Is this a Yokoyama Sukenaga sword?

[Freddie]

Hi guys,

 

I know that Yokoyama Sukenaga sign his work with the chrysanthemum flower. But I can’t figure out the mei. So what do you guys read out of it? Is it a Yokoyama Sukenaga sword?

[ChrisW]

You'll be needing to share a few more pictures:

 

the entire bare blade from end to end.

 

close-up of the kissaki (tip of the blade)

 

any close-ups of the hamon you can capture (cutting edge pattern)

 

 

 As well as giving a few basic measurements: overall length, nagasa (cutting edge length), nakago length.



BUT just looking at the mei, I cannot speak for if it matches how he signs, but I do see that the patina is different than the rest of the nakago (red rust being present) so that might be a clue.

[Ian B3HR2UH]

No need to post any more photos  . It is signed Inoue Shinkai  and is dated on the other side . This will almost certainly be gimei . 

Ian Brooks

[ChrisW]

Well, there you go! Ian got it for you.
 

[Freddie]

49 minutes ago, Ian B3HR2UH said:

No need to post any more photos  . It is signed Inoue Shinkai  and is dated on the other side . This will almost certainly be gimei . 

Ian Brooks

You really helped me Ian, I found out that Inoue Shinkai in fact us a known smith and he got the right to put the Kiku mon on his blades around 1672. So it was not a gimei.  :-)

 

without your translation of the signature I would not have find out this interesting info. Thx!

[ChrisW]

You're not understanding something here. That is a police registration card, it does nothing to speak about the veracity of the mei; it merely indicates what signature it is. If Ian says its highly likely to be gimei, then it is probably so. If you want more solid evidence for truthfulness in a signature, then you would need to submit it to shinsa.

The fact that a kikumon is present does nothing to verify the mei, as many gimei kikumon signatures have a kikumon as well.

[Brian]

Correct. Signed with that name, but a fake signature. Sword is real. Mei isn't.

[Bugyotsuji]

9 hours ago, Freddie said:

Is it a Yokoyama Sukenaga sword?

 

What sword?

Maybe the photos are not downloading for me, but I cannot see any blade anywhere to judge who might have made it.

 

(There were many fakes made of both Inoue Shinkai, as recorded on the registration card, and Yokoyama Sukenaga).

[Jacques D.]

100% gimei, this sword is dated from Kanbun 11 and Izumi no kami Kunisada changed his name to Inoue Shinkai in Kanbun 12

 

 

[Freddie]

6 hours ago, Brian said:

Correct. Signed with that name, but a fake signature. Sword is real. Mei isn't.

Ahh, Nihonto is really an interesting world :-)

 

Again, thx for the lesson.

[Freddie]

13 hours ago, ChrisW said:

You're not understanding something here. That is a police registration card, it does nothing to speak about the veracity of the mei; it merely indicates what signature it is. If Ian says its highly likely to be gimei, then it is probably so. If you want more solid evidence for truthfulness in a signature, then you would need to submit it to shinsa.

The fact that a kikumon is present does nothing to verify the mei, as many gimei kikumon signatures have a kikumon as well.

It’s probably a lot of things that I don’t understand. :-)

Thax for in lighting me. I’ll continue to ask stupid questions and reading up in everything.

 

[ChrisW]

We were all there at one time or another! Glad you saw what others have come up with. This is perhaps one of the most complex interests out there, with a dizzying amount of things to learn. Keep in mind, that even though it is gimei, that does not take away from the fact that it is a real nihonto and should be treasured!

[Infinite_Wisdumb]

Im where you are at Freddie!  I know I know nothing!!

[Freddie]

On 2/17/2021 at 9:12 AM, Jacques D. said:

100% gimei, this sword is dated from Kanbun 11 and Izumi no kami Kunisada changed his name to Inoue Shinkai in Kanbun 12

 

 

Hi, 

 

would you mind translation the rest of the mei as well?

[Bugyotsuji]

Fredd. In the Mei section on the registration card, there are two vertical lines of writing, recording the inscriptions as found on the two sides of the Nakago.

 

Starting from the right, it says "Inoue Shinkai".

The left line says "Kanbun 11, a day in August."