Yasusada using 安貞 in the Nara area group (kaji), which is only, I believe, where the old Nanto using 南都 can be found. H 11245 John

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello,

 

Perhaps it's because I'm up late lacking sleep and my eyes deceive me, however, both the fuchi and kashira look to have been refitted with inserts, not an uncommon occurrence on a fuchi. You might try, if you're unaware at this point, gently pulling on that separate rim on the fuchi, don't force, to see if it comes out? Difficult to tell material but would say that at least the separate rim I see is shakudo. The larger part I would have to see in hand to tell for certain, suspect shakudo also, though.

[Bazza]

I quite agree with Franco (G'day mate), your eyes aren't deceiving you.  Such inserts have been discussed here before and I have personally seen a few. I don't recall any substantive reason given for their existence, though it is clearly a very high order skill to make such inserts.  The one illustrated below took quite a time to winkle out - to prove that it was an insert.

 

BaZZa.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Good morning Bazza, All,

 

My first F/K set were Owari pieces and the fuchi had an insert. It's typically done when the fittings are being used on a different sword/tsuka where there is a need to down size the opening for a proper fit. Yes, the precision is quite impressive.

[ggil]

John and BaZZa,  Thanks so much for looking that up, and taking time to help me.  You are the best!

 

Franco, I didn't think of removing them?  Maybe If they ever get restored (I doubt it)... I think they are glued in with lacquer, as the kashira has a gob of it that seems to have oozed from under the insert.  The inserts are very nicely done as you say. 

 

Maybe I never did look up the symbology of the subject matter, because it seems not easy to find such information.  I know that myoga is medicinal, and have read that bow and arrows are Shinto symbols of divine protection (and obviously they are a really smart way to defend oneself: at a distance), so maybe the symbology evokes protection from the divine and corporeal as well.  I'm giving up. 

 

Thanks fellas!

[ggil]

upon close inspection, the iron and copper foundations look to be soldered together with gold (or gold colored alloy like brass).   I can see a faint line of it where the surfaces don't meet perfectly.  Maybe the reason for the black coating where the mei is: copper/gold oxidation spreading from the gold solder.  I really love these pieces!

[Ford Hallam]

There appears to be a slightly raised edge to the chiselled kanji that make up the mei. If this were as old as it appears then I'd expect that to be much more level, in fact it would be usual to polish the ground with a stone/charcoal after chiselling which would level the ground around the cuts completely. It also looks far too crisp for me to be comfortable that this isn't a case of ato-mei, ie; a spurious signature added sometime after manufacture. In this case fairly recently I suspect.