Mei Help

[PR4964]

Hi All,

 

As a total newbie to the forum please excuse any mistakes on the first post.

 

The katana in question is a gendaito in mint 100% original condition. All seppa and tsuba have the same serial number. The tang has no stamping marks and appears well made. Manufacture date was June 1945. I believe the smiths name is Horita Minakuni, Jo Saku, from Richard Stein's Japanese Swordsmith Ranking information. It is a long translation and an oddity. To explain the oddity angle, after what I believed the translation to be, the horizontal scratch marks across the boshi confirm the kanji description. Could you fine folk please confirm or deny my translation. Kanji by Kanji I believe it goes Mina,kuni,ha,mono,suru,shiki,kai,koso,ishi,toku,chou,kore.

Photos are attached for inspection.

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, the piccies are a bit jumbled up, but first glance down the right edge shows:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Imperial Bladeware Company Ltd å¸å›½åˆƒç‰©æ ªå¼ä¼šç¤¾Teikoku Hamono Kabushiki-gaisha

 

[PR4964]

Bugyotsuji,

 

Thanks for the translation. I was looking at Sha incorrectly and thinking shrine then working back from there. Any ideas as to the last 4 kanji, I can only identify Kore. And possibly the first as Seki. I don't think the smiths name is on the tang if what you have identified is correct. Your translation would possibly identify the company named as a sword fitting company who has finished a mumei blade. Any further help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Peter.

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, I looked at it, as I am sure many others did, but didn't want to risk showing my ignorance. The first two characters, 石徳 suggest a personal name, possibly of a company, and the last two 調 and ... ? is it 之　or 々

 

Without being sure, and with no reference material I am stabbing in the dark. So, until someone can offer a correction,

 

  Reveal hidden contents

石徳 Sekitoku 調　Cho a) arranged/harmonized this? b) offered this to... the gods? made this as an offering?

 

 

PS a) in the spoiler makes more sense in the light of what you say.

[Jacques]

Hi,

 

This kind of mei indicates a machine forged blade not a traditional one. In this case it is not a gendai-to but a showa-to. To be sure, some close pictures of the blade can help more.

 

Please, forgive my frankness

[PR4964]

Hi All,

 

Attached are some closer shot of the blade, a few scratches here and there but...

[Nobody]

I really cannot understand the meaning of the last four characters.

But that could be an uncommon name.

 

石徳調之 (Ishitoku Shigeyuki; reading???) – family name + given name

[Bugyotsuji]

  Nobody said:

I really cannot understand the meaning of the last four characters.

But that could be an uncommon name.

 

石徳調之 (Ishitoku Shigeyuki; reading???) – family name + given name

 

I was thinking Ishitoku, but when I Googled those two characters, the reading of Sekitoku seemed more common. Is Ishitoku equally or more likely possible, Moriyama san?

[Nobody]

  Bugyotsuji said:

I was thinking Ishitoku, but when I Googled those two characters, the reading of Sekitoku seemed more common. Is Ishitoku equally or more likely possible, Moriyama san?

Actually, I have never heard the name before. But at least, Ishitoku does exist.

 

http://www.google.co.jp/search?sourceid ... 8%e3%81%8f

[PR4964]

To All,

 

I have seemed to find the source of the inscription. If anyone has a copy of the INDEX OF DAI NIHON TOKEN SHOKO MEIKAN (THE GREAT Japanese SWORD BUSINESS DIRECTRY), on the first page of the advertiser's section is - Imperial Steel Manufacture Ltd./Teikoku Seitetsu Kabushiki Kaisha (Hiroshima), maybe someone could show us what the advert looks like. Thanks to all who helped in this, I think Mr Ishitoku was lucky he wasn't anywhere near there that fateful day.

 

Many thanks.

[pcfarrar]

  Jacques D. said:

This kind of mei indicates a machine forged blade not a traditional one. In this case it is not a gendai-to but a showa-to. To be sure, some close pictures of the blade can help more.

 

I would tend to agree with the statement about the mei but looking at the pictures of the blade it does look pretty nice. A superior quality showa-to perhaps?

[Brian]

Nice blade P. Rowan. Please sign posts with a name, thanks.

I would agree, this doesn't look at all like a normal machine made blade. It definitely looks forged and folded, probably from different steel to the traditional tamahagane. Perhaps that company was experimenting with steel or forging. It would pay to investigate the company a bit. Well done to the forum sleuths again

I would send the link or info to Ohmura san, who might have info on this type of blade, or be interested in it. Does show some vivid hataraki, if not totally typical.

I think the WW2 Japanese sword collectors would love this one.

 

Brian

[PR4964]

Brian, Sorry about the faux pas on the signature. I'm still coming to grips with setting up the profile. I did manage to do the avatar last night though. Further to the topic, I did read in the Hiroki Hirokuni interview in Leon Kapps 1868-the present, page 151, Hiroki uses Teikoku steel. I wonder if they existed in the 40's and had their own forge with possibly a store outlet.

Like you say, a lot of research into the company is needed. Also in the interview Hiroki mentions his father was the director of the forging department at the Mitsui coal mines. Any lineage on Hiroki's father may find the smith's identity. Huge long shot but sometimes they come good.

[k morita]

Peter,

 

Very neat sword made by Teikoku-Hamono-Kabushiki-kaisha(Empire cutlery Ltd.).

I'm owning the original book(not Jinsoo's riprint book) "DaiNippon Token ShoKo MeiKan"(THE GREAT Japanese SWORD BUSINESS DIRECTRY).

Teikoku steel produced Tamahagane-steel(named MURAKUMO-TAMAHAGANE ) during the WW2.

[Bugyotsuji]

Wow, that's quite exciting! Thank you for that, Morita san.

[PR4964]

Morita san,

Thank you for the attachment, looks brilliant. I suppose finding information on smiths working for the company may be a bit a little easier to work out. The last 4 kanji on the tang still have me stumped as to wether it is a customer name or the smiths real name not art name. Thanks again for your input. This forum really does have a deep breadth of knowledge.

[Nobody]

I would like to point out that “Teikoku Hamono (刃物; Cutlery) Co., Ltd.†is not proved to be “Teikoku Seitetsu (製éµ; Steel) Co., Ltd.†yet. Or is it a known fact?

Generally, “Teikoku +something +Co. Ltd†is a common naming for private companies. And the name does not necessarily mean being the same company or the same group.