Weapon translation

[Steffieeee]

Wonder if anyone can help translate the writing on this weapon? characters on both sides of the blades, and 4 sides of the weight are also inscribed.

[Brian]

Stef(an?)
I think you have an interesting item there. Most Kusarigama would be utilitarian at best. This one seems to maybe have been forged, and well mounted.
Definitely one to look further into. Made by Norimitsu? May be a homage signature like many kogatana or the real person who made it.

[Steffieeee]

Also this one but has no inscription unfortunately

[Ken-Hawaii]

Your second one looks more like a manriki-gusari.

[Bugyotsuji]

Blade, as Brian says, Norimitsu Saku 則光作

Ju Men　(=渋面Jifu Men?) 十面

 

Weight

In-Shu Ju... ... ... Kunitoshi　因州住　... ... ... 国利

Eisho Junen Nigatsu Kichi jitsu　永正十年二月吉日

[Bugyotsuji]

宝雲印...? (The name of the town is hard to see.)

 

I have quite a similar one which at great cost I had polished by a respectable Togi-Shi. The blade came up beautifully, full of activity. The Mei is on the nakago, however.

[Steffieeee]

Thanks Brian and Piers. What does that all mean? I don't speak Japanese. The blade is really well and solid

[Bugyotsuji]

What does it mean? Now you are becoming philosophical!

 

First off, keep it in mind that all of the writing might be there to impress someone into thinking they are genuine signatures. If that is so then life is simple.

 

At the same time there is a possibility that a smith really did sign the blade and someone else really did sign the weight on the date it says on it.

 

So the simple answer to your question is that a smith named Norimitsu (check your swordsmith database) made the blade section, or as Brian says, a smith made the blade in homage to said Norimitsu. 

 

Jifu-men　十面 seems to mean a 'frowning face'.

 

The notation on the weight tells you the place, 'Province of In', i.e. the eastern region of today's Tottori Prefecture, the name of the maker, Kunitoshi and the date (Google Western calendar vs Japanese dating).

 

All of this is the kind of stuff members love ferreting out, so we are careful not to do all the research for them.

[Brian]

Note the handle wrap (tsuka ito?) and the decoration. This was a higher class item I suspect.
If you are lucky, it is forged and folded and hardened like a sword, and would have a hamon and activity. Meaning it is more like a sword than an agricultural implement. Which means treating it like a sword. No abrasive on the blade, keep it lightly oiled and see if you can get it inspected by someone who knows swords.

[Bugyotsuji]

Looks as if someone has already had sandpaper on the blade, though.

[Steffieeee]

It's got lizard skin covering at the top with shakudo mounts, then Ito wrap over metallic thread type fabric with maybe small silver menuki. Do you know what the date is on the weight Piers? The blade has been cleaned there are still some high spots of black corrosion, I think it must have been quite rusty at one point. Looks fine now, I doubt I will be able to justify having it properly polished unfortunately

[Steffieeee]

Appear to have posted the same thing twice. Is there an easy way to delete a post?

[Bugyotsuji]

Stefan, Eisho 10 is 1513.

 

Rule of thumb,

Black rust = good. Keep as much of it as possible, because it takes about 500 years to grow, ferment and compact.

Red rust = still alive, out of control, needs reining in.

 

(PS There is a membership rule that we sign with a minimum of a first name and a last Initial.)

[Steffieeee]

1513... Blimey.

Yes I'm familiar with the various states of ferrous and ferric oxides. There's no compaction or fermentation involved, a later of black magnetite will actually protect the iron from rust to some degree. Thanks so much for the help translating!

 

Stef

[Bugyotsuji]

No no, I was half joking, thinking of the amount of handling by sweaty and oily hands over the years. 

Someone told me that among the schools of Kusari-gama, one used a chain attached to the back of the blade, and a different school worked with the chain attached to the bottom of the haft.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusarigama

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusarigamajutsu

[Steffieeee]

So that's what the hole at the back of this blade is for..!