Help with a Nakago Mei translation please, thank you.

[browntrout]

I would greatly appreciate any assistance on translating the characters on this Nakago please. I do have more images I can post if needed. I have also altered some of the images to make the characters easier to read, however, they are too large to post here. Thank you, Greg. 

[Mark S.]

Having a hard time getting through the rust.  I can only get the last two…

 

YOSHI

SAKU

 

 

[mywei]

芸州住源綱慶作

Geishu ju Minamoto Tsunayoshi I think.

 

Fairly uncommon yoshi afaik, only that signed this Tsunayoshi worked in Kanbun, Hiroshima area

 

 

 

 

[Peter Bleed]

Matt beat me by a minute!

Peter

[browntrout]

Thank you very much Matt and Peter for your quick responses. I have tried enhancing and cropping some of the images, and attached them (did not htink of that before!), does this help? 

 

So, am I getting this right...? It says, "芸州住源綱慶作" = "Geishu ju Minamoto Tsunayoshi SAKU"? Or, is Matt saying it ONLY says "Geishu ju Minamoto Tsunayoshi," without the Saku at the end? Any consensus on this translation, as he did also say, "I think." 

 

Also, I do not understand the following, "only that signed this Tsunayoshi," which I assume to mean "the only one that signed his swords this way, Tsunayoshi, worked in Kanbun, Hiroshima area," is that correct? 

 

Thanks folks, Greg. 

 

 

[browntrout]

Excuse me, the third enhancement did not turn out at all once uploaded! It is much clearer in my original enhanced version, but worse here! Let me see if I can do that again and fix it... I see what to do... when you open these two images, resize your window to a smaller window, and it does come into better focus. Thank you, Greg. 

[SteveM]

藝州住源綱慶作

 

Geishū-jū Minamoto Tsunayoshi saku

 

藝=芸   

Two versions of the same kanji. Geishū is the old province name for the area around Hiroshima. 

(You can tell there was a lot of consensus on Matt's translation because there were a few of us agreeing with him - note the "like" icon at the bottom of Matt's post).

 

[mywei]

Sorry for my truncated sentence - i meant the only smith that signed with this particular yoshi was the one who worked in Kanbun, around Hiroshima

yes there is a saku at the end

[browntrout]

Matt,

 

With humble gratitude! Got it! How sure are you of your translation? 95%, 90, 80, 70...???  

[browntrout]

Thanks to Steve too! 

[mywei]

I think there is consensus from a few of us that this is the correct translation

[browntrout]

Thank you guys! Now time to. dig into this maker more. Thanks for the translation and lead about where he worked. 

[Bugyotsuji]

As Matt says above. You are as close to 100% on the reading as anyone has ever been on this site.