interesting gassan sadakazu with poetry...

[Darcy]

I photographed this on my current trip. The photo is of the blade portion of a Gassan Sadakazu that was owned by the first Prime Minister of Japan (if I remember the story right, been told a lot of stories and things get jumbled about).

 

(900k file, big, your web browser may give you a scaled down representation until you click on the image):

 

http://www.nihonto.ca/firstmerge.jpg

 

The theme is of the Six Poets. It's all grass script.

 

I would like to be able to document this in its entirety in my book series, as well as being very interested myself in what it had to say. Probably interesting for board members too. The owner didn't have a translation.

 

I will credit the board and members who help out on this on the specific page as well as the front section of the Shinshinto volume... my intention is to put the kanji up, maybe using a grass script font, and then the transliteration, and the translation, similar to how I put up the sayagaki examples on my website.

 

Now, back to photographing the last batch... I just shot a 37" nagasa shrine blade. Almost too big for my photo rig.

[Brian]

Darcy,

What a magnificent and unusual blade.

What are the dimensions of it? It certainly was a dedication or special order blade. Is it katakiriha zukuri?

That is going to be a real challenge to translate, like reading hieroglyphics. However we do seem to have a member or 2 that have a good working knowledge of grass script. Would love to know the translation too. The horimono are superb, almost like painting with steel.

 

Look forward to hearing more, and seeing it in the book.

 

Brian

[Nobody]

Although I cannot read all characters, I can identify the six poets and their poems, because they are famous as well as their poems.

These are the poets and their poems. However, each character below might not be identical with that on the blade, as I did not read every character on the blade.

 

六歌仙 (Rokkasen) – Six best Waka poets

 

わが庵は都の辰巳しかぞすむ世を宇治山と人はいふなり

喜撰法師 (Kisen Hoshi)

 

色見えで移ろうものは世の中の人の心の花ぞありける

小野小町 (Ono no Komachi)

 

鏡山いざたちよりて見てゆかむ年へぬる身は老いやしぬると

大友黒主 (Otomo no Kuronushi)

 

あさみどり糸よりかけて白露を玉にもぬける春の柳か

僧正遍昭 (Sojo Henjo)

 

おほかたは月をもめでじこれぞこのつもれば人の老いとなるもの

在原業平 (Ariwara no Narihira)

 

吹くからに秋の草木のしをるればむべ山風を嵐といふらむ

文屋康秀 (Hunya no Yasuhide)

[Brian]

Here is a good page on the poets: http://web-Japan.org/museum/others/uta/ ... ka_04.html

Going by the pics, the one I can identify is the 4th down with the bow and arrows. he is Ariwara-no-Narihira (825-880)

I wonder if the poems listed under their names are the ones in the horimono?

In this case "Not even the gods could have seen Tatsuta River Crimson as this, tie-dyed, brilliant with leaves." I suppose it is unlikely these are the quoted poems, someone would have to identify exactly which poems have been used here for each poet.

 

The second horimono is Ono-no-Komachi of course. Moriyama san, are they shown on the blade in the order you wrote them?

 

Brian

[Darcy]

I have to get back in touch with the owner to find out the story behind him getting the blade and its history. When I'm working, I tend to have 3-4 people pulling me in different directions, and usually people want to tell me the stories when they hand things over, while I'm thinking about / worrying about technical details of photography, who I have to get blades back to, who I have to pick them up from, etc. The result is that a lot of this stuff becomes a big jumble...

 

So I asked this owner of this blade about it because it was very remarkable, and got some of the story and forgot most of it. He was a very kind old Japanese gentleman. When I find out more I will post, this is the kind of thing that I had hoped would come out to play when I decided to do this series.

 

Moriyama san, once again thank you for your assistance. I am way in your debt at this point.

[Nobody]

The second horimono is Ono-no-Komachi of course. Moriyama san, are they shown on the blade in the order you wrote them?

I wrote the poems in the same order as them on the blade. However, it is apparent that the choiceｓ of characters (i.e. Kanji or Kana) are different from my descriptions in some parts. I have not yet read the inscriptions in detail. I think that Morita-san can easily read them.

[Nobody]

I found some translations on the net. But we have to consider their copyright.

 

わが庵は都の辰巳しかぞすむ世を宇治山と人はいふなり

喜撰法師 (Kisen Hoshi)

Refer to No. 8

http://pureoffice.net/kyomi/database/h1/h1-e10.htm

 

 

吹くからに秋の草木のしをるればむべ山風を嵐といふらむ

文屋康秀 (Hunya no Yasuhide)

Refer to No. 22

http://pureoffice.net/kyomi/database/h1/h1-e30.htm

[IanB]

Darcy,

Portraits of the 36 famous poets painted by Tosa Mitsuoki (1617 - 1691) are hung around the prayer hall at Nikko Toshogu Shrine. They are National treasures and I suspect the portraits of the poets on the blade may well have been taken from these. Mitsuoki did both commercial work as well as holding the office of edokoro azukari to the Imperial Court in Kyoto.

 

Ian Bottomley

[Bungo]

" So I asked this owner of this blade about it because it was very remarkable, and got some of the story and forgot most of it. He was a very kind old Japanese gentleman "

 

Darcy,

If the old gentleman is who I think he is, I call call him and ask him to repeat the story , he has a fully mounted tachi used to belong to Gen. Sujiyama ( I think that's the name ) with original box ( gift from the Tenno , lots of writings on it ).

