Horimono Translation

[FletchSan]

Hi All,

 

I picked up this tanto which I believe is a Ken which has hormiono on both sides. Kanji and a flaming ball on one side and a dragon on the other

The Kanji I've determined may be

 

寳

釼

 

天

国

 

​​This may be a literal translation - but do the first two characters mean Treasure Sword and are the last two a reference to the famous smith Amakuni. Could be a homage to him and a temple offering? or does it translate to something else?

thanks,

Ben

[ggil]

I'd like more pictures please. Good luck on the translation request. Someone will come along to help in time.

[John A Stuart]

Nonsense to me. Houken  Tengoku 寳釼   天国 (a name? or as you say special sword,  then, paradise, Kingdom of Heaven or Amakuni)

[Peter Bleed]

Looks Chinese - and not in a good sense.

Peter

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Looks Chinese - and not in a good sense.

Peter

 

Indeed. More pics should help to find if it is so.

[drbvac]

Agreed - fake or very poor horimono carving - probably both 

[FletchSan]

Ugh - I hope it isn't a fake. I don't think it is? Hopefully not another lesson learned I'll take some more photos when I receive it in a few days.

[ggil]

It isn't fake, don't worry. Maybe a tourist piece but then again the blade shows suguha hamon (even tourist pieces/post sword ban stuff can be quite nice). PM one of our Japanese members like Mr. Morita San for the kanji. I like the dragon (edit: ugh I've seen worse but these were showato/late - hey it isn't polished away and it is more enjoyable than some). It looks like the kanji were Gold filled at one point. It's funny with nihonto purists that anything not exactly looking like a nihonto is always (edit: dumb generalization: many many fakes come through and people here are knowledable enough to see them mostly - sorry folks) "fake" on the board here (LOL). Then again some educated collectors still like the late oddball stuff.

[dominnimod]

Ugh - I hope it isn't a fake. I don't think it is? Hopefully not another lesson learned  I'll some more photos when I receive it in a few days.

No way that's fake,and if it is, a great fake,IMO a beautiful blade,with good horimono, it's a Japanese dragon as it has 3 fingers, so no idea about the kanji

[ggil]

Josh, maybe under all the rust it's beautiful, but as is it would have to be a great price to buy it. It needs a polish pretty badly, and we know that isn't cheap. I don't go the " uchiko till your uchiko balls fall off" route so for most this wouldn't be desirable.

[dominnimod]

Josh, maybe under all the rust it's beautiful, but as is it would have to be a great price to buy it. It needs a polish pretty badly, and we know that isn't cheap. I don't go the " uchiko till your uchiko balls fall off" route so for most this wouldn't be desirable.

I agree, i just wanted to transmit my opinion to the owner, that leaving aside the fact that might be cheap( i really doubt it,seems fairly recent 100-200years,but not cheap), i frankly would love to own a piece like it

[FletchSan]

It was a ww2 bring back - so it sounds like the vet found it in either a temple or a gift shop

 

I really like it - so glad there's no consensus of it being fake, and I'm sure the Kanji threw people off which suggests it may be unusual Kanji for horimono?

 

Looking forward to receiving it as it'll be a fun one to research. I paid about half of what the seller originally wanted - so don't feel that I overpaid . I'll get a window done.

 

I couldn't find too much about Ken other than a few one sentence mentions in books or online about them typically being Buddhist temple offerings from smiths and examples being either shinshinto or gendai. Anyone have any good references on them?

[FletchSan]

When I google "寳釼" "天国" there aren't a huge amount of results, though google images shows images of temples or shrines. I can't translate the Japanese and google translate doesn't help a whole lot - though I think there's a clue there.

 

Grant, I think you are right about the kanji being filled with gold at one point, I hadn't noticed it previously. Is this unusual? I think I've seen horimono painted red before.

