Swords with names

[Tengu1957]

Samurai sometimes named their swords , the most interesting name I have seen was "the nasty lady" ! 

Here are 3 I have:

1. Koto Katana attribution to Shimada Hirosuke 72.4 cm . Name given "Sasa no Tsuyu" cuts like dew falling from a Bamboo leaf.

2. Koto Katana attribution to Bizen Den circa 1500. 75.3 cm it's also a Tameshigiri but the sword is named "Shikainami" it means the waves of the 4 seas , it references a line in the No play Takasago regarding harmony.

3. Katana signed Kashu ju Fujiwara Nagatsugu 63.9 cm sayagaki by Sato Kanzan.

Sword is named "kago Tsurube" it means a woven bamboo basket - it implies it cuts as easily as water running out of a woven bamboo basket.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ray Singer]

Sasa-no-tsuyu seems to have been a popular name. I have seen several others, going back to one with that name I handled at a 1996 Christies auction viewing.

[IBot]

Basil Robinson, formerly of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London had a sword named Sasa no tsuya he acquired during the surrender of Japanese forces.

Ian Bottomley

 

[David Flynn]

I have a Kaifu Katana with Sasa no Tsuyu with hozon kanteisho.

[WillFalstaff]

I guess there’s a lot of dew on bamboo leaves in the morning in Japan.

(Ok, I’ll leave now)

 

 

[Ray Singer]

It seems that named yari are rare and this is the only one I have seen offered for sale. Heianjo Nagayoshi yari named Kantetsu (piercing iron), purchased here on the NMB. 

 

 

[b.hennick]

I had a Shodai Hizen Kunihiro that had on the ura the character Yoshi. So the sword was "lucky".

[Baba Yaga]

  On 4/9/2022 at 8:11 PM, b.hennick said:

I had a Shodai Hizen Kunihiro that had on the ura the character Yoshi. So the sword was "lucky".

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Hey Barry, I bought Wak from you many moons ago at the SF sword show, full horse them koshirae. Has a dragon painted on the Saya. Paid American Cash. You told me it was your sisters. 

You looked the same as in your photo. I guess you found the fountain of youth.  

[WulinRuilong]

  On 4/8/2022 at 8:25 PM, Ray Singer said:

Sasa-no-tsuyu seems to have been a popular name. I have seen several others, going back to one with that name I handled at a 1996 Christies auction viewing.

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kago Tsurube is a popular name, too. I have seen two swords named kago Tsurube

[Bruce Pennington]

Sorry for the side track, but:

 

Is that cutter mei from Hisahide?  The kao is the same, but there's something different about the mei:

 

Why would the last 2 kanji be reversed, and the other one, not "hisa", be different?

[SteveM]

Hello Bruce,

Yes they are both from the same cutter, Yamada Kanjūrō Yasuhisa.

 

The first name, "Yasuhisa", is the name he used early in his career. He changed his name several times. The name he used in the latter part of his career is "Hisahide". 

 

 

[Tengu1957]

This is a Yasuhisa sword of mine , I believe the same above . His Father Nagahisa was head of the Yamano family before his sone took over using the name Hisahide. 

[Bruce Pennington]

Thanks @SteveM that makes sense, and explains the same kao on the seemingly different names.