Help with mei on this little Tanto please

[Chishiki]

This Tanto just arrived and I am away from my books. I bought it without seeing the Nakago so was surprised to see an old mei inserted into a shinsakuto. I see the hear showa 30 Blade length is about 7”.

 

Does anyone know of this maker?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Mark

[Chishiki]

Sorry the pics came out sideways.

[Tom Darling]

Meiji date, and a Kunisada did something??????  Guessing Nobukuni?  from my old eyes, probably wrong, although interesting. Peace.

 

 

Tom D. 

[EdWolf]

Date: januari 1897

[Chishiki]

Thanks gents, amened to meiji 30. I am trying to work out the old mei. Nobukuni is a possibility. Please keep the info coming. The kanji on the nakago are very small and neatly done. It looks like it has been darkened up to look older. It is a small tanto mounted as kwaiken. I will add some pics. Thanks again, much appreciated. Mark

[EdWolf]

Mark,

 

The mei starts with:

 

備前 Bishu
國貞 Kunisada

[Chishiki]

Photos of the mount.

Mark

[tbonesullivan]

Is that an older NAKAGO piece inserted into a newer blade, or does that mean it was cut down significantly, and the original tang piece was preserved and inserted?

[Tom Darling]

That is the $64,000 question?  Peace.

 

 

Tom D.

[ROKUJURO]

David,

I am waiting also for the experts to chime in. Like Ed, I think I can read BIZEN KUNISADA MINAMOTO no KAMI.......This is probably the master who formed the new NAKAGO in MEIJI JIDAI. The blade is perhaps the front part of a broken NAGINATA or NAGAMAKI, if I consider the strong SORI, and the maker of the original blade could have been a SADAKUNI (difficult for me to read the first KANJI). 

The MEI had been removed from the old NAKAGO and carefully inserted into the new NAKAGO (GAKU-MEI). That is what we believe, but of course there is no guarantee of authenticity unless a SHINSA panel  confirms it.

The new NAKAGO looks artificially aged/patinated to me.

[vajo]

Very intersting!

[Ray Singer]

I don't think that the reading is Bizen Kunisada. 備前國見原守美揚摺之. Perhaps, Bizen (no) kuni ___

[Nobody]

明治三十年一月日 – Meiji 30^th year (1897), 1^st month

備前國貝原守美揚摺之 – Bizen no kuni, Kaibara Moriyoshi shortened this.

 

I am not sure about the Gakumei on the other side. That might be Nobukane (信兼 ?).

[Ray Singer]

I have been struggling with the gakumei as well. I had dismissed the first kanji as being something other than Nobu, but 信兼 makes more sense than anything else I can determine at this point.

[Brian]

:clap:   Moriyama san.
Lovely sword too....love them with a story like this. Must have been a longer naginata. Maybe reshaped as a tanto.

[uwe]

First character looks a bit more “佑” to me. But who knows.....?

[Chishiki]

Thanks for your help. Here are the specific measurements. What the pics don’t show is how small this tanto is. It must have always been a tanto. What so you think? Thanks again.

 

Nagasa 17.5cm

Motohaba 2.1cm

Kasane 3.4mm

[Chishiki]

More pics

[Chishiki]

With contrast

[Chishiki]

Does this kanji outline make sense? Brian, sorry about tsking up space. Once the thread is done you can delete whst you want. Thanks.

[Chishiki]

明治三十年一月日 – Meiji 30^th year (1897), 1^st month

備前國貝原守美揚摺之 – Bizen no kuni, Kaibara Moriyoshi shortened this.

 

I am not sure about the Gakumei on the other side. That might be Nobukane (信兼 ?).

Thank you Moriyama San, i have added more photos of the old mei. I hope someone can help. Thanks

[tbonesullivan]

Big thanks to Moriyama San! I'm watching this one with interest. I would hope that having a new hilt attached would mean it was deemed really worth saving.  I wonder how much it was shortened.  So interesting.

[Chishiki]

This has always been a small tanto, too small to have been anything else. It is a nice shape as you can see and is a well made blade without kizu and very good hamon. Maybe shortened to be mounted as a wedding gift. The koshirae whilst plain is very niceley made. I still haven’s worked out the old mei, I will try to get some better pics.

 

Mark