WW2 Wakizashi Mei Assistance Please

[robinalexander]

Ok so I have this nice Wak (suguha/combat cover) that I have tried to translate between my best friend (Mrs), the Olympics and Slough's Oshigata = 4 hours, which incidentally is nothing to this retired person....but, I have given up with no conclusive result.

 

It appears to have a Sho stamp (but the inside dosn't look quite right???) therefore made for/during  WW2 which I believe from a very reliable source, is rare for a Wak.  I might start a thread on that matter as soon as I get this sorted.

 

For my first real attempt, and I am sure a chuckle for a few members I have come up with......

 

No

Shu

Izo or Roku or Ama

?????

Nin or Hachi

Kane

Mitsu

Saku

Kore

 

So I clearly have something wrong in there 😂 ..... need some help...but feel its Kanemitsu but can't recognise that in Slough's.

 

Thankyou in advance.

Rob

 

PS...as mentioned, I also went through the Arsenal Stamps thread and have trouble matching the exact stamp on my Wak ?? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SteveM]

You got the salient bits correct. And with a bit of practice and intuition you would have got the other bits as well.

濃州関住人兼光作之

 

Nōshū seki jū-nin Kanemitsu saku kore

 

Seki (関) almost invariably follows Nōshū, as the town of Seki was the center of sword production, and it was (and still is) something of a well-known brand for swords and other blades. The seki on your sword is slightly unusual and doesn't look like the glyph that is most-commonly used, but it has the central part (关) which identifies it as seki. 

 

Your shō stamp looks OK to me. 昭 inside of a cherry blossom. (Struck at a slightly crooked angle, but otherwise OK). 

[robinalexander]

Thanks Steve, good tips too.  Will go back, revisted with your info and try (try mind you) to consolidate 😊

Rob

[Surfson]

Well done Rob, you worked your way through it very successfully.  Slough is just a selective compilation.  I remember when he was going around at sword shows taking oshigata.  Obviously mostly represents the common and rare blades that he ran across.  

[Bruce Pennington]

Rob,

Agree with Steve, the stamp has a punch mark in one quarter which goofs up the kanji (threw me at first too!).  I assume no date on the reverse side?

 

Save yourself going through the Arsenal Stamps thread and get yourself a copy of the Stamps of the Japanese Sword.

[robinalexander]

Hello Bruce, no unfortunately nothing on reverse side.  Thanks for the tip on Stamps of the Japanese Sword I will follow that up, got to be easier than the 'stamps thread'

 

Will have to get a another Oshigata book as well that supplements Slough's (mind you I don't want a complete library) so happy to take a recommendation on that.

 

All the best 

Rob

[robinalexander]

Close up of sho stamp for anyones interest

Rob