tesscoothome123 Posted January 31, 2017 Report Posted January 31, 2017 Hi All, I am pretty sure this is made by Bishu Osafune Sukesada. I am having a hard time deciphering the date on this so any help would be appreciated. Another question is many years ago someone used scotch tape to hold the saya together. It is in decent shape if it were removed. Would you approach this or leave it. Second: There is a tag on the saya also. Is this an old registration tag? Any help to the approach taken with this one would be welcome. Best Regards, John Quote
John A Stuart Posted January 31, 2017 Report Posted January 31, 2017 It looks like Tensho period. John 1 Quote
uwe Posted January 31, 2017 Report Posted January 31, 2017 "Tensho Ni Nen Hachi Gatsu Hi", if I'm not wrong. 1 Quote
Guido Posted January 31, 2017 Report Posted January 31, 2017 I think it's 天文 (Tembun / Tenmon). 2 Quote
SteveM Posted January 31, 2017 Report Posted January 31, 2017 I think 天文 also. The item taped to the shirasaya looks like it has the words 備州長船祐定 written on it (hence, it would appear to be an old registration paper) but the rest is obscured by tape and by the slightly blurry focus. If we could see more of it, it might help determine if the year is 天文 or something else. Be aware that the bureaucrats who fill in these registration certificates sometimes make mistakes. They are not always sword aficionados, and are not always accurate when it comes to deciphering centuries-old engravings. The registration certificate by itself is not worth anything, and its only value is, as above, giving you another opinion as to what the engraving says. Some collectors may find the very early registration certificates to be of some historical value, but generally its not really worth anything. If you can remove it from the shirasaya to get a better look at it, it does no harm to the ensemble, and takes nothing away from the value of the sword. Usually these certificates must be forfeited when you export a sword out of Japan. If it gets re-imported to Japan, it will get a new certificate. There actually looks like a sticker with some Korean writing on it as well, so that's slightly curious. As to the taping of the shirasaya; it may not be the biggest issue for you. I mean, your shirasaya looks very old and I wonder about the oil and dust buildup inside of it. Is the sword in good shape? Is it a nice sword? If so, you might consider getting a new shirasaya made (and hang on to the old bits if you want to keep them as historical artifacts). The important thing is to keep the sword in good condition. As for the rest of the shirasaya, it has an address and a name on one side: 佐賀懸浜庫村大字若宮 中野吉? Saga-ken, Hyōgo-mura, Ōaza Wakamiya Nakano Kichi? The other side says 宮地嶽三柱大神 Miyajidakemihashira Ōkami This is the name of a trinity of local (Kyūshū) shintō gods, I think. Here is a little bit on them http://www.miyajidake.or.jp/images/en/booklet.pdf Underneath this is 備州長船祐定 Bishū Osafune Sukesada The fune bit is obscured by tape. 5 Quote
tesscoothome123 Posted January 31, 2017 Author Report Posted January 31, 2017 Hi, John, Uwe, Guido, and Steve thank you much again for you help. I was stumped by date and and new it was either Tensho or Tembun. Will take tape off. It is in decent shape with some areas of darkening. Here are a couple picture. Regards, John Quote
uwe Posted January 31, 2017 Report Posted January 31, 2017 Magnified the pic once again. I have to admit, it's far closer to "Tembun" than to "Tenshō". Quote
tesscoothome123 Posted January 31, 2017 Author Report Posted January 31, 2017 Hi, I have brought the shirasaya back from the dead and has the date as Tembun. Turned out very well. Kept the papers you mentioned Steve. Will get a new shiraysaya made as suggested. I really enjoyed the link to the read about Mayajidake Jinja(Thank you Steve). Learned something new. Well I should say, still have a lot to learn. Will post a photo of shirasaya later. Best Regards, John Quote
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