Help, please, with another inscription ...

[docliss]

This unconventional, iron guard depicting a scroll is inscribed on the obverse

HAN ? KEN TORI and, on an inlaid silver plaque on the reverse, are three further, unidentified kanji which are, I suspect, the title of the scroll which the design depicts. But I am not even sure that these are correctly orientated in my image! The Han ? Ken is presumably the gō of the artist, who may be H 10261.0.

 

With thanks in anticipation, John L.

[Markus]

Hi John,

 

Although I am (at the moment) uncertain about the signature, I do know about the

motif of the tsuba. Namely the inscriptions reads "Seiki no uta" (正気歌) which is a

collection of poems by Wén Tianxíang (文天祥, jap. Bun Tenshô; 1236-1282) he wrote

whilst he was in prison. The poems were popular among patriots of the bakumatsu period

and frequently reprinted at that time.

[docliss]

Thank you Marcus, that is a great start to my enquiry. John.

[John A Stuart]

It is definitely signed 'Tori'. The left side is still eluding me. John

[John A Stuart]

John, The name for 'Tori' in Haynes is given as 'Seiryuken'. Could this, though, be 'Kuryuken'? The second kanji is difficult for me to ascertain. John

[Markus]

Probably an unrecorded gô. I was not able to find any entries for

my (suggested) reading of "Yûshûken" or "Ushûken" (友州軒).

[Nobody]

As a shot in the dark;

友沖軒 - Yuchuken

[docliss]

My thanks to you all -your combined expertise never ceases to amaze me. I think that I shall take Koichi's translation of YUCHUKEN as being my preferred one, although I have failed to find any reference to this as a known go.

 

John L.