 

 

[ggil]

Is it unusual to fill kanji w gold on blades? Not really. It's usually done for cutting test inscriptions. But honestly, yeah pretty much everything about the piece is unusual. I wonder about the sugata of the blade... usually a Ken will slightly taper out in both kasane and haba towards the end. The piece doesn't look to have incorporated this (hard to make) trait. Is it a little fatter at the end at all? It's a lack of elegance that makes the piece less desireable (but still nice and desirable), but it does also bring doubt as to the actual steel quality and hamon hardness, etc. enjoy it, as I probably would too!

[FletchSan]

Not sure if it becomes wider at the end - will know more when I have it in hand and will take some detailed photos for the nihonto forum to discuss the sword. Will try to keep this thread on the Kanji translation. I'll PM Morita San as suggested. Thanks!

[FletchSan]

Interestingly when I google for those Kanji exactly using quotes a Cambridge article comes up about an Edo sword cult - The Narita Fudō cult of Shinshōji Temple. I've requested a copy of the article for research purposes - I'm sure a coincidence but interesting nevertheless.

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi guys,

 

Could the Kanji read thus

 

寳 Takara or Ho

釼 Tsurugi

天 Ten

國 Koku

 

Which maybe sounds a bit like "Heavenly Treasure Sword".

 

Also, the reference to Naritasan Shinshoji maybe has a resonance as the grounds are filled with sculptural depictions of Fudo No Myoo, Tsurugi and Kurikara.

 

 

I have more images taken at Naritasan Shinshoji, if they are deemed relevant, I'll post them.

 

[SteveM]

I think Hōken and Amakuni are correct, Amakuni being a reference to the legendary swordsmith of the same name.

My guess; this is a tourist piece. Not necessarily poor quality blade. 

.

[Baka Gaijin]

Hi Steve.,

 

Doh!! I did not twig the Amakuni route, even though John spotted it early on in the thread, well done both.

 

I've seen that cherry bark style of lacquer before on items from the early 20th Century.

 

Agree tourist piece, as in the souvenir shops which surround larger Temples and Shrines.

 

I'm thinking 1910 - 1920?

 

What do you guys think??

[FletchSan]

I was thinking no earlier than late 19th century based on the patina on the nakago.

 

Does anyone have any reference photos of similar tourist items sold at this time ?

 

I've seen the Meiji bone carved ones with poor quality blades though can't find any quite like this one. I would have thought if they were tourist items then they would be fairly common.

[Guido]

Maybe a "tourist item", but most probably a (Japanese) domestic one. Shrines sell omamori, amulets dedicated to particular Shintō deities, that are said to contain busshin (spiritual offshoots). Nowadays those are usually wooden tablets in a brocade bag, but there are many different ones like Daruma, dōrei (earthenware bells), hamaya (arrows), inuhariko (papier-mache dogs) - and small daggers. Those were around through much of the Edo period, but became popular in the Meiji period when sword smiths faced hard times, and at least got some support by their local shrines through the sale of miniature blades that were supposed to ward off evil spirits. They were usually kept in the kamidama (house shrine), which explains that not many came on the market, much like Christians don't sell their family crucifixes. I've seen very roughly forged ones, as well as some phantastic small "swords" with all the features one would expect from a real one.

 

BTW, sakuragawa-nuri, lacquer simulating cherry bark, was used throughout the Edo period.

[FletchSan]

Thanks Guido - makes sense in regards to their rarity if treasured as Shinto or Buddhist totems. I wonder if they were exempt from being confiscated after the war and remained with the families.

I love how unimposing the Koshirae is in contrast to the sword which seems to have everything going on with the gold filled characters and horimono. I wonder if the dragon scales were also highlighted with silver - might just be the light.

 

Hard to tell how well forged it is though there are yasurime on the nakago and the hamon is clearly there. It has a reasonable length with a 30.8cm nagasa. I'll arrange for a window and give it a careful clean and uchiko and take some better photos. Cant wait to have it in hand.

[Stephen]

Id start with wiping with oily cloth, changing fold with each wipe from machi up, repete.