Translation of Tsuba Mei

[andreYes]

I'll be very grateful if somebody can translate this Mei from a tsuba:

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Bugyotsuji]

OK, just to get the ball rolling I will guess at the most obvious. But... I am 95% sure someone will correct me :lol:

 

 

大月光弘　O-tsuki Mitsuhiro (plus Kao)

 

[andreYes]

OK, just to get the ball rolling I will guess at the most obvious. But... I am 95% sure someone will correct me :lol:

 

 

大月光弘　O-tsuki Mitsuhiro (plus Kao)

 

Thank you very much!

 

Just one more question... What is Kao?

[Jean]

Kind of Stamp/personalized signature

[Stephen]

Jean your slipping....no cow jokes?

[Jean]

Hi Stephen my friend,

 

You are right, anybody able to post on NMB must be able to google such a word as "kao". I am very lazy by nature but I refuse to be ashamed of myself in front such an audience by asking such questions

 

Newbies be aware that knowledge is not "logos" (google the word) coming from "experts". Even experts are subject to errors. Research is the key-word. Sweat and strained are scholar common law. Try to read and learn and make your own opinion.

 

Nihonto Example : what is the difference between mokume and Itame. Even Experts disagree. It is like: Which came first : chicken or egg. Some experts say that everything is Mokume and that that itame is an extension of mokume. Some experts say the opposite. Other say there is no link.

 

The main difficulty is to be independant and make its own opinion - read a lot, see a lot of blades.

 

I can give hundreds of examples showing that Nihonto as a rule is made of exceptions.

 

Sue Mino is considered as being mokume hada. It is everything : Mokume, itame, masame every thing being mixed. Sue Mino is considered as being Nioi deki, true upto 70/80%, the rest is nie deki, the same smith being able to produce both kind of deki.

 

At the opposite early Mino is known to be nie deki but 20/30% of blades are Nioi deki.

 

Kantei, in my opinion, is a joke, because you have to see a blade gathering all the stereotypes from a schoom or a smith, which will happen only if you are able to handle first or second generation of masters, small chances. 99% of the blades you shall handle won't meet these criteria.

 

AND NOW ladies and Gentlemen I am going to sleep over this wonderful Thaï dinner and Sancerre wine I had as I am realizing I am becoming talkative, I hope Guido/Brian/Ted and Stephen shall forgive me.

[Jean]

In fact Kao is at the origin a seal, but I think that Guido is much more educated than me in this. Makes me think of this old movie where a couple won a seal at a Bingo (not the Kuni) but the seal was an animal ...

[Ted Tenold]

Notice: Some posts of irrelevant and inflammatory nature have been deleted to maintain thread clarity.

 

Please feel free to continue relevant conversation.

[Ted Tenold]

A "Kao" would be closest to what is known in the western regions as a monogram. Like a monogram, they generally have some or all elements of the characters in the name, but also can have certain designs which are slightly altered from generation to generation.

[andreYes]

Thank you all for the exhaustive explanation. I'll try not to ask stupid questions again

[Stephen]

A

 

no such thing as stupid question ...just stupid jokes...ill be good.

[andreYes]

Don't want to make a new topic for a small question:

Is there any difference between "kao" and "kakihan", or these words are synonyms?

 

(Admin comment - almost 1 full year later )

[andreYes]

(Admin comment - almost 1 full year later )

:D I've reanimated this topic, because here I've seen the word "kao" for the first time

 

 

Here is the answer to my own question:

kao - signature in form of monogram

kakihan - a kind of author's seal or stamp, used as a signature.

Please correct me, if I'm wrong.

[John A Stuart]

Kao 花押 【かおう】 (n-t) signature (not stamp)

Kakihan 書き判 【かきはん】 (n) signature or written seal at the end of a document

Some similar discussion. John

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6525&p=51742#p51742