Mei and Tsuba translation help.

[JGC]

I recently bought this Wakizashi from a friend of mine who collects antique weaponry. the blade's condition is actually very good... accept that someone has done something so horrifying to the blade that it actually made me cry the first time i saw it. i really don't want to go into very much detail because i know some of you might do the same. this is just my personal project, and over the past few weeks i've tried to translate what was on the Mei and Tsuba with very little success.

 

i thought some of you might be able to help.

 

the Mei

http://www.spuffnet.com/Sword/Mei.jpg

 

as far as i can tell says "Norimitsu" though i've actually found very little information on the man himself aside from a full name... of course, i'm assuming i've been able to decipher it correctly.

 

the Tsuba

http://www.spuffnet.com/Sword/Tsuba.jpg

i'm at a complete and total loss about, aside the fact that i know that it's iron.

 

 

if you know of what they might say, or if you can give me links to a site where i might find a good guide to translate it, i'd be very grateful.

[DirkO]

Hi,

 

There are various sites for that which you can access by following the above Links shortcut.

 

Here's a good one :

 

http://www.jssus.org/nkp/index.html

[JGC]

that's actually the site i used for the Mei.

 

to be honest, the real problem i'm having with the Tsuba is that the writing is a bit hard for me to read (bad eyes, no glasses.)

 

this will sound like a completely idiotic question, i'm sure, but what to Tsuba normally say? it is the area they were made, the style, or something else?

[Nobody]

The mei on the tsuba may be ...

 

江府住 (Kofu ju) - living in Edo

清次 (Kiyotsugu) - craftsman's name

[JGC]

the Living in Edo looks dead on in comparison when i look at it, but i'm not very sure about the name. it could very well be, though. i'm sure most of the people here are much more used to reading this sort of thing than i am.

[reinhard]

Moriyama-san is correct, of course. No reason to doubt his translation.

 

reinhard

[JGC]

well thanks to the both of you.

 

i wasn't really doubting it, i was just saying my eyesight is a bit off so i can't really tell entirely. that's why it took me about 3 days to translate the two Kanji on the Mei.

 

thanks for the help, i'm really just curious to lean about the Wakizashi and it's maker.

 

 

and also, what's probably a very stupid question... do Menuki have any special meaning?