The tachi were exhibited a few times at the chicago shows of year past.

 

milt

[Brian]

Darcy,

 

Have you had any further success getting a full translation done?

If not, then we can contact some of the members who might be able to assist, but might not have seen this thread yet.

 

Brian

[k morita]

Hi Darcy

 

六歌仙 Rokkasen" Six best Waka poets"

 

わが庵は都の辰巳しかぞすむ世を宇治山と人はいふなり

A （ わか庵はみやこのたつみしかそすむよをうち山とひとはいふなり ）

喜撰法師 (Kisen Hoshi)

 

色見えで移ろうものは世の中の人の心の花ぞありける

B ( 色みえてうつろふものは世中のひとのこころの花にそありける )

小野小町 (Ono no Komachi)

 

鏡山いざたちよりて見てゆかむ年へぬる身は老いやしぬると

C ( かかみ山いさたちよりて見てゆかむとしへぬるみは老いやしぬると )

大友黒主 (Otomo no Kuronushi)

 

あさみどり糸よりかけて白露を玉にもぬける春の柳か

D ( あさみとりいとよりかけて白露をたまにもぬける春の柳か )

僧正遍昭 (Sojo Henjo)

 

おほかたは月をもめでじこれぞこのつもれば人の老いとなるもの

E ( おほかたは月をもめてしこれそこのつもれはひとのおいとなるもの )

在原業平 (Ariwara no Narihira)

 

吹くからに秋の草木のしをるればむべ山風を嵐といふらむ

F ( ふくからに秋のくさきのしをるれはうへ山風をあらしといふらん )

文屋康秀 (Hunya no Yasuhide)

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

...great, Morita san.

[Jean]

Outstanding as usual Morita-san

[Brian]

 

Brian

[John A Stuart]

I have archived this not just because the piece is so interesting and historical, but, because you have done such good work on the translation of a very hard script. Kudos, for all your hard work. John

[Brian]

Congratulations too go out to you too Moriyama san

I can't translate of course, but comparing your work above, it looks very very close.

I am constantly amazed by both of you, and the forum is in both of your debt.

 

Regards,

Brian

[Guest Lee]

Real Nice Blade !

 

 

Lee

[Darcy]

Wow, you guys are gods. Thank you so much for doing that, I hope it is as enjoyable to you as it is informative to me... If I may reproduce this in my book, I would appreciate it. I am going to give credit to our local translation gods of course, and I am going to add a page in the next book to pump the boards.

 

I'm going to be putting the first book on Amazon soon...

 

Milt, it is who you think it is and thank you very much for the introduction. He's since wrote to me and told me more.... I am buried under email and editing so I am a few days behind in everything right now so late to get back here.

 

I forgot to give you back that wonderful hand-crafted yari shirasaya as well. Such fine work, do you know the craftsman?

 

Never seen this quality of work in cardboard before.

[John A Stuart]

Never seen this quality of work in cardboard before.

 

 

That was funny as all get out. Laugh. :lol:

[Bungo]

" Never seen this quality of work in cardboard before.

 

 

That was funny as all get out. Laugh. "

 

Fast but effective temporary measure to protect the blade since it's no longer behind glass and wood frame...... the yari was mounted on a black " cloth " board secured through two nut/screw. The blade itself float above the baseboard without touching anything. The whole baseboard+ yari then rest on a " shoulder " of the deep wood frame with glass front. I must say it's a very good design and looks good on the wall.

 

 

and thanks, Darcy, for taking the trouble to photograph my yari and tanto, will send you the nthk paper later ,By the way, it's papered to Kanebo school ( not Masazane, the reading " masazane " is actually " shoshin " as appeared on all nthk paper, fooled Arnold, Chris L. and me.....took me a while to figure it out )

 

milt

[Nobody]

FYI;

Rokkasen (六歌仙) inscription on a Kogatana blade. Can you see the very small characters on the blade?

 

Ref. Aoi Art

https://www.aoi-art.com/auction/auction ... 1165718630

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Fantastic Kogatana, Moriyama-san.

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

" and thanks, Darcy, for taking the trouble to photograph my yari

 

I'm very envyous Milt. A very nice Jumonji indeed.

[Darcy]

That is crazy, the amount of detail.

 

Having done some silversmithing and goldsmithing and woodworking, I have so much respect for what these craftsmen have done. I feel like a caveman when I compare the things I have made to things like this.

[Jean]

You are too modest Darcy , I remember seeing some of your goldsmith artobject on your website years ago, they were very good.

 

Some people have a natural gift for craftmanship (working/carving with their hand) and you are one of them as many NMB members, I envy you all because I am very clumsy

[Guest Lee]

Darcy,

 

How did you find that sword ?

 

Lee

[Guest reinhard]

Talking of Rokkasen and minute craftsmanship. Here's another one in the Baur collection. The top-panel can be slided off from the butt end, revealing the thirty-six poems. Japanese craftsmanship at its best.

 

reinhard

[Nobody]

Talking of Rokkasen and minute craftsmanship. Here's another one in the Baur collection.

Yes, that is incredible.

To be precise, that is Sanjurokkasen (三十六歌仙 - 36 Poetry Immortals).

 

Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-six ... _Immortals

[Guest reinhard]

I'm sorry. You are correct, of course. I was carried away by enthusiasm. Objects like these make my jaw drop.

 

reinhard

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Objects like these make my jaw drop.

 

Not only yours is dropping.

 

Fantastic.